How to E-mail Your Professor

September 4, 2021

If you've never e-mailed a professor before, it can be intimidating to know how to write the e-mail! Learning how to write a professional e-mail is a skill that will serve you well not only in college, but also in your career afterwards, so this is a great time to learn. And, we (your professors) want to hear from you!

In this blog post, I'll address some common questions about e-mailing professors specifically, but before you read this blog post, please go read through Laura Spencer's "How to Properly Write a Formal E-mail (That Gets Results)". She addresses this topic in much more detail, and gives many great examples of professional e-mails.

What should I do before e-mailing my professor?

Often, professors maintain websites where they answer some frequently asked questions. For example, if you want to do research with a professor, find their website and see if they are looking for research students or if they have additional information on how to contact them if you want to do research. If you are in the professor's class, check the syllabus to see the e-mail policy (sometimes, professors encourage you to ask personal questions by e-mail and other questions on a forum like Piazza).

What should I call my professor?

Often, your professor will tell you what they want to be called at the beginning of the class (e.g., Dr. Burdick, Professor Burdick, Laura). If your professor has told you this, call you professor whatever they want to be called! If you don't know what your professor wants to be called, err on the side of formality, and address your professor as either Dr. or Professor. Often, you can look up your professor on the internet, and they will have a personal website or a department webpage. If your professor has a Ph.D., it's appropriate to call them Dr. If they don't, use the Professor title. If you don't know, very few people will be offended by either title! In general, don't use Mr., Mrs., Ms., etc. to refer to your professor.

Once your professor responds to your e-mail, call them whatever name they sign their e-mail with. For example, if they sign the e-mail "Dr. Burdick", you know that "Dr. Burdick" is an appropriate way to address them. If they sign their e-mail with their first name, it's ok for you to address them by their first name going forward.

How should I start my e-mail?

Here are some appropriate ways to start an e-mail to your professor:

Avoid anything too informal, such as Hey there or Howdy.

What should my e-mail include?

If you haven't communicated with your professor before, begin by giving a brief explanation of who you are (e.g., I am a student in your class this semester), and then describe why you are contacting the professor. Include enough details that your professor can easily understand the situation and help you, but keep your e-mail relatively short and concise. If you need your professor to do something, make sure that you clearly state what you are asking them to do and when you need them to do it by.

How should I end my e-mail?

Here are some appropriate ways to end an e-mail to your professor:

What should I do if my professor doesn't respond to my e-mail?

Professors are often very busy! If they don't respond to your e-mail right away, don't take it personally. If they haven't responded after a week or so, you can politely send a follow-up e-mail reminding them about your original e-mail. If they don't respond to your follow-up e-mail, is there another person that you can contact that can help you?