Nathan Thomas, 18, has been named the youngest male college professor by Guinness World Records after joining Miami Dade College in August 2023 at 18 years and 346 days. He taught COP 2270: "C" for Engineers and says his age has not hindered classroom learning. Thomas began college at 10, later earned both a bachelor’s and master’s in Electrical Engineering with honors, and is now teaching online while pursuing a law degree at the University of Miami, aiming to work in intellectual property law focused on STEM.
Nathan Thomas, 18, Sets Guinness World Record as Youngest Male College Professor
Nathan Thomas has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the youngest male college professor. He joined the faculty at Miami Dade College in August 2023 at the age of 18 years and 346 days, surpassing the previous record held by 19-year-old Colin Maclaurin for 306 years.
Teaching and Background
Thomas's first course was COP 2270: "C" for Engineers, an advanced class for engineering majors covering the C programming language and problem-solving techniques used in technical fields. Although he is younger than many of his students, Thomas says age does not affect classroom dynamics.
"Once you're in that setting, everyone's there for the same reason, which is to learn," Thomas told Guinness. "Age doesn't really factor into that. I just focus on trying to do my job well and helping students in whatever way I can. If someone's willing to put in the effort, that's really all that matters to me."
The gifted educator began his college journey exceptionally early, enrolling at Miami Dade College at just 10 years old. He transferred to Florida International University at 14 and completed both a bachelor's and a master's degree in Electrical Engineering with honors.
The exterior of Miami-Dade College, Wolfson Campus. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Motivation and Teaching Philosophy
Thomas credits his parents—both engineers—for nurturing his interest in engineering, and he specifically credits his mother with teaching him how to explain complex ideas clearly. He says his favorite part of teaching is seeing students suddenly grasp difficult concepts: "You can kind of see it happen in real time, when a concept that felt impossible a few minutes ago suddenly makes sense," he said. "It's a different kind of satisfaction than solving a problem yourself, almost like getting to relive that feeling through someone else."
While his academic timeline advanced quickly, Thomas urges others to follow their own path and avoid comparisons: "Everyone's path looks different, even if the goal looks similar from the outside. It's easy to fall into comparing your timeline to someone else's, but really all that does is slow you down and get in your head."
Current Plans
Thomas is currently teaching online while pursuing a law degree at the University of Miami School of Law, where he is expected to graduate in 2028. He plans to practice intellectual property law with a focus on STEM fields.
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