[1] He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke[citation needed].

[2] He received his master's degree in 1970 and a doctorate in sociology with a specialization in criminology in 1974, from the Ohio State University.

[4] Schmalleger's academic career began in 1970 when he worked as a teaching associate in the Department of Sociology at the Ohio State University from 1970 until 1973.

[3][2] Schmalleger also taught courses as an adjunct professor at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he contributed to the development of the university's graduate program in security administration and loss prevention, and taught courses for over a decade.

[3] Later, he also taught in the New School for Social Research's online graduate program, contributing to the establishment of early electronic classrooms for distance learning through computer telecommunications.