Chiswick joined the University of California, Los Angeles as assistant professor of economics in 1966, gaining tenure as associate professor in 1970, but was on leave at Columbia University from 1969 to 1971. In 1971 Chiswick moved to the City University of New York as a tenured associate professor of economics, being promoted to full professor in 1975. Thereafter, he changed to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) in 1978, where he worked as tenured research professor first in economics and after 1998 also in sociology until December 2010, becoming a UIC distinguished professor in 2002. At UIC, Chiswick headed the department of economics (1997-2008), directed the new center for economic education (2000–2010) and became an affiliate of the department of germanic studies (2000–2010). He started work as the professor of economics at George Washington University in January 2011. He still remains professor emeritus at the UIC.Curriculum Vitae of Barry Chiswick, p. 24
