As an assistant professor in the School of Public and International Affairs, Tessman teaches courses from introductory international relations to special topics classes on foreign policy, security and international conflict. In just a few short years at UGA, Tessman has facilitated undergraduates in publishing original work in social science journals and presenting papers at academic conferences, helped them move on to top-tier graduate programs, created a working group that acts as a laboratory for learning and seen his students compete as finalists for the Rhodes and Truman Scholarships.