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How to Become a Professor? A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

In colleges, universities, and other higher education institutions, professors are in charge of giving students further instruction and direction in particular fields. Although it can take a while to meet the prerequisites, becoming a professor can be a fulfilling career. If that’s your professional goal, this article may be of assistance. This article takes a step-by-step approach to explaining how to turn into a professor. A person must pass a number of exams, accumulate necessary experience, and obtain the necessary credentials before they may use the title “Professor.” One should be keen on teaching the field they are enthusiastic about, which is another crucial factor.

So, without any further ado, let’s dive into this step-by-step guide to becoming a professor.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Become Professor

1. Decide a specialization

Make an early decision regarding whether you want to pursue a career in academia as a professor of arts, business, or science, and successfully complete your 12th Higher Secondary Certification exam with a minimum aggregate score of 80–90%. This can make it easier for you to enrol in the bachelor’s programme of your choosing. It is crucial to keep up a strong academic record and graduate with far higher than the minimal requirement of 50–55 percent overall marks.

2. Pursue a master’s degree

Enrol in the master’s programme of your choosing, and pass it with higher than the minimal score required of 50 to 55 percent overall. If you successfully complete the master’s degree programme, you can be qualified to work as a lecturer or a demonstrator. Your career is likely to advance as a result of your job experience.

3. Complete competitive exams

You can take and pass the competitive NET, SET, or CSIR NET exams after earning a master’s degree. With the NET, you can apply for assistant professor positions at every college and institution in the nation, but with the SET, you can only apply for assistant professor positions in the state where you scored well on the test. You might earn a junior research scholarship or be chosen for a lecturer job by taking the CSIR NET.

4. A Doctoral degree can be a blessing

A doctorate might be a blessing in disguise, as the header indicates. If you hold a doctoral degree, you may be excluded from taking the competitive tests and may instead apply directly for a post as a college professor.

5. Acquire practical experience

To get expertise in the field, think about majoring in a certain area and obtaining a practising licence. While finishing your degree, you can also get teaching experience by working as a student teacher, tutoring adults or children, or taking a part-time teaching post. A research position that you volunteer for could also prepare you to teach a subject.

6. Publish your research paper

To position yourself as an expert in your profession, publish well-researched blogs, articles, and studies on your blog or website and make contributions to scholarly blogs, websites, magazines, and other publications. To progress from the position of assistant professor to associate professor, you must publish at least five excellent papers or books, and you must have at least ten publications in order to become a professor.

7. Start applying for academic positions

Look for job openings on college and university websites, online job boards, networking sites for professionals, and social media. Customizing your resume and cover letter for each job application may be helpful. You should also get comfortable addressing the topics that recruiters are most likely to ask during hiring process.

Conclusion

While you concentrate on fulfilling these steps, keep in mind that becoming a college professor can need many years of arduous work and continuous attempts. Start your job hunt while you’re still in university for the highest chance of landing this position. To learn about available teaching positions, requisite credentials, and pay, explore private, public, and research-based educational institutions. Reduce the list to the organisations and positions that match your qualifications, interests, and expectations.

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