Being a professor at a college is quite a lofty position. It is highly sought after, not just because of the wage it allows, but also because it is a position of respect. Numerous students will leave college with your name on their lips, plus recommendations and references carry even more weight than that of doctors and solicitors. Here is a quick overview of some of the key points needed to become a college professor.
You Have Graduated from High School
If you are in the United States, then compulsory education runs up to the 12th grade. After completion of the 12th grade, a student is given a high school diploma. If a person completes their studies outside of standard High School terms (usually age-related) then they will instead earn a GED (General Equivalency Diploma).
Aim for the Best College You Can
Attending the best college will not guarantee your success, but it is certainly helpful in your quest to become a professor. If you are not able to attend one of the most academically rigorous colleges then you will have to work harder in both colleges and after college. People who attend an Ivy League School are going to experience the biggest benefit in later life.
Try to Keep Your Debt Down
This may not seem like it matters, but the students who ramp up the most debt will often struggle when they start adult life. Their student debt becomes an even bigger hindrance to their progression as they constantly tread water to make ends meet. Whilst they tread water, the savvy people with less debt are working harder to achieve their career goals. If you attend a good college, then your debt is going to be substantial anyway. But, if you have the chance for scholarships then take them, and if you have the option of further debt, then turn it down.
Choose what You Would Like to Teach
This is a bit of a confusing area because many teachers in high schools may have a degree in math and yet are teaching science or humanities. This happens around the whole world, and it happens in American colleges too. People who have religious studies qualifications are teaching History. However, in college, this sort of thing is fairly rare. If you want to make things easier on yourself, you should choose to do a degree in the subject you wish to teach. Also, you can always use assistance of the professional writing services, so it will save your time and let get a high quality educational material. What happens on occasion is that the colleges have a high demand for good professors, but no demand for your particular discipline. In this case, you may have to go further a-field to find a job or play a game of dead man’s shoes. Otherwise, you will have to convince the college to allow you to teach a discipline that you do not have a degree in (difficult but not impossible).
Get a Bachelor’s Degree in Your Chosen Discipline
Now you have decided what you wish to do, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree. You need a Ph.D. as an Undergraduate. Make sure you get very high grades and that you qualify for honors programs. If you graduate at the top of your class then you will show your future employer that you enjoy an educational environment and therefore excelled in college yourself.
You Need Your Ph.D. and Master’s Degree, and Maybe a Doctorate
You will need a Ph.D. and a master’s degree if you wish to teach at a two-year college. If you would like to teach at a four-year college then you will need a doctorate, which is also known as a terminal degree in the discipline of your choice. After you have received your bachelor’s degree, you will have to spend a further six years studying for your doctorate. Within the six years, you will also need to complete a dissertation and complete your master’s degree.
What is a Dissertation?
This is a document that is normally in the region of 12,000 words and is a paper that describes your original research. You are expected to advance the academic zeitgeist in some way. This means proposing some sort of new testable model or a new hypothesis. It is not a standard essay, and you may have to defend it from being rejected by the college.
Do Some Postdoctoral Research or Be a Professor’s TA?
You still need to do lots of groundwork to become a professor. You can do post-doctoral research and spend two years producing some groundbreaking and highly ranked journals. Alternatively, you can become a college professor teaching assistant (TA). In the latter case, you will have to become an undergraduate professor’s assistant and keep working, improving, and applying until you are deemed qualified and experienced enough to be a professor. Do not forget that there are relatively few professors’ positions in the country, and the people that hold them are very eager to keep them.