How long do professors go to school

People want to know where their tuition and tax money is going—are professors working hard for that money? This week, academic-Twitter is bickering over the answer to that last question. In that study, Ziker found that faculty at his university worked 61 hours per week and that senior faculty worked slightly longer hours than junior faculty. In addition to the 30 percent of time spent in meetings and going through email, faculty spent 40 percent of their time on teaching-related tasks.

These Boise State findings were only the first stage of a larger research project; the sample included only 30 faculty members, who self-reported their work hours during the busiest part of the spring semester. Ziker plans to follow up on this research using a new mobile app that he says will allow him to more accurately monitor work patterns among a larger sample size. Responding to Van Bavel and others as the discussion went viral in the insular world of academic-Twitter, some professors confirmed that they worked 60 hours per week or more, while others said they worked fewer weekly hours, especially when summer hours were included in the overall total.

The discussion became heated at times. These full-time professors continue to be the minority demographic on college and university campuses. Inside Scholar notes that a little over 20 percent of faculty in the U. They know that those in the first two categories may be part- or full-time employees of a college or university who receive a salary, but adjuncts are paid per course, notes Top Hat. In general, none of these teachers is eligible for tenure unless they apply for and are promoted to a tenure-track role.

Most professors either have or are working toward a Ph. And that doctoral degree often pays off. In , Study. Adjuncts fare considerably worse. Lecturers, instructors and adjuncts wouldn't continue to claim the majority of teaching positions at colleges and universities if they weren't bringing something valuable to the classroom. And because they often work in their field of expertise full time while teaching part time, that something valuable often comes down to real-world work experience.

From any vantage point, this can be hugely beneficial to students, especially when it comes to creative, hands-on endeavors. Imagine, for example, taking a marketing course and learning how to manage a marketing campaign from someone who manages a marketing company by day. Teachers in this role can impart much more than marketing theory; they can impart telling and timely realities that often aren't included in any college textbook. They may be supported by school policy, which often sanctions this courtesy title as a way to draw a simple and respectful line between teachers and students.

This particular line blurring does not always sit well with bona fide professors — the ones who have attained a Ph.

Many graduate programs offer summer fellowships to graduate students who are hoping to study or conduct research in or outside the US. My advice? Apply for as many fellowships as possible so you can give yourself the best chance of getting enough money to support your academic plans.

Even if your program doesn't require a thesis, you'll definitely want to write one so you can have proof that you're experienced with high-level research.

This type of research could help your chances of getting into a doctoral program by emphasizing your commitment to the field you're studying. It will also provide you with tools and experiences that are necessary for doing well in a doctoral program and eventually writing a dissertation.

If you really want to teach at a four-year college or university, then you must continue on toward a doctorate. The application requirements for doctoral programs are similar to those for master's programs. Read our guide for more information about grad school application requirements. On the other hand, if you've decided that you don't want to get a doctorate and would be happy to teach classes at a community college or technical school, it's time to apply for teaching jobs.

To start your job hunt, meet with some of your current or past professors who teach in the field in which you'll also be teaching and see whether they know of any job openings at nearby community colleges or technical schools. You might also be able to use some professors as references for your job applications just be sure to ask them before you write down their names! If you can't meet with your professors or would rather look for jobs on your own, try browsing the career pages on college websites or looking up teaching jobs on the search engine HigherEdJobs.

The final part of the process for becoming a college professor at a four-year institution is to get your doctoral degree in the field you wish to teach. Here's what you'll need to do during your doctoral program to ensure you have the best chance of becoming a college professor once you graduate. This is the time to really focus on building strong relationships with professors—not just with those whose classes you've taken but also with those who visit the campus to give talks, hold seminars, attend conferences, etc.

This will give you a wider network of people you know who work in academia, which will hopefully make it a little easier for you to later land a job as a professor. Make sure to maintain a particularly strong relationship with your doctoral advisor. After all, this is the professor with whom you'll work the most closely during your time as a doctoral student and candidate.

Be open with your advisor : ask her for advice, meet with her often, and check that you're making satisfactory progress toward both your doctorate and your career goals. Don't be afraid to go to your professor's office and have a chat! Remember, it's a huge challenge to find a job as a full-time professor , especially if all you have is a PhD but no major publications.

So be sure to focus on not only producing a great dissertation but also contributing to essays and other research projects. As an article in The Conversation notes,. It really is first in, best dressed: those students who start publishing sooner usually have more papers by the time they finish their PhD than do those who start publishing later.

I suggest asking your advisor for advice on how to work on getting some of your research published if you're not sure where to start. You'll spend most of your doctoral program working on your dissertation—the culmination of your research. In order to eventually stand out from other job applicants, it's critical to come up with a highly unique dissertation.

Doing this indicates that you're driven to conduct innovative research and make new discoveries in your field of focus. You might also consider eventually expanding your dissertation into a full-length book.

Once you've obtained your doctorate, it's time to start applying for college-level teaching jobs! One option you have is to apply for postdoctoral postdoc positions.

I went on the market a second time following the first year of my two-year post-doc and was then in an even stronger position than the first time. Once you've completed your postdoc position, you can start applying for full-time faculty jobs at colleges and universities. Becoming a college professor takes years of hard work, but it's certainly doable as long as you know what you'll need to do in order to prepare for the position and increase your chances of securing a job as a professor.

Overall, it's extremely difficult to become a professor. Nowadays, there are many more qualified applicants than there are full-time, college-level teaching positions , making tenure-track jobs in particular highly competitive.

For those interested in becoming a professor, the basic college professor requirements are as follows :. In terms of the steps needed for becoming a college professor, I will list those again briefly here.

Feel free to click on any steps you'd like to reread! Considering other career paths besides teaching? Then check out our in-depth guides to how to become a doctor and how to become a lawyer. No matter what job or jobs! Get tips on how to submit a memorable college application , and learn how to get into Harvard and other Ivy League schools with our expert guide.

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Choose Your Test. The 19 Steps to Becoming a College Professor. Salary Potential for Professors First, what is the salary potential for college professors? Employment Rates for Professors Now, what about employment rates for professor jobs? Here's what the BLS says about this: "Postsecondary teachers who prepare students for an occupation that requires a license, certification, or registration, may need to have—or they may benefit from having—the same credential.

Here's what STEM professor Kirstie Ramsey has to say about the importance of publications and research when applying for tenure-track jobs: "Many colleges and universities are going through a transition from a time when research was not that important to a time when it is imperative.

How to Become a Professor: Step Guide Now that we've gone over the basic college professor requirements, what specific steps should you take to become one?

We've divided the 19 steps into four parts: High School College Graduate School Master's Degree Graduate School Doctorate Part 1: High School It might sound strange to start your path to becoming a professor in high school, but doing so will make the entire process go a lot more smoothly for you. Step 1: Keep Up Your Grades Although all high school students should aim for strong GPAs , because you're specifically going into the field of education, you'll need to make sure you're giving a little extra attention to your grades.

Step 2: Tutor in Your Spare Time One easy way of gaining teaching experience as a high school student is to become a tutor. Step 4: Submit Impressive College Applications Though it's great to attend a good college, where you go doesn't actually matter too much—just as long as it offers an academic program in the broad field or topic you're thinking of teaching in.

Part 2: College Once you get into college, what can you do to help your chances of getting into a good grad school and becoming a college professor? Step 5: Declare a Major in the Field You Want to Teach Perhaps the most critical step is to determine what exactly you want to teach in the future—and then major in it or a related field.

Step 6: Observe Your Professors in Action Since you're thinking of becoming a college professor, this is a great time to sit down and observe your professors to help you determine whether teaching at the postsecondary level is something you're truly interested in pursuing. Step 7: Maintain Good Grades Because you'll need to attend graduate school after college, it's important to maintain good grades as an undergraduate, especially in the field you wish to teach.

Step 8: Get to Know Your Professors Aside from watching how your professors teach, it's imperative to form strong relationships with them outside of class , particularly with those who teach in the field you want to teach as well.

Step Take the GRE and Apply to Grad School If you're hoping to attend graduate school immediately after college, you'll need to start working on your application by the fall of your senior year. Part 3: Graduate School Master's Degree Once you've finished college, it's time to start thinking about graduate school. Step Continue to Keep Up Your Grades Again, one of your highest priorities should be to keep up your grades so you can get into a great doctoral program once you finish your master's program.

Step Become a TA One great way to utilize your graduate program besides taking classes! TAs' duties typically involve some or all of the following: Grading papers and assignments Leading small discussion or lab sections of a class instead of its large lecture section Performing administrative tasks for the professor Holding office hours for students The only big negative with being a TA is the time commitment ; therefore, be sure you're ready and willing to dedicate yourself to this job without sacrificing your grades and academic pursuits.

Step Write a Master's Thesis Even if your program doesn't require a thesis, you'll definitely want to write one so you can have proof that you're experienced with high-level research. Part 4: Graduate School Doctorate The final part of the process for becoming a college professor at a four-year institution is to get your doctoral degree in the field you wish to teach. Step Build Strong Relationships With Professors This is the time to really focus on building strong relationships with professors—not just with those whose classes you've taken but also with those who visit the campus to give talks, hold seminars, attend conferences, etc.

As an article in The Conversation notes, "By far the best predictor of long-term publication success is your early publication record—in other words, the number of papers you've published by the time you receive your PhD.