What are the qualifications for a professor?

The qualifications for a professor are typically a doctorate in their field. Earning a Ph.D. usually takes 4 to 6 years and requires a dissertation. Academic hiring committees also often look for their candidates to have research and teaching experience before working as a professor.

Every college professor will need to start out by obtaining their bachelor's degree. It will not always be in the same field that they will teach, but they will need to have one nonetheless. Before becoming a professor, educators start out as students. At the undergraduate level, prospective professors complete general education requirements, electives, and major coursework.

They also generally need strong grades as most graduate programs require at least a 3.0 GPA for admission. Graduate school is an important step in becoming a college professor. Before standing at the front of a classroom, future professors must complete advanced training in their discipline.

Gaining admission to a top grad school can increase their chances of becoming a college professor. Graduate programs typically require applicants to have completed undergraduate coursework in the field. Students may also need competitive standardized test scores and a strong GPA.

Some doctoral programs admit applicants with only a bachelor's degree, while others require a master's degree. Many graduate programs fund doctoral students through assistantships, fellowships, and other forms of financial aid.

After gaining admission, graduate students complete coursework requirements and choose a specialty area on which to focus their studies. Once the students finish their coursework, they prepare for comprehensive exams. These exams test a candidate's knowledge of their field.

The format varies depending on the discipline. In history, for example, doctoral students may complete written and oral exams in their primary research area. Other disciplines may require a portfolio, a research paper, and/or an oral defense. Students often prepare for and take these exams over the course of a semester or year.

After passing these exams, doctoral students complete a dissertation prospectus. In this prospectus, students propose a dissertation topic, research questions, and a bibliography. Students also put together a dissertation committee to evaluate the prospectus.

Once the committee approves the prospectus, students advance into the candidacy phase. Earning a Ph.D. generally requires students to complete a dissertation. These documents are often 150-300 pages in length. Before writing the dissertation, candidates conduct research in their field.

This may include field research, trips to archives, compiling databases, and/or conducting surveys, depending on the discipline. Candidates then write multiple chapters, which they submit to their doctoral advisor for feedback. Doctoral candidates must then defend their dissertation before their dissertation committee.

After passing the defense, candidates can formally apply for their doctorate. Landing a professorship on the academic job market can take years. In many fields, the number of academic openings falls far below the number of Ph.D. graduates. For example, in 2020, STEM professor job openings plummeted by 70%.

Several factors can shape a candidate's success in the job market. Many are uncontrollable. Timing, hiring freezes, and a saturated field may mean that even highly competitive applicants fail to find an academic job. Colleges expect job candidates to show a record of academic research.

In many disciplines, hiring committees look for several publications in academic journals. Current graduate students showcase their dissertation research on the job market, while candidates several years out from their Ph.D. often bring a longer publication record.

Graduate programs offer teaching assistantships in which doctoral students assist a professor by teaching sections or labs, grading assignments, or acting as graduate instructors. In some departments, doctoral candidates teach their classes.

Teaching experience helps job candidates showcase the courses they would bring to their new department. Many hiring committees ask for sample syllabi and teaching philosophy. In many academic disciplines, particularly in the sciences, professors hold postdoctoral research positions before applying for tenure-track jobs.