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This question is about professor education.
What degree do you need to be a professor?
You need a graduate degree to be a professor. Generally, those who want to work as professors at community colleges are required to earn a master's degree, while those who want to teach at four-year colleges and universities should earn a doctorate.
It takes anywhere between four to six years to become a professor depending on the route you take. To get started, you need to complete your undergraduate degree in the subject area you wish to teach.
In preparation for the application to graduate school, you will want to make sure that you have a high GPA and that you do well on your Graduate Entrance Exam (GRE). You also should be involved with as many extracurricular activities or professional society.
For example, if you're applying to a psychology program, you should think about joining prestigious organizations such as the American Psychological Association.
The next step is to apply to a graduate degree program, either a Master's or Ph.D. program, in the subject you plan to specialize in. Getting into a Ph.D. program is more competitive than a master's program. Also, many Ph.D. programs provide a stipend each year that covers some of the cost of tuition. You can also go directly into a Ph.D. program after your bachelor's degree.
To complete a graduate program requires a thesis or dissertation as well as a set number of course hours. Ph.D. programs typically also have a comprehensive exam, which must be passed in order to be considered a doctoral candidate.
Whether you should get your Master's or Ph.D. to work as a professor also depends on your field of study. If you wish to be a psychology professor, for example, then you're going to need a Ph.D. program, while landing a position as an art professor may only require a bachelor's degree.
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