Introduction
Professors often conduct original research and commonly teach undergraduate, professional, or postgraduate courses in their fields of expertise. In universities with graduate schools, professors may mentor and supervise graduate students conducting research for a thesis or dissertation.
Under many universities, full professors take on senior managerial roles such as leading departments, research teams and institutes, and filling roles such as president, principal or vice-chancellor. The role of professor may be more public-facing than that of more junior staff, and professors are expected to be national or international leaders in their field of expertise.
What do they do?
A professor is someone who instructs students in a wide variety of academic and vocational subjects beyond the high school level. They also conduct research and publish scholarly papers and books.
Mentoring more junior academic staff;
Conducting administrative or managerial functions, usually at a high level (e.g. deans, heads of departments, research centers, etc.); and
Assessing students in their fields of expertise (e.g., through grading examinations or viva voce defenses).
Key Skills
- Managing teaching, research, and publications in their departments (in countries where a professor is head of a department);
- Presenting lectures and seminars in their specialties (i.e., they “profess“);
- Performing, leading and publishing advanced original research in peer reviewed journals in their fields;
- Providing community service, including consulting functions (such as advising government and non-profit organizations) or providing expert commentary on TV or radio news or public affairs programs;
- Mentoring graduate students in their academic training;
Education Pathway
XIIth (Any Stream)
Entrance Exams
Graduate (B.Ed)
Post Graduate (M.Ed)
Assistant Professor should have the above mention qualification and should have qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) or equivalent from UGC/CSIR or equivalent, alternatively, PhD in the relevant discipline.
To be promoted to the post of Associate professor, an Assistant professor along with the required mentioned qualification should have acquired minimum 6-8 years experience and should have published 5 research papers/Journals/Book of high quality listed in one of the recognised journals.
Teachers essentially work in schools after obtaining a B.Ed. degree. With relevant experience, primary education teachers can teach the secondary section. You could also pursue a master’s degree and work as head of the department.
Career Growth
After 5-6 years of teaching experience, you can work as a vice principal. You will work closely with the principal and help plan various academic activities. You will also have to ensure that your students maintain discipline. As vice principal, you will play a vital role in the academic success of students by creating a new curriculum.
Lecturers are mainly employed in universities. But you may also be asked to teach students in business/law schools. You may visit renowned universities in the country as well as abroad as a guest lecturer. Higher career prospects for lecturers include working as an assistant professor or professor. After a few decades of experience and extensive networking, you could apply to become a head of the department or even the dean of your college.
Top recruiters
- Universities across the country: Delhi/Dehradun/Pune/Mysore/Bangalore University etc.
- Indian Institute of Science
- Indian Institutes of Technology
- Indian Institute of Management
