Becoming a college professor is a profound and worthwhile pursuit. What is a better way to practice your love for a subject you are passionate about? To teach, carry out research and dedicate your life to learning is a dream shared by many. However, getting there requires a drawn-out process that takes commitment and hard work.

A Professorship is easily one of the most competitive professions. The supply outweighs the demand greatly, and not everyone who sets out on this path will achieve it. According to an article published in the Atlantic, only ten PHDs from every hundred go onto acquire tenure-track jobs in academia in the U.S.

However, those who are motivated to see their dream become a reality will not be swayed by numbers. After all, there is a degree of uncertainty in everything we do in life. Nothing is set in stone, and your experience may differ vastly depending on your abilities and achievements.

Hence, if you are interested in knowing what it takes to become a college professor, I will layout the ten significant steps of the process in this article.

Step 1 – Acquire a College Education

The very first step in your journey is acquiring an undergrad degree. This initial step will determine many things down the line, such as the grad-school you get into. A college education alone is not enough to land you a career in academia. However, it is the very first requirement in this process.

When you are done with high school, ask yourself what you want to study? More importantly, what subject do you want to study for the rest of your life and conduct research? Keep in mind that professorship is more than merely teaching students.

Sure, teaching is part of being a professor, but your main focus would be researching your field and making discoveries. Moreover, research is not optional. To land a cushy tenure-track job, you will be expected to publish papers regularly.

Hence, if you have passion for a particular field, now would be the time to recognize it. Once you know what area, you will apply for a bachelor’s in that field or closely related to it.

If you cannot find either a major or minor in the field you want to teach, take as many related classes as possible. Your undergrad doesn’t necessarily have to be in the area you want to teach as a professor, but it immensely helps if you do. It shows your commitment, planning, and familiarity with the subject, which can be a big plus later.

Step 2- Maintain Good Scores In Preparation for Grad School

Once you get into college, your goal should be to maintain high scores all around. Keep in mind that the next academic step in your journey is grad-school. Grad-schools, especially the reputable ones, have competitive eligibility criteria. Most of them won’t even admit if your CGPA is below 3.0.

Getting into a decent college may have been relatively easy. However, for grad-school, you will need a flawless application. Moreover, since careers in academia are mostly a numbers game, you need to show that you were serious about your education early on.

Step 3- Networking with Your Professors

One important aspect of joining academia as a professional is to know the players. You need to be able to form strong and personal relationships with your college professors. Not only would this give you a glimpse into their world, but it will also help tremendously with your applications for grad-school.

Letters of recommendation are a big part of your grad-school application. If you have developed a rapport with your professors, then they will write you glowing recommendations.

Moreover, please don’t shy away from asking them for guidance and let them know about your future aspirations. Your college professors have been through the process already and will be able to shed light on the dos and dont’s.

Step 4- Publish Papers 

It is not common for many undergrads to publish original papers, but our goal is to set you apart from the common folk. Again, an Academic career boils down to what you have done and how many times. Research and publication form a large chunk of what is required to get ahead.

If you start early, you will have a better chance of showing your commitment and aptitude to the field. Of course, no one is expecting you to publish articles in top-tier academic journals. Instead, just get started no matter the medium. Thanks to the internet, there are so many places you can begin writing and publishing. It will give you experience and will build up your portfolio at an early age.

Moreover, another option is to volunteer as an assistant professor and help your professor in research-related duties. This will raise your profile quite a bit.

Step 5- GRE 

When you are done with your undergrad, the next step would be to take the GRE. GRE is a standardized test that examines your readiness for grad-school. Top grad-schools require a good score for admissions. Take a few months after your graduation and study exclusively for the test.

At the same time, consider which graduate program you want to get into. Research the eligibility criteria carefully and pay attention to the average GRE scores required for the program. Base your GRE score goals on the information you have collected.

Moreover, the GRE score is only part of the grad-school application process. You also need:

• Undergraduate transcripts
• Personal statement/statement of purpose
• Curriculum vitae (CV)/resume
• Letters of recommendation

Step 6- Keep Up in Graduate School

Once you enter grad-school, your focus again would be to maintain high scores. This part of the process is somewhat similar to college as you would need to study well, score well and establish rapport with your professors.

Moreover, continue to publish articles and conduct research as you would need both later on.

Step 7- Become a Teaching Assistant

One of the most significant things you can do to help your prospects of becoming a professor is to gain firsthand experience as TA. Not only would you receive compensation for your time and work, but you will also gain lots of experience that you can show off on your resume.

Teaching assistants are expected to do various duties such as grading papers and assignments, performing various administrative tasks, taking over office hours for a professor, etc.

All these tasks would help prepare you for a career in academia. It will give you an intimate look into how everything works and what are the dos and donts.

Step 8- Master’s Thesis

A master’s program in the U.S. lasts two years, giving you an entire summer to work on your thesis. I would advise that you don’t wait till the very end as some students and instead get a head start on your thesis. Consult with your department heads early on and figure out what your thesis is going to be about.

Make relevant notes and gather critical preliminary data. When summer rolls around, you will have ample time to research and start writing your thesis.

Step 9- Doctoral Programs

When you arrive here after completing your master’s degree, you have two options. You can either continue on the path towards professorship or stop and instead start teaching at community college.

If you think you’d instead start working right away, then you can do it at community colleges. However, if you want to teach at a four-year college or university, you need a doctorate.

If you choose to do a doctorate, the process is pretty similar to grad-school admissions. You would need to build a stellar application and submit it to the school of your choice.

Step 10- Publish Your Research and Apply to Postdoc Positions

Once you get into a Ph.D. program, your focus should primarily be your research. Here is where research and writing a groundbreaking dissertation is imperative. Remember that while Ph.D. is a requirement, it is not a guarantee that you will become a tenured professor.

It would be best if you did all you can to amplify your chances, and one of the things that matter the most is to build a presence in publishing circles. Seek out significant publications from your field and see what they are after. Look what sort of work they publish and what their standards are. Begin writing and submitting, and the more you publish, the better.

At the same time, work on your doctoral dissertation and explore the literature that already exists in your field. To shine through the ranks, you need to have a unique dissertation that is impactful and explores an undiscovered area.

Upon completing your Ph.D., you will move onto applying for college-level teaching jobs. Build a detailed CV, mention everything you have archived throughout your studies and apply to various college-level positions in your field.