Introduction
Teaching as a professor or lecturer at the university level can be just as rewarding as teaching at the secondary education level, and just as challenging too. As of August 2007 teaching in tertiary educational institutions is one of the fastest growing occupations, topping the U.S. Department of Labor's list of "above average wages and high projected growth occupations," with a projected increase of 524,000 positions between 2004 and 2014. In 2011, however, a survey conducted by the TIAA-CREF Institute estimated that 75% of professors with senior tenure positions have acknowledged that they have made no preparations for retirement due to the ongoing financial crisis and reluctance to leave their profession. While teaching as professor can be an exciting career path, it can also be a difficult one when trying secure full-time employment, and one of the limited coveted tenure positions. In order to figure out if teaching as a professor is the right career path for you, as an educator, you should make sure to understand the role of a professor, the meaning of tenured track and the potential faculty ranks.
Professorship and Education
In the U.S., "professors" commonly occupy any of several positions in academia, typically the ranks of assistant professor, associate professor or full professor. The same terms are used outside the U.S., although often denote different roles from in the U.S. system. Research and education are among the main tasks of professors with the amount of time spent on research or teaching depending strongly on the type of institution. Publication of articles in conferences, journals, and books is essential to occupational advancement. Additionally, most professorship position require educators to hold a doctorate degrees, while professors at community colleges may only need a master's degree.
Tenure-track Faculty Ranks
Although the term "professor" is often used to refer to any college or university teacher, there are different 'tiers' of being a professor ranging from an entry level position as an "assistant professor" to "full professor," a rank reserved for professors who have established themselves as experts within their academic fields. Contrary to some beliefs, assistant professors, associate professors, and full professors are all, in fact, technically professors. Usually students who have completed their doctoral studies seek positions as assistant professors in colleges and universities. As they progress in their established fields through research, teaching, and service, they can make bids for promotion and tenure, a competitive process, which typically elevates them to the rank of associate professor. Associate professors who continue to establish high profiles and become experts in their fields of study may bid for a promotion to full professor, which is considered an esteemed position reserved for the most successful professors working in their fields.
College and university teachers who hold the rank of lecturer or instructor are typically not tenured/tenure-track faculty, and usually focus on teaching undergraduate courses, and are generally not involved in research, nor are they typically involved in department and university decision-making. (Note that in other English-speaking countries, the term lecturer might have a different meaning. E.g., in the United Kingdom and in Ireland, the position of lecturer is equivalent to that of assistant professor in the US system. )
Non-Tenured Track
For non-tenure track teaching positions in the US, academic institutions use a wide array of different job titles depending on if the position is temporary or permanent, if the work is full-time or part-time, and numerous other factors. Adding to the confusion over the formal names of non-tenure track positions, in almost every case the common-noun descriptor "professor" is used informally for people who teach at a college or university, regardless of their formal job title, and the terms are often loosely interchanged by faculty and administrators. "Lecturers" and "Instructors" in the US can work full-time or part-time and may be referred to as "professor" by their classes. At some institutions, they teach as their primary purpose, but they can also serve on academic committees. Since these positions are non-tenure track, they often do not involve a research or publishing requirement, although many of these professors do publish, research, and consult. Alternatively, at US medical colleges, the title "Instructor" can be given to someone who is full-time faculty and who may conduct research with no teaching obligation. These appointments are non-tenure track, as well.
Adjunct Professor
Under the designation of non-tenured position, falls the role of adjunct professor. An adjunct professor is a professor who does not hold a permanent or full-time position at that particular academic institution. This may be someone with a job outside the academic institution teaching courses in a specialized field, or it may refer to persons hired to teach courses on a contractual basis (frequently renewable contracts). It is generally with a teaching load below the minimum required to earn benefits (health care, life insurance, etc.) although the number of courses taught can vary. An adjunct is generally not required (or permitted) to participate in the administrative responsibilities at the institution expected of other full-time professors, nor do they generally have research responsibilities.
Adjuncts provide flexibility to the faculty, acting as additional teaching resources to be called up as necessary. However, their teaching load is variable: classes can be transferred from adjuncts to full-time professors, classes with low enrollment can be summarily canceled and the teaching schedule from one semester to the next can be unpredictable. In some cases, an adjunct may hold one of the standard ranks in another department, and be recognized with adjunct rank for making significant contributions to the department in question. Thus, one could be an "associate professor of physics and adjunct professor of chemistry. " As of 2013, adjunct professors made up 76% of the American higher education faculty; receiving an average salary of $2,700 per course with little extra benefits. Aspiring educators looking to secure a permanent position in higher education, should consider starting at the adjunct professorship level. This is a wonderful way to gain experience and add to your resume.
Professors at the École Polytechnique
Professors can be either tenure-track or non-tenure track.