College Professor
The career of college professor is based on a commitment to lifelong learning. Most college professors in the plant sciences have earned a Ph.D., a degree signifying expertise in a specialized subject area such as agronomy, plant pathology, or molecular biology. An individual wishing to become a professor typically completes four years of college, usually majoring in biology or a related area such as botany, biochemistry, or genetics, and receives a bachelor's degree. This is followed by additional college courses, usually over a four-to six-year period, that result in the Ph.D.
College professors typically have duties involving teaching, research, and service. Most professors teach several courses during the academic year. Some may be introductory courses having hundreds of students, while others may be advanced courses having only a few. Some courses are taught in the classroom where the professor may lecture or lead discussions. Other courses are taught in the laboratory or on field trips, where the professor teaches students to collect specimens, operate instruments, make observations, and analyze data. Associated with teaching are related activities such as meeting with students during office hours, preparing lectures, writing exams, and grading student work. In addition, most professors in the plant sciences are expected to do research. This may involve conducting experiments in the laboratory or field, collecting specimens throughout the world, analyzing data using the computer, writing results for publication in professional journals, and working in the library to learn about the work of others. Finally, most professors are expected to perform services such as advising students, serving on college committees, participating in national organizations that focus on teaching or research, and serving as a resource person at the community, state, or even global level.
In the United States, the college professor may work in a community college, a four-year college, or a university. In a community college, a professor's emphasis is on teaching. In a four-year college, the emphasis is usually on a combination of teaching, research, and service. In a university, an institution consisting of several colleges, the emphasis is usually on research.
When a person with a Ph.D. is hired, it is usually at the rank of assistant professor, a temporary position lasting approximately six years. At the end of this period, based on the person's accomplishments in the areas of teaching, research, and service, he or she is promoted to associate professor and receives tenure, a condition that provides employment for life. Based on continuing accomplishments, an associate professor may be promoted to full professor. In 1999 the average annual salary for assistant professors was approximately $42,000, for associate professors $51,000, and for full professors $65,000.
Regardless of academic rank and where employed, college professors frequently mention the ability to interact with students as one of the greatest rewards of their profession. In addition, they enjoy the freedom to conduct research on topics of their own choosing, to make discoveries that contribute to scientific knowledge, and to generally participate in a lifelong learning experience.
Agronomist; Food Scientist; Physiologist; Systematics, Plant; Taxonomist.
Bibliography
American Association of University Professors. "Ups and Downs: Academic Salaries Since the Early 1970s." Academe 85, no. 2 (1999): 26.
U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 1998-1999. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1998.
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