A professor is the highest academic title held at a college, university, or postsecondary institution. Professors are accomplished and recognized academics — and usually considered experts in their areas of interest. A professor teaches upper-level undergraduate classes as well as graduate courses.

How many publications do you need to become an assistant professor?

Hires typically have around 11 publications, about a third as first author, plus strong teaching experience including instructor on record for several courses and various TAships (see Table 1).

How are professors paid?

Most of the full-time tenured or tenure-track professors are paid by a college or university on nine- or ten-month contracts. Salary data for professors is typically reported as a nine-month salary, not including compensation received (often from research grants) during the summer.