Associate Professors are hired for intermediate levels across different colleges and universities. An Associate Professor usually has a PhD degree or other professional degrees in relevant subjects that they specialize in. The basic job of an Associate Professor includes teaching college and university level students, helping them in conducting proper research, attending conferences and seminars related to their subjects or specializations and finally supervising students.
In order to become an Associate Professor, individuals must pursue PhD degrees from any of the Top PhD Colleges across the country. Candidates aspiring to become an Associate Professor must score at least 55% in their Postgraduate degrees followed by clearing various PhD Entrance Exams (PhD Arts, PhD Science) such as UGC NET, CSIR, SLET, SET etc.
The average course fee for PhD usually ranges between INR 50,000 – 1.50 LPA. The average salary for an Associate Professor is INR 8.41 LPA - INR 22.44 LPA. Read More: Salary of an Associate Professor
- How to Become an Associate Professor: Quick Facts
- What does an Associate Professor Do
- How to Become an Associate Professor in India
3.1 How to become an Associate Professor After 12th
4.1 PhD Science
4.2 PhD Arts
4.3 PhD Commerce
- How to Become an Associate Professor Abroad
- Benefits of Career as an Associate Professor
- Skills Required To Become an Associate Professor
- Salary of an Associate Professor in India
8.2 Hierarchy Wise
8.3 Experience Wise
How to Become an Associate Professor: Quick Facts
| Industry | Education |
| Eligibility | PhD in a relevant field |
| Average Course Fees | INR 15,000 to INR 2 LPA |
| Average Starting Salary | INR 8.41 – 22.44 LPA |
| Top Recruiting areas | Universities, Colleges, Educational Institutes |
What does an Associate Professor Do
Associate Professors typically share their research at conferences and have their work published in peer-reviewed publications. Some of the key responsibilities of an Associate Professor are listed below for your reference,
- Creating and distributing course content, curricula, and syllabi.
- Working with the recruitment and training of new lecturers, teaching assistants, and Professors.
- Researching, publishing papers, and attending conferences
- Participating in academic events and networking with other scholars and subject matter experts.
- Supervising, advising, and guiding graduates and education personnel.
- Attending faculty and departmental meetings.
- Shortlisting, interviewing, and choosing graduate students.
- Hosting guest lectures and faculty gatherings so that students may meet with experienced industry professionals.
- Visiting other higher education institutions to get experience and broaden networks.
- Creating bids for research funding.
How to Become an Associate Professor in India
To become an Associate Professor in India, students can start preparations at the school level. For someone who wishes to teach Biology can pick up Science stream or someone who wishes to teach Philosophy can pick up Humanities.
- School Level Preparation: At the school level, aspiring Associate Professors do not have to pursue any specific stream. Depending on their research area of choice, Science, Arts or Commerce can be chosen. Students can also look at enhancing their communication skills.
How to Become an Associate Professor after 12th
After completing class 12th, students need to pick up a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree to follow up. Going by the thought process mentioned above, the degree and specialisation should be in the area one wishes to teach later.
- UG Preparation: A bachelor’s degree can be in any stream. There are Education bachelors degrees one can earn, B.Ed. Admissions are done on both merit basis and through entrance tests. As one is about to graduate, preparations for the UGC NET exam can be started. The minimum aggregate score that must be scored at this level is 55%.
- PG Preparation: Enrolment in a master’s course should follow the pattern followed at the bachelors level. Admissions for masters courses is done mainly through entrance tests and personal interviews. In the final year, students can take the UGC NET or a related examination.
PhD Courses
In India, students can pursue any specialisation in bachelors and masters to become an Associate Professor. However, it must be followed up with a doctorate degree in the same specialisation. One can start with a masters degree as an Assistant Professor but will need work experience to become an Associate Professor. Some courses candidates can pursue are as follows.
PhD Science
PhD Science is a three to five-year doctorate-level programme that individuals with an MSc or MTech background can pursue. It entails researching any of the Science specialisations such as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and so on. To achieve the PhD Science degree, the student must submit a research thesis at the end of the course.
Eligibility criteria
- Students must graduate with a minimum of 55 percent aggregate grades. However, some prestigious universities need a minimum of 60% overall.
- No backlog should exist in any subject.
- Candidates must pass an admission exam before being interviewed by colleges or institutions.
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PhD Science courses are open to students with an MSc, MTech, or other comparable degree.
PhD Arts
PhD Arts is a three-year doctoral programme that allows you to specialise in either Humanities courses like Psychology, History, Journalism, or Performing Arts like Music, or Visual Arts like Video, Animation, and Filmmaking.
Admission Process
The following is the general admissions procedure:
- Most universities accept individuals who have performed well in UGC-recognized admission examinations or National Level examinations such as UGC-NET, UGC-CSIR-NET, DBT (JRF), ICMR, and others.
- In the event of merit-based admission, the outcome is normally declared based on the marks obtained in the qualifying examinations after the application has been processed.
- The candidate's performance in the entrance exam determines admission.
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For final selection, there will be a round of personal interviews. The candidate will have to describe his research idea to the panel at this stage. If the panel is satisfied, the candidate will be admitted to the course.
Eligibility criteria
- The candidate must hold a master's degree or equivalent in the appropriate discipline from a recognised college or institution.
- The candidate must have graduated with a minimum of a 55 percent overall grade point average.
- To be eligible for the course, the candidate must pass national or university level admission examinations.
PhD Commerce
PhD in Commerce and Management is a three-year doctoral programme in commerce and business management. To be eligible for admission to the programme, you must have finished a postgraduate degree in commerce or possess an M.Phil. degree with a minimum aggregate of 55 percent marks or higher from a recognised institution listed under UGC/AIU.
Admission Process
- Applicants must have a Master's degree in Commerce or an M.Phil. with a minimum aggregate of 55 percent and above
- The shortlisted applicants would have to go through Group Discussion and Personal Interview sessions organised by the individual institutions to get credibility into the candidate's strengths and qualities.
- To compute the merit list %, the overall marks obtained in the entrance examination, GD/PI, and marks obtained at the degree level are added together.
Eligibility criteria
The following are the qualifying requirements for admission to the PhD programme in Commerce and Management:
- Candidates who have completed their post-graduate degree in Commerce or M.Phil. degree with a minimum aggregate of 55% marks or higher from a recognised university listed under UGC/AIU are eligible for admission to the programme.
- Applicants must pass the UGC-NET examination offered at the program's admission level.
- Some prestigious institutions and institutions will also conduct group discussions and personal interviews.
- Having 4 years of relevant professional experience in either Teaching/Administration is advantageous to the programme.
How to Become an Associate Professor Abroad
Apart from India, there are several colleges abroad where students aspiring to become Associate Professors can pursue relevant courses. Studying abroad has been a dream for many students, considering the wide opportunity and the huge salary that they incur post completing their degrees. Some of the top most preferred countries by students who wish to make their career abroad are UK, USA, Canada and Australia.
The sections below will discuss all the necessary prerequisites that must be followed in order to become an Associate Professor for your reference.
- For candidates who are already teaching in technical colleges, community colleges, a bachelors degrees and a masters degree will suffice.
- Individuals who have years of work experience under their belt in teaching and who have a PhD degree are eligible for a professorship.
- Individuals with doctorate degrees should have a resume of published articles and research work.
- Some universities accept applicants in professor positions with a master’s degree.
- In Canada, for candidates who wish to teach in Architecture, Medicine, Engineering, Law etc will require a license or certification.
- English proficiency is a requirement for international candidates. Accepted test scores are IELTS, TOEFL, PTE etc.
Top Colleges to Become an Associate Professor
| University Name | Average Annual Fees |
|---|---|
| University of Edinburgh | INR 22.67 L |
| The University of Manchester | INR 25.76 L |
| University of Pennsylvania | INR 23.81 L |
| Yale University | INR 23.75 L |
| University of Toronto | INR 23.50 L |
| University of British Columbia | INR 23.60 L |
| Université de Montréal | INR 23.36 L |
| The Australian National University | INR 25.03 L |
| The University of Sydney | INR 25.89 L |
| The University of Melbourne | INR 19.01 L |
Benefits of Career as an Associate Professor
Teachers are a highly respectable job, being able to teach and shape the future generation. Professor jobs bring in many different expected and unexpected job benefits. Some such benefits have been discussed below.
- Salary: Associate Professors employed in Government institutes enjoy much job security and assured salary increments. While the private counterparts start out with a much higher salary range. The average salary for a Government Associate Professor is INR 2.41 LPA. Private associate professors earn an average of INR 8.80 LPA.
- Job Security: Associate Professor jobs are highly secure. There are regular salary increments and assured promotions to the next title after certain years of experience. Professors employed in Government institutes enjoy more job security as opposed to private institute professors.
- Positive Impact of the Career: Professors do much more than teaching the course material to students. They shape the personalities of the students and leave them with lifelong skills. Students learn how to be self-motivated, have strong self-esteem, all of which helps immensely with their careers.
- Higher Studies: Associate Professor jobs are assigned to candidates with a master’s degree. Accordingly, candidates can earn a doctorate degree in a chosen field of study. Upon earning a doctorate degree, candidates become eligible for higher job positions.
- Unique Experience: Teaching is a fairly unique experience, both for the professor and the student. Professors are able to interact directly with students and get to be up to date with their chosen study area. Shaping and influencing a young student’s life is only done by parents beside a teacher.
Skills Required to Become an Associate Professor
All successful teachers have a bank of skills that they rely on their entire careers. These skills are picked up with more experience but one can also look for online certificate courses. The table below lists the top skills Associate Professors must have.
| Research skills | Analytical abilities |
| Strong orator | Solid work ethic |
| Dedicated and passionate about teaching | Organized |
| Ability work with a lot of people | Self-motivated |
Salary of an Associate Professor
The salary of an Associate Professor depends on various factors like the nature of the institute, gender of the profile and experience. The range of salaries is between INR 2.41 L - INR 22.44 L. Other factors that define the salary of an Associate Professor are as below.
Organisation Wise Salary
| Organisation | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
|---|---|
| Government | 6.41 L |
| Private | 8.80 L |
Hierarchy Wise Salary
| Hierarchies | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
|---|---|
| Assistant Professor | 4.11 L |
| Associate Professor | 8.80 L |
| Professor | 10.14 L |
| Senior Professor | 22.44 L |
Experience Wise Salary
| Experience | Average Annual Salary (INR) |
|---|---|
| Entry Level (<1 year) | 4.79 L |
| Early Career Level (1 to 4 years) | 6 L |
| Mid Career Level (5 to 9 years) | 8 L |
| Late-Career Level (10 to 19 years) | 11.76 L |
| Experienced (+20 years) | 17.68 L |
How to Become an Associate Professor: FAQs
Ques. What is the minimum eligibility criteria to become an Associate Professor?
Ans. To become an Associate Professor, aspirants must at least have a masters degree in their chosen area of specialisation.
Ques. What are the job titles of Associate Professors according to hierarchy?
Ans. As per hierarchy, the job titles are Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Senior Professor.
Ques. What is the salary range of Associate Professors?
Ans. Associate Professors earn between INR 2,41,000 L to INR 22,44,000.
Ques. Is a PhD degree needed to work as an Associate Professor?
Ans. Some universities accept applicants with a masters degree into Associate Professor positions. On the other hand, some institutes require their Associate Professors to have a doctoral degree.
Ques. What are the entrance tests required to work as an Associate Professor?
Ans. To work as an Associate Professor the following test scores are needed:UGC NET, CSIR NET, SLET, SET etc.
Ques. What is the salary difference between a male and a female Associate Professors?
Ans. While male Associate Professors earn INR 6,49,414, female professors earn INR 3,65,295.
Ques. What subjects should one pick up in class 12th to work as an Associate Professor?
Ans. To work as an Associate Professor, there is no particular stream to pursue in class 12. Students can however look to improve their extracurriculars and communication skills.
Ques. What is the eligibility criteria to take the UGC NET examination?
Ans. To take the UGC NET exam, applicants must have a master’s degree. Also, a minimum of 55% must be scored at this level.
Ques. Does one need to have an Education degree to work as an Associate Professor?
Ans. No. As per UGC guidelines, to work as an Associate Professor applicants can have a masters and doctoral degree in any specialisation. However, depending on the chosen course, specific subjects must be completed at the master’s level.
Ques. How long does the doctoral degree take to complete?
Ans. A research degree can be earned between 3 to 5 years. The duration of the course depends on the coursework.
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