Professor

A professor is a senior teacher, lecturer and researcher, usually in a college or university. Professors are qualified experts who give lectures and seminars in their field of study, such as the basic fields of science or literature or the applied fields of engineering, medicine, law, or business. They also perform advanced research in their fields and are expected to do pro bono community service (including consulting functions, such as advising government and not-for-profit entities) and train young academics who should replace them. The balance of these four classic fields of professorial tasks depends heavily on the institution, place (country), and time. For example, professors at highly research-oriented universities in the U.S. (and all European universities) are promoted primarily on the basis of their research achievements.

Differences

The basic difference between levels of professor according to the national academic system is that in the English-speaking countries, the designation is based on career, whereas in Continental Europe, it is based on position. That means that if a North American Assistant Professor is performing particularly well, he or she can be promoted to Associate Professor, and if this is the case again, on to (full) Professor (in the United Kingdom and other countries the ranks are different, but the same principle applies). In the Continental European system, the different fields and sub-fields of teaching and research are allotted certain (professorial) chairs, and one can only become a professor if one is appointed to such a chair (which then has to be free, i.e., unoccupied, of course). Therefore, the different professorial ranks are not necessarily comparable.

Related Topics:
English - Career - Europe - North America - United Kingdom

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Differences may be distinctive in two main groups, "teaching professors" and "research professors" for the same body of knowledge in schools and colleges. There are also "corporate professors" in the work place. For example a student/professional in accounting may have to incorporate many different fields of expertise to be considered adequately trained.

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