What is Professors: Definition and 117 Discussions

Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors are usually experts in their field and teachers of the highest rank.In most systems of academic ranks, "professor" as an unqualified title refers only to the most senior academic position, sometimes informally known as "full professor". In some countries and institutions, the word "professor" is also used in titles of lower ranks such as associate professor and assistant professor; this is particularly the case in the United States, where the word professor is also used to refer to associate and assistant professors as well. This usage would be considered incorrect among other academic communities. However, the unqualified title "Professor" designated with a capital letter nearly always refers to a full professor.
Professors often conduct original research and commonly teach undergraduate, professional, or postgraduate courses in their fields of expertise. In universities with graduate schools, professors may mentor and supervise graduate students conducting research for a thesis or dissertation. In many universities, full professors take on senior managerial roles such as leading departments, research teams and institutes, and filling roles such as president, principal or vice-chancellor. The role of professor may be more public-facing than that of more junior staff, and professors are expected to be national or international leaders in their field of expertise.

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  1. rocomath

    Testing Old Exams (legal) posted on website of Professors

    Hey ya'll, could I by chance get sites of Professors websites that post their old exams online? Courses for Calculus, Organic Chemistry, University Physics! I love to take the practice quizzes that are available online from the textbook itself, and I really like to feel prepared so taking...
  2. D

    Reach Professorship Despite Failing a Class: Any Advice?

    Did anyone here make it to professorship despite failing a class?
  3. quasar987

    Ethics on approaching professors for masters

    Hi folks, It seems like time has come for me to hunt a master's director and I wish to understand what the correct social dynamics is for approaching a professor before I go in a screw it up. Tell me if this makes sense. I look at the professors' profiles and eliminate those who are working...
  4. T

    Has anyone given gifts to professors?

    Do students usually give gifts to professors after the professor wrote a recommendations or helped the students out? If so what kind of gifts? for physics professors? and for math professors?
  5. JasonRox

    Contacting Professors for Research

    So, my question is how do I go about talking/asking about research opportunities? For professors at my school, it isn't a problem. I can just walk up to them and ask, since they pretty much know me. The real question is, how to you go about this for professors in other schools? I'd like...
  6. K

    Should Professors Focus on Teaching or Research? The Debate Explored

    I am just curious, but must they teach at all? Is it not that research are their primary focus? I know some professor that won the fields medal in mathematics, and they still had to teach. My question is "why"? How many nobel prize or fields metals you need to win to not have to teach at all...
  7. E

    The Golden Ball & the Oxford Professors

    An excellent puzzle for you all - not overly hard, but a good tester : We have a ball made of pure gold. 2 Oxford Professor had obtained it in illicit fashion during an archaeological dig in Peru. The 2 accomplices being born complexifiers, fell into a dispute about how they should divide up...
  8. T

    Vector Products: What Happens When Professors Refuse to Explain?

    Why is a vector product not generally defined pointwise? My professor simply gave a mysterious "you'll see why later". What's the worst that can happen?
  9. S

    Professors taking your picture

    I have had two professors over the course of my academic career take a picture of each student to get know each of us, match a face to a name I guess. But both of these professors were kind of odd to begin with and both were male and math teachers. The whole prospect kind of creeps me out...
  10. G

    Grievances against professors

    Have any of you filed any grievances against professors or have requested a change of grade onto the administration? Have any of you had a first year professor...personality not so bad...but was unprofessional with grading, racking off points here and there as he pleased without taking into...
  11. D

    How much do you guys correspond with your professors outside of class

    I always want to talk some with my profs about things beyond the scope of the course, but I am shy, and worry they will feel I'm wasting their time. Do you guys tend to do this very often?
  12. G

    Professors Drunkenness in College: Experiences & Consequences

    Have any of you, during anytime of your experience in a college/university, had a professor whom you thought repeatedly came to lecture, a bit "buzzed" up (not completely drunk of course). During my first few years in college, I have come across several professors whom I thought came to...
  13. T

    Was Einstein a Boring Professor?

    I've heard a rumor from my dad that Einstein was a boring professor. Is there any truth to this? In my experience, my most brilliant professors tend to be boring lecturers. In my last philosophy class my professor was this very smart, analytical man who puts the entire class to sleep. He...
  14. M

    Who Can Crack the R-L-C Circuit Challenge?

    Can anyone solve this? I've asked 3 professors! I'm having trouble trying to understand this problem. The R-L-C series circuit is driven with a AC source with EMF=Vo*sin(wt) where Vo=110.0V and f=60.0 Hz. If R = 20.0 Ohms, L=5.0 * 10^-2 H, and C=50.0uF, find the potential drops across the...
  15. M

    Where to find essays by professors?

    Hi i am currently about to write a literary essay on the novel The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence. For my English class we have to research essays written by others, namely proffesors or people with degrees, which we have same agreements to quote. I am having a problem in finding essays on the...
  16. J

    Why are Math Professors so Quirky?

    I've never met a "normal" math professor before. They're all wierdos. Can anyone tell me why?
  17. K

    Elementary math that professors cant solve

    Using only three 9's along with elementary math symbols like + or -, see if you can arrange them to represent the number 20. Remeber that 99/9=11.
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