View source for Professor

{{Short description|Academic title at universities and other educational institutions}}
{{For multi|the broader American term for academic employees|Academic personnel{{!}}Faculty (academic staff)|other uses}}
{{pp-pc1}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}

{{Infobox Occupation
| name = Professor
| image = [[File:Einstein 1921 by F Schmutzer - restoration.jpg|220px]]
| caption = [[Albert Einstein]] as a professor
| official_names = Professor
<!------------Details------------------->
| type = [[Education]], [[research]], [[teacher|teaching]]
| activity_sector = [[Academic|Academics]]
| competencies = Academic knowledge, research, writing journal articles or book chapters, teaching
| formation = [[Master's degree]], [[doctoral degree]] (e.g., PhD), [[professional degree]], or other [[terminal degree]]
| employment_field = [[Academic|Academics]]
| related_occupation = [[Teacher]], [[lecturer]], [[reader (academic rank)|reader]], [[researcher]]
}}

'''Professor''' (commonly abbreviated as '''Prof.''')<ref name="etymonline.com">{{cite web |last=Harper |first=Douglas |title=Professor |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=professor |access-date=28 July 2007 |work=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> is an [[Academy|academic]] rank at [[university|universities]] and other [[tertiary education|post-secondary education]] and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from [[Latin]] as a 'person who professes'. Professors are usually [[expert]]s in their field and teachers of the highest rank.<ref name="etymonline.com"/>

In most systems of [[List of academic ranks|academic ranks]], "professor" as an unqualified title refers only to the most senior academic position, sometimes informally known as "'''full professor'''".<ref name="macleans.ca">{{cite web|url=http://www.macleans.ca/education/uniandcollege/assistant-associate-what-the-words-before-professor-mean/|last=Pettigrew|first=Todd|date=17 June 2011|title=Assistant? Associate? What the words before "professor" mean: Titles may not mean what you think they do|website=Maclean's|access-date=6 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=United Kingdom, Academic Career Structure|url=https://www.eui.eu/ProgrammesAndFellowships/AcademicCareersObservatory/AcademicCareersbyCountry/UnitedKingdom|publisher=European University Institute|access-date=28 November 2017}}</ref> 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 unqualified word is also used colloquially to refer to associate and assistant professors as well, and often to instructors or lecturers.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hartley |first=Tom |title=Dr Who or Professor Who? On Academic Email Etiquette |url=https://thermaltoy.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/dr-who-or-professor-who-on-academic-email-etiquette/ |publisher=Tom Hartley |date=26 January 2013 |access-date=28 November 2017}}</ref>

Professors often conduct [[original research]] and commonly teach [[undergraduate]], [[Postgraduate education|postgraduate]], or [[Professional school|professional]] courses in their fields of expertise. In universities with [[graduate school]]s, professors may mentor and supervise graduate students conducting research for a [[thesis|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 [[University president|president]], principal or [[vice-chancellor]].<ref name="prom">{{cite web |title=Promoted from doctor to professor: what changes? |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/promoted-from-doctor-to-professor-what-changes |work=Times Higher Education |date=14 November 2016 |access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref name="prom"/>

== Etymology ==
[[File:Socrates Louvre.jpg|thumb|right|150px|The Ancient Greek philosopher [[Socrates]] was one of the earliest recorded professors<ref>David K. Knox "Socrates: The First Professor" ''Innovative Higher Education'' December 1998, Volume 23, Issue 2, pp 115–126</ref>]]
The term ''professor'' was first used in the late 14th century to mean 'one who teaches a branch of knowledge'.<ref name="etymonline.com"/> The word comes {{qi|...from [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|professeur}} (14c.) and directly from [the] [[Latin]] {{lang|la|professor}}[, for] 'person who professes to be an expert in some art or science; teacher of highest rank'}}; the Latin term came from the {{qi|...[[agent noun]] from {{lang|la|[[wikt:profiteri|profiteri]]}} 'lay claim to, declare openly'}}. As a title that is {{qi|prefixed to a name, it dates from 1706}}. The {{qi|[s]hort form prof is recorded from 1838}}. The term ''professor'' is also used with a different meaning: {{qi|[o]ne professing religion. This canting use of the word comes down from the [[Elizabethan period]], but is obsolete in England.}}<ref name="etymonline.com"/>

== Description ==
A professor is an accomplished and recognized academic. In most [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] nations, as well as northern Europe, the title ''professor'' is the highest academic rank at a university. In the [[Professors in the United States|United States]] and [[Academic ranks in Canada#Professorship|Canada]], the title of ''professor'' applies to most post-doctoral academics, so a larger percentage are thus designated. In these areas, professors are scholars with doctorate degrees (typically [[PhD]] degrees) or equivalent qualifications who teach in colleges and [[University|universities]]. An [[emeritus]] professor is a title given to selected retired professors with whom the university wishes to continue to be associated due to their stature and ongoing research. Emeritus professors do not receive a salary, but they are often given office or lab space, and use of libraries, labs, and so on.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Difference Between a Teacher and a Professor |url=https://www.wgu.edu/blog/difference-teacher-professor2008.html |access-date=11 August 2023 |website=Western Governors University |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=van Dijk |first1=Esther E. |last2=van Tartwijk |first2=Jan |last3=van der Schaaf |first3=Marieke F. |last4=Kluijtmans |first4=Manon |date=1 November 2020 |title=What makes an expert university teacher? A systematic review and synthesis of frameworks for teacher expertise in higher education |url=https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/410385/What_makes_an_expert_university_teacher.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |journal=Educational Research Review |language=en |volume=31 |pages=100365 |doi=10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100365 |issn=1747-938X|doi-access=free }}</ref>

The term professor is also used in the titles ''[[assistant professor]]'' and ''[[associate professor]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreedictionary.com/associate+professor |title=Associate Professor – definition of associate professor |publisher=Free Online Dictionary |access-date=16 August 2013}}</ref> which are not considered professor-level positions in all European countries. In Australia, the title ''associate professor'' is used in place of the term [[Reader (academic rank)|''reader'']] as used in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries; ranking above senior lecturer and below full professor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eui.eu/ProgrammesAndFellowships/AcademicCareersObservatory/AcademicCareersbyCountry/Australia.aspx|title=Australia, Academic Career Structure|publisher=European University Institute|language=en-GB|access-date=4 December 2018}}</ref>

Beyond holding the proper academic title, universities in many countries also give notable artists, athletes and foreign dignitaries the title ''[[Honorary title (academic)|honorary]] professor'', even if these persons do not have the academic qualifications typically necessary for professorship and they do not take up professorial duties. However, such "professors" usually do not undertake academic work for the granting institution. In general, the title of professor is strictly used for academic positions rather than for those holding it on honorary basis.

== Tasks ==
[[File:Toni Morrison 2008-2.jpg|thumb|[[Toni Morrison]], Emeritus Professor at [[Princeton University]]]]
Professors are qualified experts in their field who generally perform some or all the following tasks:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Difference Between a Teacher and a Professor |url=https://www.wgu.edu/blog/difference-teacher-professor2008.html |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=Western Governors University |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=13 November 2015 |title=What exactly is a professor these days? |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/what-exactly-professor-these-days |access-date=30 May 2022 |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |language=en}}</ref>
* Managing [[teaching]], research, and publications in their departments (in countries where a professor is head of a department);
* Presenting [[lecture]]s and [[seminar]]s in their specialties (i.e., they "[[wikt:profess|profess]]");
* Performing, leading and publishing advanced [[original research]] in [[peer review]]ed [[Peer-reviewed journal|journals]] in their fields;
* Providing [[community service]], including consulting functions (such as advising government and nonprofit organizations) or providing expert commentary on TV or radio news or public affairs programs;
* Mentoring [[graduate students]] in their academic training;
* Mentoring more junior academic staff;
* Conducting administrative or managerial functions, usually at a high level (e.g. deans, heads of departments, research centers, etc.); and
* Assessing students in their fields of expertise (e.g., through grading [[Test (assessment)|examinations]] or [[Thesis#Thesis examinations|viva voce]] defenses).
Other roles of professorial tasks depend on the institution, its legacy, protocols, place (country), and time. For example, professors at research-oriented universities in North America and, generally, at European universities, are promoted primarily on the basis of research achievements and external grant-raising success.

== Around the world ==
{{main|List of academic ranks}}
{{Academic ranks worldwide}}

Many [[colleges]] and [[university|universities]] and other institutions of [[higher education|higher learning]] throughout the world follow a similar hierarchical ranking structure amongst [[scholars]] in [[academia]]; the list above provides details.

== Salary ==
[[File:Professor salaries.svg|thumb|Salary of professors, as reported in the 2005 report the {{ill|Deutscher Hochschulverband|de}} DHV. Bars are for assistant professor, associate professor and full professor, respectively.]]

A professor typically earns a base salary and a range of [[employee benefits]]. In addition, a professor who undertakes additional roles in their institution (e.g., department chair, dean, head of graduate studies, etc.) sometimes earns additional income. Some professors also earn additional income by moonlighting in other jobs, such as [[consultant|consulting]], publishing academic or popular press books, giving speeches, or coaching executives. Some fields (e.g., business and computer science) give professors more opportunities for outside work.

=== Germany and Switzerland ===
<!-- The entire paragraph is based on an unreferenced report by the DHV. The website of the DHV is given, but that is not enough. I couldn't find the report during a 1 hour long search. -->
A report from 2005 by the "Deutscher Hochschulverband DHV",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hochschulverband.de/ |title=Deutscher Hochschulverband |publisher=Hochschulverband.de |access-date=16 August 2013}}</ref> a lobby group for German professors, the salary of professors, the annual salary of a German professor is [[Euro|€]]46,680 in group "W2" (mid-level) and €56,683 in group "W3" (the highest level), without performance-related bonuses. The anticipated average earnings with performance-related bonuses for a German professor is €71,500. The anticipated average earnings of a professor working in Switzerland vary for example between 158,953 [[CHF (currency)|CHF]] (€102,729) to 232,073 CHF (€149,985) at the [[University of Zurich]] and 187,937 CHF (€121,461) to 247,280 CHF (€159,774) at the [[ETH Zurich]]; the regulations are different depending on the [[Cantons of Switzerland]].

=== Italy ===
{{As of|2021}}, in the Italian universities there are about 18 thousand Assistant Professors, 23 thousand Associate Professors, and 14 thousand Full Professors. The role of "professore a contratto" (the equivalent of an "adjunct professor"), a non-tenured position which does not require a PhD nor any habilitation but requires a public academic competition (in which the PhD title is a preferential qualification), is paid at the end of the academic year nearly €3000 for the entire academic year,<ref>{{Cite web |title=University L'Orientale of Naples – table of annual fees for contract professors |url=https://www.unior.it/doc_db/doc_obj_10412_6290e1ddeaad6.pdf}}</ref> without salary during the academic year.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Monella|first=Lillo Montalto|date=26 January 2018|title=Essere professore a contratto all'università...per 3,75 euro l'ora|url=https://it.euronews.com/2018/01/26/essere-professore-a-contratto-all-universita-per-3-75-euro-l-ora|access-date=9 January 2022|website=euronews|language=it}}</ref> There are about 28 thousand "Professori a contratto" in Italy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Esplora i dati|url=http://ustat.miur.it/dati/|access-date=9 January 2022|website=USTAT}}</ref> Associate Professors have a gross salary in between 52.937,59 and 96.186,12 euros per year, Full Professors have a gross salary in between 75.431,76 and 131.674 Euros per year, and adjunct professors of around 3,000 euros per year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Salary Sapienza University of Rome Italy (in Italian) Tabella stipendi personale Docente |url=https://www.uniroma1.it/it/pagina/tabella-stipendi-personale-docente-costo-orario|access-date=9 January 2022|website=Sapienza Università di Roma }}</ref> 

As of 2025 in the Italian universities there are: 16,574 Full Professors 26,472 Associate Professors with salary and 33,535 "Professori a contratto" without salary.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Esplora i dati|url=http://ustat.miur.it/dati/|access-date=9 January 2022|website=USTAT}}</ref> 

=== Saudi Arabia ===
According to ''World Salaries 2023'', the salary of a professor in any public university is 447,300 SAR, or 119,217.18 USD<ref>{{Cite web |title=Average Professor – Education Salary in Saudi Arabia for 2023 |url=https://worldsalaries.com/average-professor-education-salary-in-saudi-arabia/ |access-date=11 August 2023 |website=World Salaries}}</ref>

=== Spain ===
{{Further|Academic ranks in Spain}}
The salaries of civil servant professors in Spain are fixed on a nationwide basis, but there are some bonuses related to performance and seniority and a number of bonuses granted by the Autonomous Regional governments. These bonuses include three-year premiums ({{Langx|es|trienios}}, according to seniority), five-year premiums ({{Langx|es|quinquenios|label=none}}, according to compliance with teaching criteria set by the university) and six-year premiums ({{Langx|es|sexenios|label=none}}, according to compliance with research criteria laid down by the national government). These salary bonuses are relatively small. Nevertheless, the total number of {{Langx|es|sexenios|label=none}} is a prerequisite for being a member of different committees.

The importance of these {{Langx|es|sexenios|label=none}} as a [[Reputation|prestige]] factor in the university was enhanced by legislation in 2001 (LOU). Some indicative numbers can be interesting, in spite of the variance in the data. We report net monthly payments (after taxes and social security fees), without bonuses: Ayudante, €1,200; Ayudante Doctor, €1,400; Contratado Doctor; €1,800; Profesor Titular, €2,000;
Catedrático, €2,400. There are a total of 14 payments per year, including 2 extra payments in July and December (but for less than a normal monthly payment).

=== United States ===
{{Further|Professors in the United States#Salary}}
[[Professors in the United States]] commonly occupy any of several positions in [[academia]]. In the U.S., the word "professor" informally refers collectively to the [[Academic ranks in the United States|academic ranks]] of '''assistant professor''', '''associate professor''', or professor. This usage differs from the predominant usage of the word "professor" internationally, where the unqualified word "professor" only refers to full professors. The majority of university lecturers and instructors in the United States, {{As of|2015|lc=y}}, do not occupy these [[tenure-track]] ranks, but are part-time adjuncts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=COE – Characteristics of Postsecondary Faculty |url=https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/csc/postsecondary-faculty |access-date=1 July 2022 |website=National Center for Education Statistics }}</ref>

=== Table of wages ===
In 2007 the Dutch social fund for the academic sector SoFoKleS<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sofokles.nl/ |title=SoFoKleS &#124; Sociaal Fonds voor de KennisSector |publisher=Sofokles.nl |access-date=16 August 2013}}</ref> commissioned a comparative study of the wage structure of academic professions in the Netherlands in relation to that of other countries. Among the countries reviewed are the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, France, Sweden and the Netherlands. To improve comparability, adjustments have been made to correct for [[purchasing power]] and taxes. Because of differences between institutions in the US and UK these countries have two listings of which one denotes the salary in top-tier institutions (based on the [[Shanghai ranking|Shanghai-ranking]]).

The table below shows the final reference wages (per year) expressed in net amounts of Dutch euros in 2014 (i.e., converted into Dutch [[purchasing power]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seo.nl/uploads/media/2015-65_Beloning_van_wetenschappelijk_personeel_in_internationaal_perspectief.pdf|title= International wage differences in academic occupations | author= SEO Economic Research | author-link = SEO Economic Research |date = 23 September 2015 | access-date=12 April 2008}}</ref>
{| class = "wikitable sortable"
|-
|+ NL comparison, 2014, net salaries, in NL purchasing power
|-
! Country
! Assistant professor
! Associate professor
! Full professor
|-
| United States
| €46,475<!--do not change to other currency - the source calculated all in Euros to allow comparison-->
| €52,367
| €77,061
|-
| United States – top universities
| €59,310
| €68,429

| €103,666
|-
| United Kingdom
| €36,436<!--do not change to other currency - the source calculated all in Euros to allow comparison-->
| €44,952
| €60,478
|-
| United Kingdom – top universities
| €39,855
| €45,235
| €84,894
|-
| Germany
| €33,182
| €42,124
| €47,894
|-
| France
| €24,686
| €30,088
| €38,247
|-
| Netherlands
| €34,671
| €42,062
| €50,847
|-
| Switzerland
| €78,396
| €89,951
| €101,493
|-
| Belgium
| €32,540
| €37,429
| €42,535
|-
| Sweden
| €30,005
| €35,783
| €42,357

|-
| Norway

| €34,947

| €37,500
| €45,113<!--do not add entries without adding a source that uses the same estimation method for the same year-->
|}

== Research professor ==
In a number of countries, the title "research professor" refers to a professor who is exclusively or mainly engaged in research, and who has few or no teaching obligations. For example, the title is used in this sense in the [[United Kingdom]] (where it is known as a research professor at some universities and professorial research fellow at some other institutions) and in [[northern Europe]]. A research professor is usually the most senior rank of a research-focused career pathway in those countries and is regarded as equal to the ordinary full professor rank. Most often they are permanent employees, and the position is often held by particularly distinguished scholars; thus the position is often seen as more prestigious than an ordinary full professorship. The title is used in a somewhat similar sense in the [[Professors in the United States#Research professor|United States]], with the exception that research professors in the United States are often not permanent employees and often must fund their salary from external sources,<ref>[https://www.bu.edu/handbook/appointments-and-promotions/classification-of-ranks-and-titles/ Classification of Ranks and Titles].</ref> which is usually not the case elsewhere.

== In fiction ==
{{Main list|List of fictional professors}}

Traditional fictional portrayals of professors, in accordance with a [[stereotype]], are shy, [[Absent-minded professor|absent-minded]] individuals often lost in thought. In many cases, fictional professors are socially or physically awkward. Examples include the 1961 film ''[[The Absent-Minded Professor]]'' or [[Professor Calculus]] of ''[[The Adventures of Tintin]]'' stories. Professors have also been portrayed as being misguided into an evil pathway, such as Professor Metz, who helped [[Bond villain]] [[Ernst Stavro Blofeld|Blofeld]] in the film ''[[Diamonds Are Forever (film)|Diamonds Are Forever]]''; or simply evil, like [[Professor Moriarty]], [[archenemy]] of British detective [[Sherlock Holmes]]. The modern animated series ''[[Futurama]]'' has [[Professor Hubert Farnsworth]], a typical absent-minded but genius-level professor. A related stereotype is the [[mad scientist]].

[[Vladimir Nabokov]], author and professor of [[English studies|English]] at [[Cornell University|Cornell]], frequently used professors as the [[protagonist]]s in his novels. Professor [[Henry Higgins (character)|Henry Higgins]] is a main character in [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s play ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]''. In the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' series, set at the wizard school [[Hogwarts]], the teachers are known as professors, many of whom play important roles, notably Professors [[Dumbledore]], [[Minerva McGonagall|McGonagall]] and [[Severus Snape|Snape]]. In the board game ''[[Cluedo]]'', Professor Plum has been depicted as an absent-minded academic. [[Christopher Lloyd]] played Plum's [[Clue (film)|film]] counterpart, a [[psychologist]] who had an affair with one of his patients.

Since the 1980s and 1990s, various stereotypes were re-evaluated, including professors. Writers began to depict professors as just normal human beings and might be quite well-rounded in abilities, excelling both in intelligence and in physical skills. An example of a fictional professor not depicted as shy or absent-minded is [[Indiana Jones (character)|Indiana Jones]], a professor as well as an [[archeologist]]-[[adventurer]], who is skilled at both scholarship and fighting. The popularity of the ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' movie franchise had a significant impact on the previous stereotype, and created a new archetype which is both deeply knowledgeable and physically capable.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hiscock |first=Peter |date=2012 |title=Cinema, Supernatural Archaeology, and the Hidden Human Past |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23244957 |journal=Numen |volume=59 |issue=2/3 |pages=156–177 |doi=10.1163/156852712X630761 |jstor=23244957 |issn=0029-5973|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The character generally referred to simply as [[The Professor (Gilligan's Island)|the Professor]] on the television [[sitcom]] series, ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', although described alternatively as a high-school science teacher or research scientist, is depicted as a sensible advisor, a clever inventor, and a helpful friend to his fellow [[castaway]]s. [[John Houseman]]'s portrayal of law school professor Charles W. Kingsfield, Jr., in ''[[The Paper Chase (film)|The Paper Chase]]'' (1973) remains the [[epitome]] of the strict, authoritarian professor who demands perfection from students. [[Annalise Keating]] (played by [[Viola Davis]]) from the [[American Broadcasting Company]] (ABC) [[legal drama]] [[Mystery (fiction)|mystery]] television series ''[[How to Get Away with Murder]]'' is a [[law]] professor at the fictional Middleton University.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abc.go.com/shows/how-to-get-away-with-murder/cast/annalise-keating|title=Viola Davis as Annalise Keating|website=ABC|publisher=[[The Walt Disney Company]]|access-date=21 May 2016}}</ref> Early in the series, Annalise is a self-sufficient and confident woman, respected for being a great law professor and a great lawyer, feared and admired by her students,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/how-to-get-away-with-murder-pilot-1798181412|title=How To Get Away With Murder: "Pilot"|last=Kumari Upadhyaya|first=Kayla|date=25 September 2014|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|access-date=21 May 2016}}</ref> whose image breaks down as the series progresses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/a-new-lie-has-consequences-for-everyone-on-how-to-get-a-1798185361|title=A new lie has consequences for everyone on How To Get Away With Murder|last=Kumari Upadhyaya|first=Kayla|date=23 October 2015|website=The A.V. Club|access-date=21 May 2016}}</ref> Sandra Oh stars as an English professor, Ji-Yoon Kim, recently promoted to the role of department chair in the 2021 Netflix series ''[[The Chair (2021 TV series)|The Chair]].'' The series includes her character's negotiation of liberal arts campus politics, in particular issues of racism, sexism, and social mores.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dettmar |first=Kevin |date=2 September 2021 |title=What 'The Chair' Gets Unexpectedly Right About the Ivory Tower |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/09/netflixs-chair-celebrates-common-professor/619946/ |access-date=2 November 2022 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref>

Mysterious, older men with magical powers (and unclear academic standing) are sometimes given the title of "Professor" in literature and theater. Notable examples include [[Professor X]] in the [[X-Men]] franchise, Professor Marvel in ''The Wizard of Oz''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/ |title=The Wizard of Oz (1939)|publisher=IMDb|access-date=16 August 2013}}</ref> and Professor Drosselmeyer (as he is sometimes known) from the ballet ''[[The Nutcracker]]''. Also, the magician played by Christian Bale in the film ''[[The Prestige (film)|The Prestige]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482571/ |title=The Prestige (2006)|publisher=IMDb|access-date=16 August 2013}}</ref> adopts 'The Professor' as his [[stage name]]. A variation of this type of non-academic professor is the "crackpot inventor", as portrayed by Professor Potts in the film version of ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]'' or the Jerry Lewis-inspired ''[[Professor Frink]]'' character on ''[[The Simpsons]]''. Other professors of this type are the thoughtful and kind Professor Digory Kirke of [[C. S. Lewis]]'s ''[[Chronicles of Narnia]]''.

== Non-academic usage ==
The title has been used by [[comedian]]s, such as "Professor" [[Irwin Corey]] and [[Soupy Sales]] in his role as "The Big Professor". In the past, [[pianist]]s in [[Western saloon|saloons]] and other rough environments have been called "professor".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930955,00.html |title=Music: Machines & Musicians |magazine=Time |date=30 August 1937 |access-date=9 August 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417042553/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,930955,00.html |archive-date=17 April 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[puppeteer]] of a [[Punch and Judy]] show is also traditionally known as "[[Punch and Judy|Professor]]".<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 August 2008|title=A working life: The Punch and Judy man|url=http://www.theguardian.com/money/2008/aug/23/workandcareers4|access-date=29 August 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en}}

</ref> Aside from such examples in the performing arts, one apparently novel example is known where the title of professor has latterly been applied to a college appointee with an explicitly "non-academic role", which seems to be primarily linked to claims of "strategic importance".<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=26 August 2021|title=REINFORCEMENTS!|url=https://www.union.ac.uk/discover/news-events/blog/102/reinforcements|access-date=29 August 2021|website=Union Theological College, Belfast|language=en-GB}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Academic discipline]]
* [[Adjunct professor]]
* [[Doctor of Sacred Theology|''Sacrae Theologiae Professor'']] (S.T.P.) – degree now awarded as S.T.D. or [[Doctor of Divinity]] (D.D.)
* ''[[Emeritus]]''
* [[Habilitation]]
* [[Scholarly method]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Professors}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}

{{-}}
{{Academic positions}}
{{Academic degrees}} <!--- Sacra Theologiae Professor, and others --->
{{Social class}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Academic ranks]]
[[Category:Education and training occupations]]
[[Category:Professorships| ]]