How To Become A College Professor In Ontario (2023)

Do you thirst for academic knowledge and enjoy conducting research and writing reports about how and why? Then becoming a college professor is an excellent career path for you. You can fully immerse yourself in educating a new generation of learners.

To be a college professor in Ontario, you need four years of undergraduate education and a maximum of seven years in Graduate school, professional certifications, solid soft skills, and lots of pre-graduate work experience.

Choosing a subject to teach and gaining expertise in that area will help you get hands-on training while pursuing an undergraduate degree to become a Professor.

Just like the famous thought-provoking soliloquy “To Be, or Not to Be, That Is the Question” from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, you must first obtain answers to some questions regarding your academic career. 

How To Become A College Professor In Ontario

The academic field is vast, and booming with lots of unharnessed potential, so you have to consider the path you will take. What degree(s) do you need? What skills will be beneficial to learn? 

What academic discipline should you consider? Do you need a Ph.D., or will a Master’s certification suffice to become a college professor in Ontario?

Some of the steps you are required to take to achieve this academic feat are;

1. Choose A Pre-College Educational Field

You can choose a field based on your reference, educational background, tuition fees, accessibility of educational resources, and post-college work availability. 

The wide range of courses you will be exposed to will also aid your specialty in several academic fields; if you have a background in science, you can comfortably take on a few subjects in that direction. 

Therefore, this is a crucial step as we advance into the world of academia.

2. Choose a College Specialization 

Getting a Bachelor’s degree is an essential step in your chosen career path as a college professor. It is required for you to get internship placement, work experience, and complete Graduate school. It will also help hone your social and interactive skills with undergraduate students, lecturers, and professors.

3. Enroll in Graduate School

Enrolling in Graduate school is a big step, like getting out of a fishbowl and into a fish tank. It is the definitive propellant your chosen career needs. However, you should note that most prestigious graduate colleges(local schools inclusive) have strict admission rules and are highly competitive. So it is important to contact your school of choice and find out the admission requirements you need to put in. 

It would be best if you also strived to build amicable working connections with your teachers; this will help you get adequate help in your future endeavors. A good relationship can even earn you a work or thesis collaboration to help with your job hunt after school.

Also, more universities are starting to adopt a post-covid work environment by offering online courses and degrees to their students. So, learning how to teach online courses will benefit your career.

4. Get Internships and Volunteer Work Experience

After acquiring adequate knowledge, getting some work experience will help foster your new skills and prepare you for future work changes.

Furthermore, being a professional association member will provide networking and professional development opportunities for you.

 You can get a student scholarship, learn about current work opportunities, access research grants, develop relationships with professionals, and learn about your chosen career field and the prevalent issues through various means, including conferences, newsletters, mailing lists, events, and meetups. 

Professional associations like the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA), Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), Council of Ontario Universities (COU), Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO), Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities (MoTCU), and the Canadian Association of University Teachers/Association (CAUT/ACPPU) offer research grants, educational outreaches, surveys, publish regular research papers and support for college professors affiliated with them.

What are the requirements I need to be a college professor in Ontario?

In addition to the required courses and degrees, you can specialize in your chosen field at the Ph.D. Level. Having a Ph.D. will work in your favor by opening more employment opportunities for you.

Being your researcher, editor and publisher are key when trying to secure long-term employment – a college needs a professor that can carry out profound academic work.

It’s not enough to have a ton of degree and certification; you should also be passionate about teaching. You should have communication skills, analytical skills, problem-solving and reasoning skills, proper work ethics, and be willing to cultivate healthy student-teacher interactions.

How Much Do College Professors Make In Ontario?

Several factors determine the salary of a Professor in Ontario, but the national average salary is $150,812, about $118,913 for an Assistant Professor, and $116,532 for an adjunct Professor. Internship salary positions vary, with the deciding factors being the type of university and work experience of the intern.

What Is The Employment Rate For A Professor In Ontario?

It is a competitive market, as the number of qualified Professors outnumbers the available job openings.

Regardless of the glum statistics, new job openings arising from an expansion demand are projected to bring some relief to job seekers within the next ten years.

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How Long Does It Take To Be A Professor In Ontario?

After completing a bachelor’s degree, becoming a professor requires many years of graduate-level education. 

One of the more time-consuming aspects of becoming a college professor in Ontario is completing the dissertation, a book-length piece of original research you need to complete to earn your Ph.D.

 The dissertation is an academic dense personal project required to contribute new insight and research in your chosen career field. The time required to complete the dissertation varies. It will take one to three years of intensive research and writing for many, while some aspiring professors can take more than five years to complete their work. So basically, you need about eight to 11 years to become a professor; this includes four years of undergraduate school, four to seven years of graduate school, and the compulsory dissertation.