University professors and lecturers
Career Overview
University professors and lecturers teach courses to undergraduate and graduate students at universities. Professors may also carry out research. This group includes department heads.
Job Titles
Duties
In general, university professors and lecturers:
- Specialize in a subject area such as biology, chemistry, women’s studies, sociology, literature, history, business administration or law
- Teach one or more subjects to undergraduate or graduate students
- Carry out research and publish their findings in monographs, articles, conference materials, scholarly journals, books and online
- Direct research programs for graduate students
- Prepare and give lectures and lead laboratory sessions or discussion groups
- Prepare, administer and grade exams and assignments
- Serve on faculty committees dealing with curriculum and degree requirements
- Perform administrative duties
- Represent their universities as speakers and guest lecturers
- Provide consulting services to government, industry and individuals
- Seek external funding for research and professional development, as necessary
Earnings
Earnings is income that workers receive in exchange for their labour. Depending on the type of employment, earnings can be in the form of wages (hourly), salaries (fixed monthly or annual) or self-employed earnings.
Work Environment
# Workers Employed
10,770% Employed Full Time
76%University professors and lecturers usually teach in classrooms on campus. Depending on the course, they may teach outdoors, off campus or online. They make good use of technology to support classroom instruction and to communicate with their students and peers.
University professors and lecturers may teach courses outside of regular daytime hours. In addition to teaching time, they must make themselves available to students during regular office hours. They have considerable flexibility in terms of scheduling their time for course preparation, grading and research.
Workload depends on the number of classes they teach, their administrative duties and their research work. In general, most professors work more than 40 hours a week, including evenings and weekends. Lecturers usually have by-the-course contracts and often work less than 40-hour weeks.
Every five to seven years, full-time professors are eligible for a sabbatical. This frees them from their regular duties for up to one year, allowing them to work on projects related to their field of expertise.
Career Pathways
Entry into a career as a university professor typically requires a significant record of research and publication. A graduate usually gains this experience by working as a research fellow/associate or by doing independent research, often while working as a part-time, untenured instructor at a college or university.
Applicants in certain fields, such as the humanities, can gain the needed teaching experience by working as sessional instructors.
University professors can progress from assistant professor to associate professor and eventually to full professor. Full-time professors typically receive tenure after a probationary period of five to seven years as an assistant professor. Associate and full professors may advance to senior administrative positions such as chair, dean, vice-president or president.
Related Careers
Occupational Interests
It’s important to understand what kinds of occupations align with your interests.
For more about occupational interests visit Skills for the Future Workforce > Characteristics.
Here are the top occupational interest(s) for this career profile:
Education, Training and Skills
A doctoral degree (PhD) is required to become a university professor. Other requirements may include:
- Licences or professional certification for teaching in regulated fields such as medicine, engineering, architecture or law
- Teaching experience
- A record of independent research and publication for full-time and tenure-track positions
Education programs in B.C.
Skills
Every job calls for a certain set of skills. Knowing those skills is the first step in finding a good career fit.
Here, you will find the 10 most relevant workplace skills. Some are more important to achieving success in a certain career than others. These skills may come naturally to you or you may need to gain them through education, training and experience.
See the list of work-related skills below, ranked in order of importance for this career. Check out the list and see if this career matches your skills—take that first step!
Talking to others to share information effectively.
Teaching others how to do something.
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Choosing and using training, instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Understanding how new information could be used to solve current and future problems in making decisions.
Keeping track of and assessing your performance, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Being able to solve novel, ill-defined problems in complex, real-world settings.
Labour Market Statistics
Discover data, facts and information that have been gathered and analyzed. Learn about the characteristics of the economy and labour market in B.C.
Employment
Find out about employment types and trends by region and industry.
Employment
10,770Employment by Region
| Region | Employment | % Employment of this Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 185 | 1.7% |
| Kootenay | 55 | 0.5% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 7,280 | 67.6% |
| North Coast and Nechako | 15 | 0.1% |
| Northeast | 0 | 0.0% |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 1,070 | 9.9% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 2,170 | 20.2% |
Labour Market Outlook
The B.C. Labour Market Outlook is a 10-year forecast of the expected supply and demand for labour in the province. It’s usually updated every year. The purpose is to provide British Columbians with the knowledge to make informed decisions on careers, skills training, education and hiring.
Forecasted Job Openings (2024-2034)
4,420Forecasted Job Openings
Forecasted Employment Growth Rate
Composition of Job Openings
Job Openings by Region (2024-2034)
| Region | Job Openings | Avg. Annual Employment Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo | 160 | 1.4% |
| Kootenay | 80 | 5.2% |
| Mainland/Southwest | 2,280 | 0.4% |
| North Coast and Nechako | Not available | Not available |
| Northeast | Not available | Not available |
| Thompson-Okanagan | 870 | 2.4% |
| Vancouver Island/Coast | 1,030 | 0.9% |
Industry Highlights
Learn about the opportunities in B.C.'s major industries, including employment trends, earning potential, locations of work and more.
Forecasted Job Openings by Industry
| Industry | Job Openings (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Educational Services | 4,410 |
| Public Administration | 20 |
Resources
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Academica Careers – Job Listingswww.academicacareers.com
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Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of Englishwww.accute.ca
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Canadian Association of University Teacherswww.caut.ca
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Confederation of University Faculty Associations of BC (CUFA/BC)www.cufa.bc.ca/
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Federation for the Humanities and Social Scienceswww.federationhss.ca/en
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List of Canadian Universitieswww.universitystudy.ca/canadian-universities
Career Videos
Watch the video below to see what a day in the life of a university professor is like.
Watch the video below to see what a day in the life of a university professor is like.
