How to become a Professor in Nigeria (Top Requirements!)

Do you wish to become a professor in Nigeria? If you do, you are reading the right article. This post aims to provide you with a step to step guide that will simplify your journey in becoming a professor in Nigeria.

When I was in secondary school, there are some people that the teacher would usually call them “professors”. When this happens, we usually think of that person as being very brilliant or reflecting a high degree of academic success.

Normally, when we see a professor, we think of him or her as someone who is very brilliant or intelligent.

Yes, we are not wrong to think so, as part of the criteria to become a professor involves one being an expert in a field of study.

Before you delve into steps required to become a professor in Nigeria, you would need to know who is a professor and what he or she does.

Who is a Professor?

The highest rank a lecturer in any university or higher education establishment can attain that will grant him or her great reverence is the rank of a professor. A professor is a professional who has attained the most senior rank in any academic institution.

A professor is, therefore, an expert which educate both undergraduate and graduate student.

Duties of a Professor

A professor in any tertiary institution in Nigeria would normally perform the following important duties;

1.     Educate both undergraduate and graduate students

2.     Assessing the performance of both undergraduates and graduate students

3.     Conducting and supervising researches

4.     Building a course curriculum

5.     Get involved in administrative roles

6.     Staying up-to-date to the trends in their field of study

7.     Producing publications related to their field of study.

Requirements to become a Professor in Nigeria

The following are the steps needed to become a professor in Nigeria. Follow these steps diligently and in the nearest future, you just might be a professor.

These steps are explained below;

See also: Professor salary in Nigeria

1.     Earn an Undergraduate Degree:

This is the first step to becoming a professor in Nigeria. Earning an undergraduate degree in the very foundation you need to become a professor in Nigeria. Professors are experts in a particular field of study. Your undergraduate degree determines to a large extent the field you would become an expert in.

My advice is to earn an undergraduate degree in a field that you would find easy. Do not follow societal trends at the expense of your own passion while choosing a career path in Nigeria. Your passion is a significant factor that will help you achieve success in a particular field.

2.     Determine a Subject to Specialize:

A professor is an expert on a particular subject. Specialization is of relevance if you wish to become a professor. In your course of study, there are so many areas that you can specialize in. You would need to discover or determine the area that is best for you. Discovering that earlier enough would help you become a professor in that subject area

3.     Earn a Master’s Degree:

If you wish to become a lecturer in Nigeria, you would need to earn a Master’s degree.

A master’s degree is of relevance to becoming a professor in Nigeria because it reflects your expertise in that area of study. Although, there are exceptional cases where you can skip earning a master’s degree and directly pursue a doctorate degree. 

4.     Earn a Ph.D.:

A Ph.D. is compulsory if you wish to become a professor in Nigeria. Remember, the rank of a professor is the most senior rank that one attains in any tertiary institution or higher education establishment in Nigeria. Professors must therefore be very knowledgeable about their field of study. This, therefore, implies that they must have passed through a doctoral education that will reflect their expertise in their field of study.

5.     Must make Good Grades:

You can’t become a professor in Nigeria with poor grades. This is because professors are experts in what they do. Poor grades do not reflect your expertise in your field of study.

Good grades are therefore one of the most important criteria that higher education establishments use to measure your worth to become a professor.

You must therefore make good grades in your undergraduate, master, and doctoral program. Preferably, a first-class degree would be nice.

Frankly speaking, first-class graduates have higher chances of becoming a professor in Nigeria because they are easily accepted as a lecturer by any tertiary institution in Nigeria which of course, gives them an edge.

6.     Years of Teaching Experience as a Lecturer:

To become a professor in Nigeria, you would need to be a lecturer first. You can’t be a professor without being a lecturer. This is because professorship is an academic rank or status that one attains in any tertiary institution.

You would need to have years of teaching experience as a lecturer to become a professor in Nigeria. This also reflects your expertise in a given field of study.

7.     Contribution to Scholarly Publication:

As part of the requirements to become a professor in Nigeria, you must contribute immensely to the body of knowledge in your field.

To accomplish this, you would need to publish a lot of scholarly publications. These publications must be unique, quality, or original. To attain the rank of a professor, you must contribute to a minimum of 60 quality internationally published works.

These publications would reflect your expertise in your field of study which subsequently boosts your chances of becoming a professor.

8.     Assessment of Scholarship:

This is the last but most crucial stage in becoming a professor in Nigeria. In order to become a professor in Nigeria, candidates would be evaluated by several eminent professors in various Nigerian universities and possibly, professors outside Nigeria. Assessments conducted by these eminent professors are very rigorous or tough.

Candidates are judged based on profound their knowledge is in their field of study.

Once a candidate is approved, he or she attains the rank of a professor.

Conclusion

If you wish to become a professor in Nigeria, follow these above steps. If you have any questions or contributions on “how to become a professor in Nigeria”, let us know in the comment section below.