To become a Physics Professor in India, one has to rise through several ranks. The sequence in place is Master’s-PhD-Postdoc-Assistant Professor-Associate Professor Professor. We will briefly explain the steps one has to take to reach the PhD level: How can you prepare to become a Physics Professor? The path to becoming a Physics professor can take several years. After earning a bachelor’s degree (4 years), you’ll need to complete a master’s (2 years) and a Ph.D (4-7 years), followed by postdoctoral research or teaching experience.
How Can You Prepare to Become a Physics Professor?
The first and foremost thing one can do is to get a master’s degree in the relevant subject; this is usually the time when a particular specialty is attained during the master’s thesis/project stage. After the master’s degree, or even during that period, a student has to take various competitive examinations. The two major ones are GATE and CSIR NET. The GATE exam is conducted by the IITs and IISc Bangalore, and it is through a valid GATE score and rank that one can seek admission into the IITS for a PhD. The CSIR NET exam is a dual-purpose exam, in the sense that if you qualify for the exam then you are eligible to apply for Assistant Professor positions in India. However, this is just an eligibility, not a guarantee.
The other purpose of NET is also to give fellowships to the top 10 percent or so of the qualifying candidates. These fellowships are provided to the students when they enroll in an institution for their PhDs. The IITs and IISc also consider students for admission into a PhD programme with a NET rank.
Some other institutes which accept students through GATE and CSIR NET scores are the IISERS, NISER Bhubaneswar, all central universities, most of the state universities, etc. Some specialised institutes, like the IIST, or the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, etc., might conduct their own exams.
For master’s degree studies abroad, scholarships are typically limited. For the US, it’s essential to secure TOEFL and GRE scores before applying. In the UK, the process is similar, though some universities may require an IELTS score instead of TOEFL. In most other European countries, test scores do not matter much at this stage, allowing you to apply directly to universities.
The process of applying for a PhD abroad is similar to a master’s application, but you would need to focus more on your application. For the US, you will need a TOEFL, a general GRE and a subject GRE score in almost all universities. For the rest of Europe, unless you are applying to some specific programmes, like the Max Planck PhD programme, then normally all universities consider PhD students as employees. It means you will need to first contact suitable professors in the area you wish to work in and then talk to them about possible projects that they might have for which they might consider recruiting you as a project fellow. If the professor shows interest, you can apply for the job, which is usually advertised on the particular university’s website.
As you move into graduation, pick an area of interest and try to develop your knowledge in that area. Try to get admitted into the best institutes as it can help you get the right exposure. And you must understand the role of a teacher as you will ultimately be dealing with students, Good luck!