query re: american education titles

[burntcopper]

At what point does someone earn the right to be called 'professor'? I've seen it applied to high school teachers in the US, which makes bugger all sense to me.

In England, 'professor' is normally only used as the title of someone at the head of a *university* department. (unless it's a college of music, where it can be the title of a tutor) You have to earn that fucker. Any other time you hear it, it's normally a teasing nickname.

So..er... what is the American usage?

In other news, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is a work of inspired lunacy. and is proof that if you put Christopher Plummer in a horribly disreputable beard and outfit, he finally stops being someone I fancy in a horribly guilt-ridden fashion.

Comments

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

As far as I can tell, students call all lecturers "professor" as a gesture of respect. My boyfriend from university was horrified to discover that his students were calling him professor when he was a humble TA, beginning to work on his PhD.

Over here, it doesn't necessarily mean the head of a university department. It's the title for a holder of a chair at a university, which is not the same thing.

[caerleon.livejournal.com]

It can also mean having a fellowship of a recognised national society.. I'm technically a professor..

Then again, so are most Punch and Judy men..

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

Oooh, does that mean I am too?

Also, I know a Professor of Fencing. I worry how this combines with his day job as a copper. Does he operate Chinese walls in his brain between his crime detection and his receiving stolen goods?

[be-themoon.livejournal.com]

To be safe, I apply it to any college teachers I have. High school teachers - uh, no. A professor is a college-level instructor as far as I'm aware, though my mom has said that an adjutant like herself doesn't officially have the title Professor.

huh. I'm not really sure as to the details of when it's used.

[spuffyduds.livejournal.com]

Yeah, although the actual job title varies, with "professor" usually indicating someone with tenure, in actual student usage "professor" = "college teacher," at least in my experience. Haven't run across in for high school teachers that I recall.

[westingturtle.livejournal.com]

As an official position, it generally refers to having a PhD, but there's some sort of techinical thing where due to rules of tenure and such, a person with a Masters can earn the degree. There are two of those here.

This is at a public, state-funded University. And this is as was explained by a professor about titles and pay rates. Us students are generally lazy and call everyone professor in hopes of flattering them even if we are wrong.

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

You can definitely be a Professor in the UK without a PhD. It's rare - if not pretty much non-existent - but it can happen.

[clanwilliam.livejournal.com]

Also, you can be head of a department without being a Professor.

[taraljc.livejournal.com]

So far as I know, only teachers with doctorates are called "professor". AT least at uni, anyway.

[cidercupcakes.livejournal.com]

I have never heard it used at high school level, or heard of its being used at that level. Officially, as someone pointed out, it's generally someone with a doctorate, but unofficially, at a lot of colleges/universities, it's used as a catchall term for any teacher. This was the general rule at my school, unless they explicitly said "call me [something else]".

[major-clanger.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia covers it pretty well.

I am amused to find that in the USA I might well be deemed an adjunct professor.

(You certainly don't have to be the head of a department to be a professor in the UK; I am working for a team of three professors within the Dept of Law at Queen Mary, and we have several others in the department.)