A career in academia is one that many students overlook when thinking about life after university, and one that few know how to pursue. Although it is a very competitive profession to get into, it is one well worth considering if you love your subject.
For each subject the pathway into academia is slightly different, especially if you compare the sciences to humanities. So, being a History undergraduate, I will focus specifically on how to pursue a career in academia via a humanities degree.
From undergraduate to doctoral student
Whatever subject you wish pursue, you will need a PhD in order to become an academic, though I’m sure you know this already. For more subjects today, to advance to a PhD, you will normally be expected to gain a Masters degree beforehand as well. However, even with a PhD you will not be guaranteed an academic career.
If you are successful in becoming an academic, your first permanent academic post will most likely be as a lecturer. Today it is rare to be offered a permanent academic role such as this upon completing your PhD, and so most students take on short-term posts as either a teaching fellow or a postdoctoral researcher at a university.
Part-time teaching
Many budding academics take on one or more part-time fixed-term paid university teaching positions while carrying out their own research and writing for publications in their own time. And it is possible that you could find a permanent lecturer position following this. Alternatively, a research or teaching fellowship could be found first. For this, you would need to gain funding for your own research ideas from an external body or a job funded by a specific university.
Post-doctorate research
Postdoctoral research positions, on the other hand, often involve working on a research project led by a more senior academic, known as a Principal Investigator (PI) who has gained funding. If you are able to gain funding, you could alternatively pursue your own research agenda. Many of the UK research councils and large charities fund these posts, but they are highly competitive. This is the common route for science, engineering and technology academics, but has also become increasingly common in social sciences and even in some arts subjects. Having completed one of these academic positions, many are then able to find a permanent lecturer post.
Upon securing a position as lecturer at a university, you are also likely to have to undertake training to introduce you to the role of academic. Although job titles vary between institutions and disciplines, promotion beyond Llcturer would usually follow a common grade progression such as lecturer, senior lecturer, reader, professor/chair.
Although this sounds awfully difficult as the profession is highly competitive, many doctoral students are aiming to be an academic, and many achieve their goal. Indeed, according to Reading University, 40 percent of their PhD students succeed in gaining a permanent academic position. So don’t give up!
Are you pursuing a career in academia? How are you going about it? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo: Centre for Alternative Technology / Flickr
Second year History undergraduate.
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