How to Become a Professor in College Easily

– How to Become a Professor –

College professorship (adjunct professor, associate professor, assistant professor, full professor) No doubt requires a doctorial degree for an attractive professor salary. A de facto in the professor’s career is the requirement to conduct research

Envision yourself working in academia, adorned with proof of intellectual prowess. We’ll discuss the basic college professor requirements. Before then, hold onto that bachelor’s degree, it’s your train ticket for this journey!

In this article, we’ll look at these academic champions, their earning potential and employment growth rate. We’ll also consider the essential qualifications for becoming a college professor. Finally, we set you on the way to becoming one. 

The Professor

At several locations, not particularly determined by academic recognition, some individuals remain unsure, as with the title ‘Dr’ and ‘Professor.’ Let’s solve that riddle. 

‘Dr.’ as an academic title, refers to someone who has completed a PhD program and received their degree.  It’s the title for the highest university degree achievement.

The majority of professors will have a PhD, as will many – if not all – other academics working as university lecturers and researchers.

Meanwhile Professor is an academic staff grade – the highest one – rather than a qualification.

In the United Kingdom, an academic with the title ‘Dr.’ has a PhD but has not yet been promoted to the highest academic grade, while an academic with the title ‘Professor’ has a PhD but has been promoted to the highest academic grade on the academic job market.

As a result, professorship signifies seniority and rank. When we compare medical professionals working in hospitals, we can see that they all have medical degrees, but they are hired at various levels of seniority, with consultants being the most senior.

Professors may be thought of as the medical equivalents of hospital consultants.

How to Become a Professor

Before we get into the pay and employment growth rates, it’s crucial to understand how difficult it is to become a college professor.

Unfortunately, it is already common knowledge that the number of persons eligible to be professors outnumbers the number of professor positions, making the employment market exceedingly competitive.

Let’s look at some real numbers regarding compensation and employment growth rate. We’ve covered the present state of the professor job market.

How Much Do Professors Make?

The answer to this question is a range and is dependent on the sort of professor you want to be and the institution where you will be employed.

However, here’s what you can expect earning as a professor. The average salary for college professors, according to a recent research done by the American Association of University Professors, is as follows:

$140,543 for full professors

$95,828 for associate professors

Assistant professors are paid $83,362 per year.

Faculty members who work part-time: $3,556 per typical course portion

As you can see, professor salaries vary significantly, with full professors often earning $40,000-$50,000 more per year than associate and assistant professors.

Pay for adjunct professors (part-time instructors) is very low. To make ends meet, many adjunct instructors must supplement their wages with additional employment or even governmental help, such as Medicaid.

According to one survey, adjuncts earn less than minimum wage when non-classroom duties such as holding office hours and grading papers is included in.

Overall, although a six-figure compensation as a college professor is attainable, it is uncommon, particularly given that 73 percent of college professors are not on the tenure track.

To appease the inquisitive few, let’s place in comparison the professor salary from a prestigious University.

How Much Do Harvard Professors Make?

Every job on staff has a grade level. Local HR offices oversee the compensation system for their units’ employees, grading jobs and assigning grades based on professional knowledge. 

They are also considered on skills, required education and experience, and job responsibilities, as well as Harvard benchmarks and the complexity and scope of other University positions.

Administrative and professional positions: we assign each nonunion professional post a work grade ranging from 55 to 64.

The Harvard Human Resources Compensation and local HR offices set benchmarks, with a position’s grade reflecting elements including decision-making breadth and influence, budget management and resource development, supervisor/managing duty, and planning.

Clerical and technical occupations, such as those held by HUCTW employees, are classed under job grades 47-56. For each grade, they offered generic role descriptions. Job grades 01-43 are used to classify service and trade occupations.

The Fair Labor Standards Act has decided that these occupations are eligible for overtime compensation (FLSA).

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Harvard Professor Salary Ranges

Qualifications, abilities, experience, equity in comparison to comparable occupations, and external market values are used to determine salary ranges within each pay grade.

Salary ranges allow for variations in pay across jobs in the same grade, as well as varying degrees of responsibility and performance within the same employment.

The price ranges in the table below represent basic wages paid throughout the University for all jobs at a particular grade. A recruit may typically expect a starting wage in the lower half of the range.

The sum will be determined by the job and the candidate’s relevant experience. No one will be paid less than the minimum wage.

Annual Salary Ranges
Grade Minimum Mid-Point Maximum
055 $ 57,900 $ 75,000 .$ 92,100
056 $ 62,700 $ 82,600 *$ 102,500
057 $ 69,100 $ 92,600 .$ 116,100
058 $ 79,000 $ 107,000 *$ 135,000
059 $ 92,000 $ 126,200 .$ 160,400
060 $ 109,200 $ 151,100 *$ 193,000
061 $ 136,000 $ 190,500 .$ 245,000
062 $ 163,400 $ 232,500 *$ 301,600
063 $ 200,400 $ 286,100 .$ 371,800
064 $ 256,600 $ 368,200 *$ 479,800
Annual Salary Ranges
Grade Minimum Maximum
047 $ 34,064 $ 50,355
048 $ 36,246 $ 54,092
049 $ 37,555 $ 56,583
050 $ 39,999 $ 60,794
051 $ 42,617 $ 65,301
052 $ 46,166 $ 71,499
053 $ 50,122 $ 78,291
054 $ 54,340 $ 85,675
055 $ 58,965 $ 93,830
056 $ 63,893 $ 104,541

Note that Clerical/technical and administrative/professional roles are covered under the salary ranges for grades 047-064. Union contracts determine salaries for service/trades employees, and they vary by unit.

How Much Does a University Professor Make?

What about the employment rates for professorial positions? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), they expect postsecondary instructors to expand at a pace of 12% between 2020 and 2030, which is 4% higher than the national average of 8%.

However, the majority of this job increase will be in part-time (adjunct) posts rather than full-time positions. As a result, the majority of professorial positions will be those with the lowest pay and least job security.

The rate of employment growth will vary by field (i.e., what you teach). The chart below illustrates the median salary and predicted growth rates for college professors in a number of professions (in alphabetical order):

Type of Professor Median Salary (2020) Employment Growth Rate (2020-2030)
Agricultural Sciences $90,340 2%
Anthropology and Archaeology $89,220 4%
Architecture $90,880 5%
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies $78,840 5%
Art, Drama, and Music $69,690 6%
Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences $94,520 2%
Biological Science $85,600 9%
Business $88,010 12%
Chemistry $80,400 4%
Communications $71,030 3%
Computer Science $85,540 3%
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement $63,560 7%
Economics $107,260 5%
Education $65,440 5%
Engineering $103,600 9%
English Language and Literature $69,000 2%
Environmental Science $84,740 4%
Foreign Language and Literature $69,990 6%
Forestry and Conservation Science $87,400 2%
Geography $82,330 3%
Health Specialties $99,090 21%
History $76,890 4%
Law $116,430 7%
Library Science $71,580 3%
Mathematical Science $73,650 1%
Nursing $75,470 18%
Philosophy and Religion $76,160 7%
Physics $90,400 4%
Political Science $85,760 5%
Psychology $78,180 9%
Social Sciences $69,340 0%
Social Work $71,570 6%
Sociology $75,610 4%

How Much Does a College Professor Make?

As seen in the graph, depending on the subject in which you wish to teach, your anticipated job growth rate might vary from 0% to 21%.

Health is the fastest-growing college professor field, whereas social sciences, mathematical science, atmospheric and earth sciences, computer science, and English language and literature are the slowest-growing subjects.

All of these are increasing at a slower rate than the national average (less than 5 percent ).

With a median salary of $116,430, law professors earn the most. Criminal justice and law enforcement, on the other hand, is the lowest-paying sector, with professors receiving a median income of $63,560, which is over $50,000 less than law professors.

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What Degree Do You Need to Be a Professor?

Fulfilling our promise to send you on your way to becoming a professor, these are what you will need. Although these requirements may differ significantly across institutions and areas, anticipate needing the following credentials before becoming a college professor.

1. A Doctoral Degree in Field of Interest

For doctoral degree, applicants for most teaching jobs at four-year colleges and universities must have a PhD degree in the discipline in which they intend to teach.

If you want to teach economics, for example, you’ll almost certainly require a PhD in economics. If you want to teach Japanese literature, you’ll need a PhD in an area related to Japanese studies, Japanese literature, or comparative literature.

Doctoral programs take five to seven years to complete and need a bachelor’s and master’s degree. (However, many doctoral schools enable you to complete your master’s degree while pursuing your doctorate.)

Is it workable to teach college-level courses without a doctorate? Yes, but only at a few institutions and in certain disciplines.

Some community colleges and technical schools, according to the BLS, allow people with only a master’s degree to teach classes; however, these positions are highly competitive, so if you only have a master’s degree and are competing against applicants with doctorates, you’ll likely have a harder time standing out and getting that job offer.

Several disciplines allow someone with just a master’s degree to teach courses. For example, a Master of Fine Arts is all that is required for creative writing programs.

2. An Invaluable Teaching Experience

Teaching experience is also a significant benefit for people interested in becoming professors. Any experience leading or teaching courses or students qualifies you for this position.

The majority of college professors get teaching experience while still in school. Many master’s and doctorate programs encourage (and in some cases require) students to lead or assist in undergraduate courses.

Graduate students may earn part-time teaching employment as Graduate Student Instructors at various universities, such as the University of Michigan (GSIs).

Typically, you’ll be teaching undergraduate courses under the supervision of a full-time faculty member in this role.

Teaching Assistant or Teacher’s Aide is another college-level teaching position (TA).

TAs help the primary professor (who is a full-time faculty member) with a variety of activities, including grading papers, preparing materials and assignments, and conducting small discussion-based courses.

3. Field Related Professional Certification

Subject in which you want to teach, you may be required to get certification besides a PhD degree. Here’s what the Bureau of Labor Statistics has to say about it:

“Teachers who train pupils for jobs that require a license, certification, or registration may be required to hold — or benefit from having — the same credential.

A postsecondary nursing instructor, for example, may need a nursing license, whereas a postsecondary education teacher may require a teaching license.”

If you’re planning to teach in a technical or vocational sector like health, education, or accountancy, you’ll simply require certification or a license.

Although no teaching qualification is normally required to teach at the college level, it is required to teach at the secondary level (i.e., middle school or high school).

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4. Publications and a Strong Academic Reputation

Getting a career as a professor requires a large number of publications. Because full-time college teaching positions are exceedingly competitive, they actively urged aspiring professors (read: practically expected!) to have as many scholarly papers as possible.

This is especially critical if you want to get a tenure-track post, which provides academics with the most employment security. Indeed, the well-known adage “publish or perish” definitely applies to both aspiring and current teachers.

If you want to be a competitive candidate for tenure-track teaching jobs, you’ll need more than just a few academic papers under your belt. You’ll also need large, well-received publications, such as books.

While it comes to the value of publications and research when applying for tenure-track employment, STEM professor Kirstie Ramsey has this to say:

“Many schools and universities are transitioning from a period when research was not as vital to one where it is critical.

If you were under the notion that a particular quantity of research would secure your tenure at one of these universities, don’t be shocked if the amount of research you’ll need grows considerably before you actually go up for tenure.

I had assumed that a handful of peer-reviewed publications would be enough for tenure, particularly because I do not teach at a research institution and work in a field where few individuals pursue academic careers.

During my first year on the tenure track at my present school, however, I knew that simply two papers would not be enough to get me through the tenure hoop.”

To summarize, being a professor requires not just a PhD and teaching experience, but also a large amount of high-quality, ground-breaking research.

Becoming a College Professor

This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. What particular measures should you take to become a college professor now that we’ve gone over the fundamental college professor requirements? What are your responsibilities in high school? Are you in college? Are you a graduate student?

We’ll show you how to become a College Professor in this step-by-step approach. We have separated the 19 stages into four sections:

‣ High School

‣ College

‣ Graduate School (Master’s Degree)

‣ Graduate School (Doctorate)

1. High School

Starting your journey to become a professor in high school may seem unusual, but it will help the whole process go much more easily for you. While you’re still in high school, these are the most crucial preparatory measures you can do.

‣ Keep your Grades Up 

Although all high school students should strive for good GPAs, you’ll need to pay special attention to your academics since you’re heading into the area of teaching. This shows that you’re committed to not just your future, but also education—the area you’ll be joining!

Maintaining strong grades is critical for admission to a reputable institution. Attending an excellent college may help you get admission to a more prestigious graduate program and a higher-paying teaching position.

If you already know what topic you want to teach, attempt to take as many courses as you can in that discipline. If you like English, for example, you might take a couple electives in journalism or creative writing.

Alternatively, if you’re a scientific wiz, investigate if you can take additional science courses (beyond the ones necessary) in subjects like marine science, astronomy, or geology.

Make sure you’re earning good grades in all of your subjects, especially the ones that are most relevant to the field study you want to teach in.

‣ Volunteer to Teach

Tutoring is a simple approach for a high school student to get teaching experience.

Choose a topic in which you excel—ideally, one that you’d want to teach someday—and give after-school or weekend tutoring to your friends or other kids in lower grades.

Tutoring will not only assist you in determining if teaching is a realistic career route for you, but it will also appear as an extracurricular activity on your college applications.

‣ Ace Your SAT/ACT Tests

Because you’ll need to go to graduate school to become a professor, getting into a good institution will be beneficial. You’ll need a strong SAT/ACT score to do this.

Your first SAT or ACT should be taken at the beginning of your junior year. This should allow you ample time to retake the exam in the spring, as well as a third time over the summer before or after your senior year.

The SAT/ACT score you should strive for is mostly determined by the universities to which you apply.

‣ Submit College Applications

Though it’s ideal to attend a reputable institution, it doesn’t really matter where you go as long as it provides an academic program in the (broad) discipline or topic you want to teach.

However, if you want to attend the institution of your choice, you’ll need to concentrate on putting together a strong application, which will often contain:

 a. An impressive SAT/ACT score

b. An effective personal statement/essay

c. Strong letters of reference

d. A high GPA and proof of hard coursework (if required)

Allow plenty of time to work on your applications so that you may submit the best versions possible before the deadlines set by your institutions.

Check out our expert advice on how to get into Harvard, prepared by an actual Harvard graduate, if you’re aiming for the Ivy League or other equally prestigious colleges.

2. College

I include steps to getting a good grad school in these sections continuing the thought process above.

 Make a Major in the Subject Area You Want to Teach

The most important step is to figure out what you want to teach in the future and then major in that subject (or a related field).

For example, if you decide after taking a few computer science courses that you truly want to teach this topic, designate it as your major.

If you’re still undecided about what subject you’d want to teach in, you may change your major later or declare your field of interest as a minor (and then change it to a major if you wish).

If your institution does not offer a major or minor in the area you wish to teach, attempt to take as many related courses as possible.

Although it is not usually mandatory for graduate school candidates to have majored in the area they desire to study at the master’s or doctorate level, it is a big bonus since it shows you’ve done your homework and will perform well straight away.

‣ Watch and Learn from other Professors

Since you’re considering a career as a college professor, now is a good time to sit down and watch your lecturers to see whether teaching at the postsecondary level is something you really want to do.

Examine how your instructors deliver lectures and interact with students in your courses. What tools, worksheets, books, and/or technology do they employ to engage pupils effectively? What kind of environment do they create in class?

It’s also a good idea to dig into your lecturers’ professional experiences and backgrounds. What type of publications can they boast about?

What universities did they attend to get their master’s and doctorate degrees? Is it true that they are tenured or not? When did they teach?

If at all feasible, I suggest meeting with a professor directly to discuss a career in academia (preferably, one who teaches in the topic you want to teach in).

Most instructors would gladly meet with you during office hours to discuss your career goals and advise.

All of this will offer you an inside look at what a professor’s work requires and will help you determine whether it’s something you’re interested in.

‣ Keep a Clean Academic Record

It’s critical to maintain strong marks as an undergraduate, particularly in the area you want to teach, since you’ll need to attend graduate school after graduation.

Because most graduate schools need a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA for admittance, this is required.

Getting strong marks also guarantees that your application for graduate school is more competitive, and it shows that you value your education and are enthusiastic about studying.

‣ Get familiar with your Professors

Apart from seeing how your professors teach, it’s critical to develop close connections with them outside of class, especially with those who teach in the subject you want to teach.

Frequently meet with professors during office hours. If you have any issues concerning assignments, papers, projects, or your general progress, contact them. Most essential, don’t be hesitant to discuss your plans with them!

You want to establish a positive relationship with your teachers, which is essentially the same as networking.

In this manner, you’ll not only have a better understanding of what a professor does, but you’ll also ensure that your letters of reference for graduate school are stronger and more convincing.

‣ Opt for an Experience in Research/Publication

This isn’t a requirement for students, although it may be beneficial in the long run.

Try to get research experience via your studies or extracurricular initiatives if at all feasible. You may, for example, volunteer after class to help a professor with research or gain a part-time employment or internship as a research assistant.

If nothing of these options work, try submitting a senior thesis that requires extensive study. In the best-case scenario, your study will cause a paper (or two!) bearing your name.

However, as an undergraduate, don’t worry too much about having anything published. Although most students write nothing while in college, many continue on to graduate school and eventually become college instructors.

Rather, think of this as an opportunity to become acclimated to doing research and writing about the findings.

‣ Apply to Grad School after taking the GRE

If you want to go to graduate school right after graduation, start working on your application in the autumn of your senior year.

GRE scores, which are needed for many graduate programs, will be an important element of your graduate school application.

Because the GRE is such an expensive exam, it’s preferable if you can only take it once (but there’s no damage in taking it again).

Although the GRE isn’t the most significant aspect of your graduate school application, devote enough time to it so that it’s clear that you’re really prepared for graduate school.

Transcripts from undergrad; personal statement/statement of purpose; curriculum vitae (CV)/resume; and letters of reference are likely to be included in other portions of your graduate school application.

3. Graduate School (Master’s Degree)

It’s time to think about graduate school when you’ve graduated college. We will divide this section into two parts: master’s degree and PhD. Although some doctorate programs include a master’s degree, others don’t or prefer candidates with a master’s degree field

‣ Maintain Good Grades (Emphasis)

One of your top concerns should be to maintain your grades so that you may get into a good PhD school when you complete your master’s degree.

Many graduate programs require students to get at least Bs in all of their subjects or risk being dismissed! So pay attention to your grades.

‣ Become a Teaching Assistant (TA)

Becoming a Teaching Assistant, or TA, for an undergraduate class is a terrific way to make the most of your graduate degree (besides attending courses!).

As a TA, you will not only get paid, but you will also get valuable experience teaching at the postsecondary level.

Many TAs run small discussion groups or laboratories on their own, which is a practical way to get into college teaching.

TAs’ responsibilities usually include any or all of:

a. grading papers and homework.

b. Small discussion or lab parts of a class are led by you (instead of its large lecture section).

c. assisting the professor with administrative responsibilities.

d. Having student-only office hours.

The one significant disadvantage of becoming a TA is the time commitment; thus, make sure you’re ready and eager to devote yourself to this position without jeopardizing your grades or academic goals.

‣ Engage in Summer Research

In the United States, master’s programs normally run two years, with at least one summer break included. As a consequence, I highly advise you to perform research for your master’s thesis this summer.

This way, you may get a head start on your thesis and avoid cramming all of your research into your lectures.

Using this time to research will give you a taste of what your summers as a professor can be like, since they often ask college instructors to do research during their vacations.

Summer scholarships are available from many graduate schools for graduate students who want to study or do research over the summer (in or outside the US). What is my recommendation?

Apply for as many fellowships as you can to increase your chances of receiving adequate funding to achieve your academic goals.

‣ Write a Master’s Thesis

Master’s programs in the United States typically last two years, with at least one summer break.

As a result, I strongly encourage you to do research for your master’s thesis this summer.

You may get a jump start on your thesis and avoid having to jam all of your research into your lectures this way.

Using this time to study will also give you a taste of what your summers as a professor will be like, since they often requested college professors to do research during their holidays.

Many graduate institutions provide summer scholarships to graduate students who wish to study or do research during the summer (in or outside the US).

So, what is my suggestion? To maximize your chances of acquiring appropriate financing to pursue your academic ambitions, apply for as many fellowships as possible.

‣ Apply for Doctoral Programs or Teaching Positions

Depending on whatever route you want, you have two alternatives for this phase.

If you truly want to teach in a four-year university or college, you’ll need to get a PhD. Doctoral programs include application standards that are comparable to master’s programs. More information about grad school application criteria may be found in our guide.

If you’ve decided that getting a PhD isn’t for you and that you’d rather teach courses at a community college or technical school, now is the time to apply for teaching positions.

Meet with any of your present or former professors who teach in the area in which you’ll be teaching to see if they know of any job opportunities at neighboring community colleges or technical schools to begin your job search.

You may be allowed to use certain academics as references for your job applications (just ask them first!).

4. Graduate School

Getting a PhD degree in the area you desire to teach is the last step in the process (for becoming a college professor at a four-year university).

Here’s what you should do throughout your PhD school to increase your chances of becoming a college professor after graduation.

‣ Connect with Professors

This is the time to concentrate on developing good connections with professors—not only those whose courses you’ve attended but also those who come to campus to give speeches, host seminars, or attend conferences, for example.

This will expand your network of individuals you know who work in academia, making it (hopefully) simpler for you to secure a position as a professor later on.

Maintain a solid connection with your doctorate adviser in particular. After all, throughout your time as a doctorate student and candidate, you’ll be working closely with this professor.

Ask for counsel from your adviser, visit with her often, and make sure you’re making adequate progress toward your PhD and professional objectives.

‣ Make Efforts to Publish your Research

This is also a good moment to think about publishing your findings.

Remember that finding a full-time professorship is quite difficult, particularly if you just have a PhD and no notable papers.

So make it a point to work on more than just your dissertation; contribute to articles and other research projects as well.

According to an article on The Conversation,

“Your early publishing record— the number of articles you’ve published by the time you get your PhD—is by far the strongest predictor of long-term publication success.

It’s true that the first in, best dressed rule applies: students who begin publishing sooner have more publications by the time they complete their PhD than those who begin later.”

If you’re not sure where to begin, I recommend contacting your adviser for help on how to have some of your research published.

‣ Write a Revolutionary Dissertation

During your PhD program, you’ll mostly focus on your dissertation, which is the pinnacle of your study. It is vital to come up with a very original dissertation in order to ultimately stand out from other job seekers.

This shows that you’re motivated to undertake innovative research and produce groundbreaking discoveries in your profession.

You may even explore turning your dissertation into a full-length book in the future.

‣ Apply for Postdoctoral and Teaching Positions

It’s time to look for college-level teaching employment after you’ve earned your PhD!

Applying for postdoctoral (postdoc) posts is one alternative. A postdoc is a PhD holder who takes part in “mentored scholarship and/or scholarly training” for a period of time.

They hired postdoctoral researchers for a limited time at a college or university to assist them earn more research and teaching experience.

While you may technically bypass the postdoctoral role and go straight for long-term teaching employment, many professors have found that their postdoctoral work helped them improve their resumes/CVs before applying for full-time teaching posts at institutions.

Assistant Professor Johanna Greeson of Penn speaks about her postdoc experience in a piece for The Muse:

“Although I didn’t want to undertake a post-doc, it gave me some time and helped me to improve my CV and professional identity.

Following the first year of my two-year post-doc, I went on the market again and was in a better position than the previous time.”

After your postdoctoral position is done, you may begin applying for full-time faculty positions at colleges and institutions.

Also, you’ll have a far better CV/resume than you had when you graduated from your doctorate school.

Do You Need a Phd to Be a Professor?

It takes years of hard work to become a college professor, but it’s absolutely achievable if you know what you’ll need to do to prepare for the role and enhance your chances of landing a job as a professor.

Overall, becoming a professor is incredibly tough. There are far more competent candidates than there are full-time, college-level teaching positions available nowadays, making tenure-track employment more difficult.

Although the employment growth rate for academics is strong (11%), this does not guarantee that finding a job as a professor will be simple.

Professor salaries vary based on the topic in which you teach and the institution where you work; you may earn as little as minimum wage (as an adjunct/part-time professor) or as much as $100,000 or more (as a full professor).

The following are the fundamental college professor criteria for anyone interested in becoming a professor:

Teaching experience and a doctorate degree in the topic you wish to teach in
Certification as a professional (depending on your field)
Publications and a strong academic presence

Steady your passion to be a great academic achiever with this article, share this knowledge with your friends and family too by using any of our share button.

To the Future’s professor. Best Regards!

StudentsandScholarship TEAM.

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