In the higher education in France, the body of the professors of the universities consists of teacher-researchers having generally acquired a Accreditation to supervise research (or old a doctorate of State). The accession with this body is done by a recruitment competition on file or by a contest of aggregation (right, economic scenes, political sciences, sciences of management). In general, this body is accessible to university lecturers or Enquiring S from other organizations (foreign CNRS, INRIA, institutes, etc).

One counts in 2005 15636 professors of the universities. 15.599 employment was registered with the budget 2005 of the higher education, including 7863 use of 2nd class, 6146 uses of 1st class and 1590 uses of exceptional class.

The Middle Age of recruitment is 43 years.

To postulate at a post of professor of the universities by the way of the contest on file, it is necessary to be registered on the list of associated qualification. To be candidate with the inscription, it is necessary:

• is to have the accreditation to supervise research. (The doctorate of State of before 1984 is allowed in equivalence. The National council of the universities can also on a case-by-case basis recognize equivalent titles),
• is to justify of at least five years of community activity in the eight years which precede, except activity of teacher and researcher in a EPCST,
• either to be teaching full-time associate,
• or to be detached in the body of the professors of the universities,
• or to belong to a body of researchers compared to the professors of the universities.

To postulate with recruitment as professor of the universities by the way of the national competition of aggregation, it is enough to be titular doctorate or accreditation to supervise research (the doctorate of State, the doctorate of third cycle and the diploma for the occupation of doctor engineer of before 1984 are allowed in equivalence of the doctorate, the National council of the universities can also on a case-by-case basis recognize equivalent titles). This thus corresponds to the one of the possible conditions to be candidate with the inscription on the list of qualification to the function of University lecturer.

The professors of the universities are named by Presidential decree of the Republic.

The professors of the universities can be in station in Université S or universities which depend on the Minister of education main road. Their trade and workload are primarily the same one as those of the university lecturers.

The body of the professors of the universities created in 1979 corresponds to the regrouping of the old bodies of full professors, full professors with personal capacity for the 1st class and professors without pulpit, university lecturers and university lecturers incorporated for the 2nd class. Professors of the universities and research directors perceive an identical remuneration of level and have a similar progression of career going from 2470 euros monthly net income (1st level 2nd class) to 4956 euros monthly net income (final level of the exceptional class). In addition to this treatment, they can profit from certain premiums (doctoral framing etc…).

Related bodies

• Professor and sub-manager of laboratory of the Conservatory national of arts and trades
• Professor of agricultural higher education
• Professor of the schools of architecture
• Professor of the higher national schools of art
• Professor of first and second category of the higher national schools of the mines and the higher national schools of the industrial techniques and the mines
• Professor of the university-odontologist of the dental services of consultations
• Professor of the hospital university-expert
• Professor and sub-manager of laboratory of the Collège de France
• Professor of the national Natural history museum of natural history
• Astronomers and physicists
• titular Astronomer and assistant astronomer of the astronomical observatories
• titular Physicist and assistant physicist of the institutes and observatories of physique of the sphere
• Directeur of studies of the École practices high studies, National school of the charters and French École of the Far East
• Directeur of studies of the École of the high studies in social sciences
• Sous-directeur of national universities
• Professor of first and second category of the central Ecole of arts and manufactures (EC. Paris)
• Professor and professor associated with the Polytechnic school

The 2nd class of the professors of the universities corresponds roughly to the name of " reader" in the United Kingdom or of " Associate professor" in North America. The 1st class correpond with the " full professor" Anglo-Saxon.

See too

• Reader
• temporary Aggregation
• University lecturer
• Attached of teaching and research
• Monitor of Free-lance higher education
• Enquiring
• Enquiring post-doctoral
• Allocatee of research

External bonds

• Decree n° 84-431 of June 6th, 1984 (consolidated version), which fixes in particular the statute of the body of the professors of the universities
• Fiche trades “Professor of the universities” on the site of the Minister of education main road, higher education and research