Many students aspire to pursue a career in research and dream of becoming an Assistant Professor. However, a common challenge they often face is the lack of awareness regarding the selection procedure and the criteria used to evaluate them during interviews. When aspiring to become a professor, it’s essential to understand that interviews typically consider a combination of factors.
Academic performance, such as grades and educational qualifications is a fundamental aspect of this evaluation. Additionally, the publication of research papers demonstrates a candidate’s commitment to their field and their potential for contributing to academic knowledge. Beyond academics, engagement in co-curricular activities showcases a well-rounded personality and the ability to balance academic pursuits with broader interests.
The Directorate of Higher Education, Assam has published specific Guidelines for the selection of Assistant Professor/ Librarians in provincialised, Govt. and Govt. Model Colleges of Assam. In this article, we aim to shed light on the intricate details of the interview process of assistant professors as per this guideline, focusing on how academic performance, published research papers, and involvement in co-curricular activities play a crucial role in determining their chance of getting selected for the desired post they apply for.
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Eligibility Criteria for Assistant Professors
The basic eligibility criteria to apply for the position of Assistant Professor are given below:
- To be considered for a teaching position at a university, you need to have a good academic record. This means you should have scored at least 55% marks in your Master’s degree in a relevant subject from an Indian university or an equivalent degree from a recognized foreign university.
- In addition to the educational qualifications mentioned in (1) you must have also cleared a national eligibility test like NET conducted by UGC, CSIR, or a similar test accredited by UGC, such as SLET/ SET.
- If you have earned a PhD degree according to the UGC regulations from 2009 or later, you don’t need to fulfil the NET/ SLET/ SET requirement when applying for the position of Assistant Professor or equivalent in a university or college.
- For candidates belonging to SC/ ST/ Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories, the required marks in a Master’s degree can be relaxed from 55% to 50%. However, this relaxation is based on the actual marks obtained without considering any additional grace marks.
- If you hold a Ph.D. degree and earned your Master’s degree before September 19, 1991, the minimum marks requirement for the Master’s degree can be relaxed from 55% to 50%.
- Time spent pursuing M. Phil and PhD degrees will not count as teaching or research experience when applying for an Assistant Professor.
Selection Committee
The selection committee for the post of Assistant Professor in Colleges including Private Colleges shall have the following composition:
- The Chairperson of the College’s Governing Body or someone they choose from the Governing Body members will lead the committee
- The Principal of the College
- The Head of the relevant department in the college.
- Two nominees will be chosen by the Vice Chancellor of the university, one of whom should be an expert in the subject. If the college is a Minority Educational Institution, the Chairperson of the college will select two people from a list provided by the Vice Chancellor, preferably from minority communities.
- Two subject experts who are not affiliated with the college will be chosen by the Chairperson of the Governing Body from a list recommended by the Vice Chancellor. Again, if it’s a Minority Educational Institution, the Chairperson will choose from a list provided by the Vice Chancellor, preferably from minority communities
- If any of the candidates applying for Assistant Professor belongs to specific categories like SC/ ST/ OBC/ Minority/ Women/ Differently-abled, and there’s no one representing these categories in the committee, the Vice Chancellor will appoint an academician who belongs to one of these categories
Note: To constitute the quorum for the meeting, five members shall have to be present of which at least two experts from out of the three subject experts shall be present.
Distribution of Marks during Evaluation
Basic Outline
The overall mark distribution on the basis of a candidate’s academic records, publications, co-curricular activities, and interview is given below:
- Academic Record: 72 marks
- Research Contribution and Teaching Experience: 22 marks
- Extra Curricular Activities: 3 marks
- Interaction with Selection Committee (Interview): 3 marks
Detailed Analysis
(a) Academic Record: 72 marks
During the selection process of Assistant Professors, the highest contribution of marks comes from the final scores obtained in Class 10, Class 12, Graduation, and Post-Graduation. The candidate’s score will be calculated as per their Academic records as mentioned below:
| Percentage | 10th | 12th |
|---|---|---|
| 85% and above | 9 Marks | 9 Marks |
| 75% less than to 85% | 8 Marks | 8 Marks |
| 65% to less than 75% | 7 Marks | 7 Marks |
| 50% to less than 65% | 5 Marks | 5 Marks |
| Less than 50% | 2 Marks | 2 Marks |
| Percentage | Graduation | Post Graduation |
|---|---|---|
| 90% and above | 24 Marks | 30 Marks |
| 80% less than to 90% | 22 Marks | 27 Marks |
| 65% to less than 80% | 17 Marks | 22 Marks |
| 50% to less than 65% | 12 Marks | 55% (50% in case of SC/ ST/ OBC-NCL/(PWD) to less than 65% = 17 Marks |
| Less than 50% | 7 Marks | – |
(b) Research Contribution and Teaching Experience: 22 marks
Candidates who have published research papers and completed various degrees such as M.Phil/ M.Tech will get an additional edge in the selection procedure for Assistant Professors. The criteria and marking scheme corresponding to such achievements are given below:
- 13 Marks for a PhD in the concerned subject from a UGC recognized University (marks will be awarded only if a candidate has a Ph.D. degree in addition to the eligibility requirement of NET/ SLET/ SET). However, off-campus PhD is not recognized as per the notification from the Govt. of Assam (OM No. AHE.293/2008/147 dated 09/07/2012).
- 13 Marks for an M.Phil/ M.Tech. Degree in the concerned subject from UGC recognized university. Off-campus M.Phil is not recognized.
- 2 Marks for a Research paper/ article in the concerned subject domain published in a journal/ Research Book/ Proceeding volume with ISSN/ ISBN/ (0.5 marks for each publication, and a maximum of 2 marks in total).
- 2 Marks for a Research paper/ article in the concerned subject/ domain published in an impact factor journal existing in the database of Scopus, Web of Science of Knowledge (1 mark for each publication subject to a maximum of 2 marks).
- 0.5 marks for each chapter/ article in the concerned subject published in research/ textbook with ISBN, subject to a maximum of 1 mark (in the case of a textbook, the relevant textbook must be approved by a competent academic authority such as the University).
- Teaching/ Library management experience in the concerned subject domain (1 mark for each completed year of services after acquiring UGC norms in provincialized/ Govt/ Affiliated Degree College/ Libraries of Govt. institutes/ Higher Secondary Classes of provincialised Schools, subject to a maximum of 2 marks). However, if the period of teaching experience is less than one year then the marks shall be reduced proportionately. ln this case, a minimum of 3 (three) months of teaching experience will be counted.
(c) Extra Curricular Activities: 3 marks
Candidates who have been participating in various extra-curricular activities and have good records in such activities will get few marks depending on it. The table below shows such activities and the marks assigned to them.
| NCC having a ‘C’ certificates | 1 Mark |
| Gold medal in any event of University/ youth festivals conducted by Universities having affiliated colleges (certificate must be submitted along with the application) | 1 Mark |
| Representing Assam in any Olympic sports event at the National Level (certificate must be submitted along with the application). | 1 Mark |
(d) Interaction with the Selection Committee (Interview): 3 marks
The final evaluation of a candidate for Assistant Professor will be done through a Personal Interview. The selection committee will conduct the personal interview and provide marks as per the performance of the candidates. Overall, the whole evaluation process is done by the Selection Committee.
Conversion of Grade Point into Percentage
- ln case of Graduation and Post-graduation, CGPA grade will be converted to marks by the formula adopted by the respective University.
- Also many times, the University/ College/ institution declares the result in grade points which are on a scale of seven. In such cases, the following mechanism shall be applied by the Selection Committee for the conversion of grade points to equivalent percentages.
| Grade | Grade Point | Percentage Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| ‘O’- Outstanding | 5.50-6.00 | 75-100 |
| ‘A’- Very good | 4.50-5.49 | 65-74 |
| B’-Good | 3.50-4.49 | 55-64 |
| ‘C’- Average | 2.50-3.49 | 45-54 |
| ‘D’- Below Average | 1.50-2.49 | 35-44 |
| ‘E’- Poor | 0.50-1.49 | 25-34 |
| ‘F’- Fail | 0.24-0.49 | 0-24 |
Candidates who are interested in going through the official notification/ guideline released by DHE, Assam for selection of Assistant Professor/ Librarians in provincialized, Govt. and Govt. Model Colleges of Assam can read it by clicking here.
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