Professor: career path and pay in the UK
Where a Professor goes next, what each step typically pays in the United Kingdom, and how exposed the path is to AI replacement. 3 steps, from Assistant Professor to Full Professor / Department Chair / Dean.
Also for the United States: Professor in the US
The path
Step 1 · 0 to 5 years
Assistant Professor
£30K to £45K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: PhD (required) - Global, Postdoctoral Fellowship (optional) - Global.
Step 2 · 5 to 10 years
Associate Professor
£40K to £60K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: PhD - Global, Research Certification (optional) - Global.
Step 3 · 10+ years
Full Professor / Department Chair / Dean
£60K to £90K
Typical UK pay for this job title, retrieved September 2026.
What this step adds
Credentials that help: PhD - Global, Research Certification - Global, Academic Leadership Certification (optional) - Global.
Exposure and pay along the path
Exposure to AI, now to later
24% → 24%
Stays level across the path. Lower is better.
Typical pay, now to later
£30K to £45K → £60K to £90K
UK estimates by job title, Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale UK.
What the work involves
Teach courses in business administration and management, such as accounting, finance, human resources, labor and industrial relations, marketing, and operations research. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
O*NET does not rate Postsecondary Teachers, All Other separately; the profile shown is for Business Teachers, Postsecondary, the nearest rated occupation.
Skills that matter most
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Critical Thinking
Knowledge areas
- English Language
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
- Economics and Accounting
- Mathematics
- Law and Government
Education people bring
- Doctoral Degree: 73%
- Master's Degree: 20%
- Bachelor's Degree: 5%
Job Zone 5, job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Other paths from here
More Education paths in the UK
Related occupations in O*NET: Economics Teachers, Postsecondary, Management Analysts, Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School, Law Teachers, Postsecondary, Instructional Coordinators.
Your own role
How exposed is your job, task by task? Free score in under a minute.
SourcesSalary bands: Glassdoor, Indeed and PayScale UK, UK national averages by job title, retrieved September 2026Skills, knowledge and education: O*NET 31.0 Database
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CC BY 4.0
Salary estimates by job title from Glassdoor UK, Indeed UK and PayScale, retrieved September 2026. Each band runs from 20% below to 20% above the reported average, rounded to £5K. Exposure percentages and the skills listed under each step are this app's own editorial ratings, not published data.