Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Lecturer .. What’s the Difference?

Applying successfully for a tenure-track appointment is the entry point for becoming a tenured professor. In contrast to tenured professors, adjunct instructors and adjunct professors usually do not have research tasks. Some university systems or multi-campus universities use both titles, with one title for the chief executive of the entire system and the other for the chief executives of each campus. Which title refers to which position can be highly variable from state to state or even within a state. In the University of California, by contrast, the terms are reversed — thus, there is the “President of the University of California”, and below that person in the hierarchy is the “Chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles”, and so on. The term “Vice Chancellor” in US institutions implies a subordinate to the chancellor, in contrast to many other countries in which the Vice Chancellor is functionally the head of the institution.

1. In principle, both types of professors are responsible for teaching, performing research, supervising bachelor, master, and PhD students, serving on departmental and university committees, or having other administrative responsibilities.
2. The term “Warden” is almost never used in the United States in an academic sense.
3. So, the real distinction here is not that Assistant Professors are paid more the Lecturers, but that entry level faculty are paid more at pre-92s (some of which use Assistant Professor, and some Lecturer) than at post-92s (almost all of which use Lecturer).
4. Once you convince your advisor and committee members that you have achieved these goals, you become a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
5. Right now, I am working on graduating students and publishing papers.

What is a tenured or tenure-track joint appointment?

Also, you need to demonstrate that you can build a sustainable research program by raising funds, hiring and graduating PhD students, and publishing papers (peer-reviewed journal articles). The exact numbers on each metric vary from case to case and institution to institution. I will provide an update on mine in a later post when I get tenure. Right now, I am working on graduating students and publishing papers. The term “visiting” generally refers to faculty positions not on the tenure track.

UK academia pays people on a single pay spine, nationwide (except, oddly, for Imperial College). Universities may decide which points on that pay spine relate to which jobs. That said, there isn’t that much in the variation between universities of a similar class (except Imperial). Stack Exchange network consists of 183 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Multiple criteria make you attractive as a candidate for a professor position, and it is an excellent idea to analyze whether you have done enough for a successful career in science. If you realize that you are not motivated enough to pursue a career in academia, you should quit your postdoc and find a better position.

What are the different types of professors? And what is tenure?

University teachers and researchers who are hired with the understanding that they will seek tenure are said to be on a tenure track. The prefix Adjunct Clinical is used for appointments of persons employed in a clinical setting where students receive clinical instruction. The criteria for adjunct clinical faculty are the same as for regular faculty appointments of comparable rank. Research faculty are eligible to give seminars and teach occasional courses. Research appointments are for the stated term of the appointment with no guarantee or expectation of renewal.

Classification of Ranks and Titles

Once a professor is hired into a tenure-track position, a review is conducted after three years. Three years after that, with occasional exceptions, the faculty member undergoes a difference between assistant professor and associate professor multi-tiered performance review that includes scrutiny by departmental peers, university trustees, and the university president. If a candidate measures up to everyone’s expectations, tenure is granted. The job title “Assistant Professor” is new to the UK, although an increasing number of universities are using it (Including Oxford, Warwick, Leeds etc).

There are considerable differences, for example, between fields such as biological sciences and social sciences, between fundamental research and clinical settings. Duties usually include the teaching and advising of students but do not include service on departmental committees. In research, faculty who direct a lab or research group may in certain research contexts (e.g., grant applications) be called Principal Investigator, or P.I., though this refers to their management role and is not usually thought of as an academic rank. So, the real distinction here is not that Assistant Professors are paid more the Lecturers, but that entry level faculty are paid more at pre-92s (some of which use Assistant Professor, and some Lecturer) than at post-92s (almost all of which use Lecturer). Lecturers teach classes, but they may or may not have a doctorate.

Similarly, an assistant professor in the Netherlands has a permanent appointment without an automatic promotion. In contrast, a corresponding academic position with a non-permanent contract would be a Juniorprofessor in Germany, an Assistenzprofessor in Austria, and a docent in Belgium. In contrast, a so-called adjunct professor works for a university on a contract basis, often only part-time, while a tenured professor usually holds a full-time position until retirement. Assistant professors generally have five to seven years to gain tenure. If tenure is denied, then the assistant professor usually has a year to find another job.

It is the most difficult one in an academic career, in my opinion. It is also the one that I have most recently crossed (just over three years ago as I described in my earlier post on how I got my first tenure-track position). Once you successfully obtain and start a tenure-track position, your job title is “Assistant Professor.” At this point, you are a completely independent researcher responsible for building your own lab/research group. You are the primary investigator or PI of your lab and it is your responsibility to populate it with appropriate resources including lab members (postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students), lab space, equipment, and funding to run the lab. Thus, a lot of my time and effort is spent on writing grants as I detailed earlier. The tenure-track—the first five years or so as an assistant professor—is an opportunity to determine whether the institution is a good fit for you.

What is an adjunct professor?

1. Both types usually report to a professor with a higher rank or to the department chair about their performances.
2. A successful candidate may transition to a permanent professorship position.
3. They typically teach one course per semester and have smaller courses with fewer students; however, this depends entirely on departmental policies.
4. Assistant professors are also typically required to publish research papers in scholarly journals and apply for research grants.

In the meantime, here are some terms you might encounter in the broader world of higher education. But unless you have a background in higher education, some of the language commonly used to describe faculty life might leave you flummoxed. However, you may consider this career path and wonder whether you are good enough for an academic career. It is crucial not to compare yourself unfairly to scientists with entirely different starting conditions.

While our professors are expected to be teachers above all else, we also afford them ample opportunities to pursue research outside the classroom, to stay current in their fields and break new ground. They are not tenured but are under contract, often a yearly contract. During a PhD, the focus of your training quickly shifts away from coursework to performing independent research.

Micaela Vivero is heading to Spain, where she will be teaching at Universidad de Murcia. Tenure allows professors to pursue their research interests without fear of ruffling feathers and provides the intellectual freedom to delve into controversial topics. They can voice opinions that may be unpopular or explore ideas considered outside the box.