Associate professor
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names | Professor |
Occupation type | Profession |
Activity sectors | Academics |
| Description | |
| Competencies | Academic knowledge, teaching |
Education required | Typically a doctoral degree and additional academic qualifications |
Fields of employment | Academics |
Related jobs | Researcher |
Associate professor (frequently capitalized as Associate Professor) is an academic title with two principal meanings.
In the North American system, used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position between assistant professor and a full professorship. In this system an associate professorship is typically the first promotion obtained after gaining a faculty position, and in the United States it is usually connected to tenure.
In the Commonwealth system, the title associate professor is traditionally used in place of senior lecturer in certain countries. In the Commonwealth system a Reader ranks above the senior lecturer and is broadly equivalent to a North American full professor with the difference that the Reader does not hold a chair. More recently, some universities in Commonwealth countries have adopted the North American system of ranks.
Overview[edit]
Comparison[edit]
The table presents a broad overview of the traditional main systems, but there are universities which use a combination of those systems or other titles. Some universities in Commonwealth countries have also entirely adopted the North American system in place of the Commonwealth system.
| North American system | Commonwealth system |
|---|---|
| Full Professor (including Distinguished Professor or equivalent) |
Professor (the full Professor title is held by roughly half as many academics in Commonwealth universities as compared to U.S. universities) |
| Full Professor without a chair |
Reader or Principal Lecturer (before 1992) |
| Associate Professor (mainly Australia, NZ, South Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Ireland) |
Senior Lecturer |
| Assistant professor (typically the first permanent position) |
Lecturer (typically the first permanent position) |
Adoption of American titles by Commonwealth universities[edit]
Increasingly, some universities in Commonwealth countries have adopted the American hierarchy of titles.
The University of Western Australia, for example, adopted the American system in 2009 but moved back to the traditional Australian system in 2015.[1] Those who until 2009 held the title lecturer received the new title assistant professor, previous senior lecturers received the new title associate professor, previous associate professors under the old system received the new title professor, and previous professors under the old system received the new title Winthrop professor.[2] Under this methodology the titles correspond in the following way:
| The Australian System (before 2009 and after 2015) | The American System (between 2009 and 2015) |
|---|---|
| Professor | A higher/named professorship (e.g. "Winthrop Professor") |
| Reader or Professor without a chair | |
| Senior Lecturer | Associate Professor |
| Lecturer | Assistant Professor |
References[edit]
- ^ "Academic titles at UWA". University News. University of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ "Schedule A: Salaries and Casual Rates". Academic Staff Agreement 2010. University of Western Australia. Archived from the original on 29 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.