Academic ranks in the United Kingdom

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The Backs at Cambridge

Academic ranks in the United Kingdom are the titles, relative seniority and responsibility of employees in universities. In general the country has three academic career pathways: one focused on research, [1] one on teaching, and one that combines the two.

Contents

Professors

In the United Kingdom, like most Commonwealth countries (excluding Australia and Canada), as well as in Ireland, traditionally a professor held either an established chair or a personal chair. An established chair is established by the university to meet its needs for academic leadership and standing in a particular area or discipline and the post is filled from a shortlist of applicants; only a suitably qualified person will be appointed. A personal chair is awarded specifically to an individual in recognition of their high levels of achievements and standing in their particular area or discipline.

In most universities, professorships are reserved for only the most senior academic staff, and other academics are generally known as 'lecturers', 'senior lecturers' and 'readers' (in some Commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the title 'associate professor' can be used instead of 'reader' [2] ). In some countries, senior lecturers are generally paid the same as readers, but the latter title is awarded primarily for research excellence, and traditionally carries higher prestige. Traditionally, heads of departments and other senior academic leadership roles within a university were undertaken by professors. [3]

Christ Church, University of Oxford Tom Quad, Christ Church 2004-01-21.jpg
Christ Church, University of Oxford

During the 1990s, however, the University of Oxford introduced Titles of Distinction, enabling their holders to be termed professors or readers while holding academic posts at the level of lecturer. This results in a two-tier professoriate, with statutory professors – or named chairs – having higher status than the relatively recently created category of titular professors. Similar hierarchies among the professoriate exist in a small number of other UK universities. Some universities, including the University of Exeter, University of Reading, University of Warwick, Staffordshire University, Swansea University, University of Birmingham and Kingston University have adopted the style of 'associate professor' in lieu of 'reader'. The varied practices these changes have brought about have meant that academic ranks in the United Kingdom and in Australia are no longer quite as consistent as they once were.

In 2021, the University of Cambridge introduced a new structure. The academic rank structure is superseded by the new structure. [4]

Reformed academic rank structure of the University of Cambridge
Previous structureNew structureGrade
ProfessorProfessor12
ReaderProfessor11
University Senior LecturerAssociate Professor10
University Lecturer (post‑probation)Associate Professor9
University Lecturer (pre‑probation)Assistant Professor9

In the UK the title 'Professor' has historically been reserved for full professors, with lecturers, senior lecturers, and readers generally addressed by their academic qualification (Dr for the holder of a doctorate, Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Mx otherwise). However, the current University of Oxford Style Guide now notes that Associate Professors "may, if they wish, use the title of ‘Professor’, or they may keep their previous title of ‘Dr’. [5] As in the USA, the title of 'professor emeritus' may be awarded to a retired or former professor, who may well retain formal or informal links with the institution where the chair was formerly held.

Named professorships

Many professorships are named in honour of a distinguished person or after the person who endowed the chair. Some chairs have a long history and considerable prestige attached, such as the Gresham professorships, which date back to the 16th century, Regius professorships, and the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. Some academic societies and professional institutions also award or designate certain post holders or members as 'professor'; these are usually personal awards. The College of Teachers, formerly the College of Preceptors, is a long-standing example of this, as are the amalgamated bodies included in the Society of Teachers in Business Education.

Professors of music

Instructors at many music conservatoires in the UK are known as professors; for example 'professor of violin'. In the United Kingdom and Ireland the term 'professor' is properly and in formal situations given to singing and instrumental tutors in the music colleges / conservatories of music, usually the older and more august ones: The Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music. The expression has become almost obsolete for singing and instrumental tuition in the universities. The same convention applies throughout Europe in the National Colleges of Music.[ citation needed ]

Pathways

Research and teaching career pathway

Academic staff whose responsibilities encompass both research and teaching:

However, it is becoming increasingly common for Russell Group universities to use some form of hybrid terminology: LSE has adopted the American terminology entirely, [8] while UCL has retained the role of lecturer, but replaced senior lecturer and reader with associate professor. [9]

Research and teaching career pathway at the University of Oxford

Specific to the University of Oxford: [7]

Academics of King's College London of University of London, ranging from professors to lecturers, in their academic regalia during a graduation ceremony. KCL Graduation Barbican 2010a.jpg
Academics of King's College London of University of London, ranging from professors to lecturers, in their academic regalia during a graduation ceremony.

Research career pathway

Academic staff whose main focus is research: [10] [11]

Teaching career pathway

Academic staff whose main focus is essential teaching, educational needs, and for senior grades, often pedagogic research:

Note that some universities (for example, the University of Glasgow) give the same titles as Research & Teaching track academics to give parity to the roles.

Emeritus ranks

Honorary/visiting ranks

Common titles for honorary, visiting and honorary visiting academics:

Administrative ranks: England, Wales, and Northern Ireland

Administrative ranks: Scotland

Comparison

Commonwealth system United States system German system French system
Professor (chair)Professor, distinguished professor, chaired professor, or equivalentProfessor (ordinarius, W3 with chair, C4)Professeur des universités, Directeur de recherche
Reader, Principal Lecturer, Associate ProfessorProfessorProfessor (extraordinarius, W2, W3 without chair, C3)
Senior lecturer Associate professorHochschuldozent, Oberassistent (W2, C2), PrivatdozentMaître de conférences,

Chargé de recherche

Lecturer Assistant professorPrivatdozent, Juniorprofessor, Wissenschaftlicher Assistent, Akademischer Rat (W1, C1, A13)
Assistant lecturer, demonstrator, seminar leaderResearch Associate, lecturer, researcher, instructorPrivatdozent, Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter ohne eigenständige LehrbefugnisAttaché temporaire d'enseignement et de recherche (ATER)
Adjunct professorPrivatdozent, HonorarprofessorChargé de cours

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Privatdozent</i> Academic title at European universities

Privatdozent or Privatdozentin, abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualifications that denote an ability and permission to teach a designated subject at the highest level. To be granted the title Priv.-Doz. by a university, a recipient has to fulfill the criteria set by the university which usually require excellence in research, teaching, and further education. In its current usage, the title indicates that the holder has completed their habilitation and is therefore granted permission to teach and examine students independently without having a full professorship (chair). With respect to the level of academic achievement, the title of Privatdozent is comparable to that of Associate Professor, Senior Lecturer, or maître de conférences détenteur de l'habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR) (France). However, unlike the Associate Professors in North America, PD position is not tenured and is not considered as a Principal Investor.

Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct research.

The title of docent is conferred by some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks at or below the full professor rank, similar to a British readership, a French maître de conférences (MCF), and equal to or above the title of assistant professor. In Southeast European countries, it is the first position that people achieve once they enter the University, and after the completion of their PhD degree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies</span> London university department

The UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies is a school of University College London (UCL) specializing in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and Eurasia. It teaches a range of subjects, including the history, politics, literature, sociology, economics and languages of the region. It is Britain's largest centre for study of Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and Russia. It has links with universities across Europe and beyond. It became part of UCL in 1999.

The title of reader in the United Kingdom and some universities in the Commonwealth of Nations, for example India, Australia and New Zealand, denotes an appointment for a senior academic with a distinguished international reputation in research or scholarship.

Honorary titles in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in many of the universities and colleges of the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark, and Canada.

A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator.

Academic ranks in the United States are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

Zhù Huá (祝华), is Professor of Language Learning and Intercultural Communication at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London, and Chair of the British Association for Applied Linguistics. She was previously Chair of Educational Linguistics in the School of Education at the University of Birmingham, and Professor of Applied Linguistics and Communication at Birkbeck College, University of London. She was a member of the Education subpanel of the 2021 UK Research Excellence Framework (REF), member of the 2020 Hong Kong Research Assessment Exercise, and chairs the grant assessment panel for language and linguistics for the Hong Kong Research Grants Council. She is Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, UK, and the International Academy for Intercultural Research.

Robin Alan Butlin is emeritus professor of geography, and visiting research fellow, based in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds. Robin was a professor of historical geography and started work at Leeds in 1998 as a visiting professor of geography after working as principal and professor of historical geography at the University College of Ripon and York St John in York.

Academic ranks in higher education in Australia and New Zealand derive from a common heritage in the British university system.

The following are academic ranks in the Finnish higher education system. There are a specific number of posts, which can be applied to when they are vacated or established.

Academic ranks in China are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

Academic ranks in Hungary are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

Academic ranks in Norway are the system of merit-based ranks used by academic employees in academia. Similar to the British rank system, the Norwegian rank system is broadly divided into three pathways, a combined research and teaching career pathway, a research career pathway and a teaching career pathway.

Academic ranks in South Africa are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

Academic ranks in Kenya are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

Academic ranks in Malaysia are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia. Generally, Malaysia uses Commonwealth academic ranks. However, there are universities using their own academic titles.

References

  1. ↑ "Research career pathway" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "5.41.4 Use of the Title Associate Professor – Handbook of University Policies and Procedures at The University of Queensland". Uq.edu.au. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
  3. ↑ "Great news - we've moved..." 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020.
  4. ↑ Mister, Nicola (6 May 2021). "Changes to academic titles in 2021/2022 - implementation". www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "University of Oxford Style Guide" (PDF). Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Principal Lecturer (HE) - Careers Advice". Jobs.ac.uk. 11 January 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Oxford, University of. "Academic posts at Oxford, Personnel Services site". Admin.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Role profiles". info.lse.ac.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Academic Promotions Guidance". UCL Human Resources. 25 September 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Research career pathway University College London (UCL)". 25 September 2017.
  11. ↑ "Research staff job titles and duties University of Cambridge". February 2013.
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