Assistant Professor is an
academic rank just below the rank of an
associate professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
used in universities or colleges, mainly in the
United States and
Canada.
Overview
This position is generally taken after earning a
doctoral degree and generally after several years of holding one or more Postdoctoral Researcher positions. It is below the position of
Associate Professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
at most universities and is equivalent to the rank of
Lecturer
Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, 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. T ...
at most Commonwealth universities. In the United States, Assistant Professor is often the first position held in a
tenure track, although it can also be a non-tenure track position. A typical professorship sequence is Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor in order. After 7 years, if successful, Assistant Professors can get tenure and also get promotion to Associate Professor.
There is high demand for vacant tenure-track Assistant Professor positions, often with hundreds of applicants. Less than 20% of doctoral graduates move onto a tenure-track Assistant Professor position after graduation.
Comparison
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.
See also
*
*
Academic ranks in Canada
References
{{academic ranks overview
Academic ranks