Assistant professor is anacademic rank just below the rank of anassociate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in theUnited States,Canada,Japan, andSouth Korea.
This position is generally taken after earning adoctoral degree and sometimes after several years of holding one or morepostdoctoral researcher positions.[1][2][3][4] It is below the position ofassociate professor at most universities and is equivalent to the rank oflecturer at most Commonwealth universities. In the United States, assistant professor is often the first position held in atenure track, although it can also be a non-tenure track position. A typical professorship sequence is assistant professor, associate professor, andfull professor in order. After seven years, if successful, assistant professors can get tenure and also get promotion to associate professor.[5]
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.[citation needed]
The table presents a broad overview of the traditional main systems, but there are universities that 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 |
|---|---|
| Professor (higher tier, includingdistinguished professor or equivalent) (available only in some positions) | Professor (chair) |
| Professor | Reader (mainly UK) orassociate professor (mainly Australia, NZ, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Ireland) |
| Associate professor | Senior lecturer |
| Assistant professor | Lecturer |
| Instructor | Associate lecturer (commonly the entry-level position) |
