| Occupation | |
|---|---|
| Names | Professor |
Occupation type | Profession |
Activity sectors | Academics |
| Description | |
| Competencies | Academic knowledge, teaching |
Education required | Typically adoctoral degree and additional academic qualifications |
Fields of employment | Academics |
Related jobs | Researcher |
Associate professor is anacademic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the Commonwealth system.
In theNorth American system, used in theUnited States and many other countries, it is a position betweenassistant professor and afull professorship.[1][2][3] 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 totenure.[4]
In theCommonwealth system, the title associate professor is traditionally used in place ofreader in certain countries.[5][6] Like the reader title it ranks abovesenior lecturer – which corresponds to associate professor in the North American system – and is broadly equivalent to a North American full professor, as the full professor title is held by far fewer people in the Commonwealth system.[7] In this system, an associate professorship is typically the second or third promotion obtained after gaining an academic position, and someone promoted to associate professor has usually been a permanent employee already in their two previous ranks as lecturer and senior lecturer.[8] Traditionally, British universities have used the title reader, while associate professorin place of reader is traditionally used inAustralia and New Zealand,[9]South Africa,Bangladesh,India,Malaysia, andIreland within an otherwise British system of ranks. More recently, the university ofCambridge has adopted the North American system of ranks.[7]
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.[6][10][11]
| North American system | Commonwealth system |
|---|---|
| (Full) Professor (endowed chair) (upper half, including distinguished professor or equivalent) | Professor (chair) |
| (Full) Professor (lower half) | Reader (or principal lecturer) (mainly UK) orassociate professor (traditionally in Australia, Ireland, NZ, South Africa and Southeast Asia) |
| Associate professor (typically the first permanent position) | Senior lecturer |
| Assistant professor (commonly the entry-level position) | Lecturer (typically the first permanent position) |
| Instructor | Associate lecturer (commonly the entry-level position) |
