Decoding Academic Titles: What Does It Mean to Be a Professor?

The world of academia can seem like its own distinct realm, complete with its own language and customs. One of the most common points of confusion for those unfamiliar with higher education lies in the various titles used for college and university teachers. While the term "professor" is often casually applied to anyone teaching at the college level, the reality is more nuanced. This article aims to demystify the different types of faculty positions, clarifying the meaning and significance of the title "professor" and the various ranks associated with it.

The Broad Usage of "Professor"

In the United States, the term "professor" is frequently used as a common noun to refer to anyone who teaches at the college level, regardless of their official rank or academic credentials. However, when capitalized as "Professor," it typically denotes a specific position title formally conferred by a university or college. This title is generally reserved for faculty members who hold a PhD or the highest level terminal degree in a non-academic field, such as an MFA or MLIS.

It's worth noting that while a doctorate is almost always a prerequisite for tenured professorships, there have been exceptions. Exceptional scholars without doctorates have occasionally been granted tenure, particularly in fields with an artistic component.

Tenure-Track Faculty: The Traditional Path

The traditional academic career path involves tenure-track positions, which offer the possibility of long-term employment and academic freedom. These positions typically involve a combination of teaching, research, and service to the institution.

Assistant Professor: The Entry Point

The first rank in the tenure-track system is typically assistant professor. This is generally an entry-level position taken after receiving a PhD, often following a post-doctoral fellowship, particularly in the sciences. Assistant professors are evaluated based on their contributions to research, teaching, and administration. The relative weightings of these contributions differ by institution, with PhD-granting universities usually placing more emphasis on research and liberal arts colleges placing more emphasis on teaching. There is often a strict timeline for application for promotion from assistant to associate professor, most often 5 or 6 years following the initial appointment.

Associate Professor: Mid-Career Advancement

After a probationary period, typically five to seven years, assistant professors are considered for promotion and tenure. Tenure constitutes a lifetime employment agreement, protecting faculty from being fired without cause and ensuring academic freedom, allowing them to pursue research interests and delve into controversial topics. Upon successfully receiving tenure, an assistant professor is usually promoted to the rank of associate professor. The mid-level position is usually awarded after a substantial record of scholarly accomplishment (such as the publication of one or more books, numerous research articles, a successful program of external research grant support, successful teaching, and/or service to the department); however, the specific requirements vary considerably between institutions and departments. Alternatively, a person may be hired at the associate professor level without tenure (which is a typical practice at some universities, often done as a financial inducement to attract someone from outside the institution, but who might not yet meet all the qualifications for tenure). At some institutions, individuals are promoted to the rank of associate professor prior to receiving tenure.

Full Professor: The Pinnacle of Achievement

Full professor is the highest rank that a professor can achieve (other than in a named position). The timeline for making this application is more flexible than that for assistant to associate positions and the associate professor does not normally lose his/her job if the application is rejected. As with promotion from assistant to associate professor, promotion from associate to full professor involves review at multiple levels, similar to the earlier tenure/promotion review. Usually, this final promotion requires that the individual has maintained an active research program and excellent teaching, in addition to taking a leadership role in important departmental and extra-departmental administrative tasks. It is seldom achieved before a person reaches their mid-40s.

Non-Tenure-Track Faculty: Diverse Roles and Responsibilities

In addition to tenure-track positions, many colleges and universities employ non-tenure-track faculty members who play a vital role in the educational landscape. These positions often have a greater focus on teaching and may not involve the same research expectations as tenure-track roles.

Lecturer/Instructor: Teaching-Focused Positions

Lecturers and instructors typically focus on teaching undergraduate courses and may not be involved in research or administrative decision-making. These positions usually do not involve tenure or formal research obligations. When in a regular, long-term salaried position of at least some minimal appointment level (e.g., half-time), it may include voting and other privileges. This position often involves a focus on undergraduate and/or introductory courses, sometimes as a cost-savings measure due to the lower salaries compared to tenure-track positions. In some colleges, the term Senior Lecturer is used for highly qualified or accomplished lecturers.

Research Professor: Dedicated to Discovery

Research professors primarily focus on research duties with no obligation for teaching. Research professors often have no salary commitment from their institution, and thus must secure their salary from external funding sources such as grants and contracts.

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Adjunct Faculty: Flexible and Part-Time

Adjunct faculty members are part-time, non-salaried instructors who are paid for each class they teach. Most adjunct faculty (adjuncts) are hired as a lecturer or instructor.

Visiting Professor: Temporary Appointments

Visiting professor positions are temporary appointments at the assistant, associate, or full professor level, often to cover the teaching load of a faculty member on sabbatical.

Collegiate, Teaching, or Clinical Professor: Specialized Roles

More recent titles with many different variations, sometimes dependent upon rank; these instructors may hold parallel ranks as their tenure-track counterparts (i.e., teaching assistant professor, teaching associate professor, and (full) teaching professor) at institutions whose policy is to only provide "tenure" to those who do research.

Professor of Practice: Expertise from the Field

Professor of (the) practice and professor of professional practice have commonly been reserved for practitioners who are appointed because of skills and expertise acquired in nonacademic careers and whose primary focus is teaching. This designation is bestowed on individuals who have achieved a distinguished career in a specific field of practice (engineering, management, business, law, medicine, architecture etc.), and will have a substantial basis of experience equal to a tenured professor (normally a minimum of 12 years) and a national/international reputation for excellence reflected in a record of significant accomplishments. Such appointments are also being offered to individuals with academic career backgrounds.

Additional Titles and Designations

Beyond the standard ranks and positions, there are several other titles and designations that may be used to recognize distinguished faculty members or denote specific roles within the university.

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Department Chair: Administrative Leadership

The top administrative post in many academic departments is the "department chair." Prior to the 1970s, such administrators were called "chairmen" or "chairwomen", but the term in most institutions has since been the gender-neutral "chairperson", or shortened to "chair".

Distinguished Professor and Endowed Chairs: Honoring Excellence

Often specific to one institution, titles such as "president's professor", "university professor", "distinguished professor", "distinguished research professor", "distinguished teaching professor", "distinguished university professor", or "regents professor" are granted to a small percentage of the top tenured faculty who are regarded as particularly important in their respective fields of research. Some institutions grant more university-specific, formal titles such as M.I.T.'s "Institute Professor", Yale University's "Sterling Professor", or Duke University's "James B. Duke Professor". Some academic and/or scholarly organizations may also bestow the title "distinguished professor" in recognition of achievement over the course of an academic career.

The incumbent of a "named chair" or "endowed chair" is a professor who holds a specific position within a university system, typically department chair that is financially supported by an investment portfolio (i.e., an endowment) initially created by donated funds from a firm, person, or group of persons. Endowed chairs are typically named for the person or entity who donated these funds, or for a person whom the funds were donated in honor of, such as a distinguished emeritus professor at t…

Professor Emeritus/Emerita: Honoring Retired Faculty

A full professor who retires in good standing may be referred to as a professor emeritus for men, or professor emerita for women. This title is also given to retired professors who continue to teach and to be listed. The title may also be given to full professors who have left for another institution but are still working full-time. The concept has in some places been expanded to include also tenured associate professors, or also non-tenure-track faculty. In some systems and institutions the rank is bestowed on all professors who have retired in good standing, while at others it needs a special act or vote. The word is typically used as a postpositional adjective ("professor emeritus") but can also be used as a preposition adjective ("emeritus professor").

Addressing Your Instructor: A Matter of Preference

Ultimately, how you address your instructor is often a matter of personal preference. Some instructors prefer to be called "Professor," while others are comfortable with "Doctor" (if they hold a doctorate) or even their first name. It's always best to check the course syllabus or ask your instructor directly about their preferred form of address.

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