1.02 Teaching Faculty Ranks

Teaching faculty ranks include Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Instructor, Lecturer, Academic Professional, and Clinical.

1.02-1 Professor

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The professorship is the top rank at the University covered by these Guidelines. Candidates must have the terminal degrees appropriate for their disciplines. Under usual circumstances, candidates must serve at least five years as associate professor, including the year when the promotion will be considered at the University level, before they are eligible for promotion to professor. Candidates must show clear and convincing evidence of high levels of attainment in the criteria appropriate to their work assignments and the missions of their units. Unless the candidates’ assignments are specifically regional, they should demonstrate national or international recognition in their fields and the likelihood of maintaining that stature.

1.02-2 Associate Professor

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The associate professorship is the middle rank at the University. Candidates must have the terminal degrees appropriate for their disciplines. Under usual circumstances, candidates must serve at least four years as assistant professor, including the year when the promotion will be considered at the University level, before they are eligible for promotion to associate professor. Candidates must show clear and convincing evidence of emerging stature as regional or national authorities unless their work assignments are specifically at the local or state level. They will not have achieved the stature required of professors in the criteria appropriate to their work assignments, but they should have achieved sufficiently to offer convincing evidence that they have demonstrated the requisite potential. One critical sign of this potential is the demonstration by candidates of a sense of consistency and growth in their work and a likelihood of continuing excellence.

1.02-3 Assistant Professor

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The assistant professorship is the primary entry-level position for the University. Candidates must have the terminal degrees appropriate for their disciplines. Candidates do not need a minimum number of years in a lower rank unless the initial appointment was at the instructor level at the University of Georgia. Candidates should show promise of moving toward excellence in the criteria appropriate to their work assignments.

1.02-4 Instructor

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The instructorship is an entry-level position for the University. Candidates usually do not have the terminal degrees appropriate for their disciplines. Candidates do not need a minimum number of years in a lower rank. Candidates should show promise of moving toward excellence in the criteria appropriate to their work assignments.

1.02-5 Lecturers

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The appointment and promotion of Lecturers at The University of Georgia are based upon the experience and academic background of the candidate as well as the instructional needs in the position. The position is not a tenure-track position and the holder is not eligible for consideration for the award of tenure.  The title of Lecturer or Senior Lecturer applies to assignments that call for academic background similar to that of a faculty member with professorial rank but that involves primarily teaching. Additional duties may be assigned, including academic advising and working with tenure-track faculty in course and curriculum development.

1.02-6 Academic Professionals

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Academic Professionals must have an appropriate terminal degree, or in rare and extraordinary circumstances, qualification on the basis of demonstrably successful related experience, which exception is expressly approved by the Provost. The Academic Professional designation may not be assigned to a position where the teaching and research responsibilities total 50% or more of the total assignment. The position is not a tenure-track position, and the holder of the position is not eligible for consideration for the award of tenure, or for probationary credit toward tenure. The designation Academic Professional may apply to a variety of academic assignments that call for academic background similar to that of a faculty member with professorial rank, but which are distinctly different from professorial positions. Examples include managing instructional laboratories, assuming academic program management roles not suited for expectations applied to tenure-track faculty members, operating instructional technology support programs, being responsible for general academic advising, assuming professional student counseling center responsibilities, providing specialized skill acquisition training as support for academic programs, and working with tenure-track faculty members in course and curriculum development.

1.02-7 Clinical

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The following clinical faculty ranks shall be recognized at the University of Georgia:  Clinical Professor, Clinical Associate Professor, Clinical Assistant Professor, and Clinical Instructor.

Clinical faculty at the University of Georgia are educator-practitioners in the health and other professions who have a background in their disciplinary area and who practice the discipline in a work setting. The goal of these positions is to enhance the academic and professional development of students in support of the teaching and service missions of the institution. Clinical faculty must have an appropriate terminal degree, or in rare and extraordinary circumstances, qualification on the basis of demonstrably successful related experience, which exception is expressly approved by the Provost. Clinical faculty must also meet various standards for professional employability, depending on the discipline, to teach in the professional setting and maintain a balance between teaching, scholarship and service different from that of the tenure track faculty. The position is non tenure-track, and the holder is not eligible for consideration for the award of tenure or for probationary credit toward tenure.

1.02-7.1 Individual Colleges

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For details regarding individual Schools/Colleges policies on Clinical Faculty positions please see the School/College website or contact the Dean of the School/College for information on the subject.