List of academic ranks

Academic rank (also scientific rank) is the rank of a scientist or teacher in a college, high school, university or research establishment. The academic ranks indicate relative importance and power of individuals in academia.
The academic ranks are specific for each country, there is no worldwide-unified ranking system. Among the common ranks are professor, associate professor (docent), assistant professor and instructor.
In most cases, the academic rank is automatically attached to a person as soon as he/she is employed in a position with the same name, and deprived when a working relation is expired. Therefore the term "academic rank" usually means the same as "position in academia".
However in some countries the terms "position" and "academic rank" are not synonyms. So in modern Russia there exist the docent and professor ranks, whereas the set of positions in academia is broader. The academic rank is conferred only after the person has been successfully working in the docent or professor position for a certain period (and later underwent a centralized control procedure), i.e. not at enrollment, and is kept for life.
The list of academic ranks below identifies the hierarchical ranking structure found amongst scholars and personnel in academia. The lists below refer specifically to colleges and universities throughout the world, although other institutions of higher learning may follow a similar schema.
Afghanistan.
Ranks in universities of Afghanistan is listed below according to the Ministry of Higher Education(MoHE) of Afghanistan, These ranks are issued stepwise by the MoHE after some procedure, period of service and Conditions.
honorary degree:
Terms of address in general: "ostād or استاد"
Argentina.
Tenured positions:
Australia.
There are often multiple bands or steps for each Level (e.g. Level B - 6 steps, Level C - 6 steps, Level D - 4 steps). For example, an academic who earns the title of Level D has progressed through 12 bands/steps of previous academic service or the equivalent in accumulated academic achievements. There is only one step for Level E. An academic cannot automatically progress from Level B, Step 6, to Level C, Step 1, without a formal application for promotion, which is typically a peer reviewed process.
Bangladesh.
Teachers are categorised in four main classes in Bangladesh at university level. The ascending rank of teacher is Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor. The initial position Lecturer is generally enrolled from master's degree holder. Master's degree is required for normal university level Lecturer. After PhD, the appointment starts with Assistant Professor, then gradually Associate Professor and Professor depending on research/teaching experience. Beside these, professor of Emeritus is given to extraordinary professor after their retirement.
Belarus.
Academic ranks
Researchers by seniority levels
Administrative ranks
Belgium.
Administrative ranks:
Administrative ranks:
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Administrative ranks
Honorary ranks
Brazil.
There is no official academic ranking in Brazilian private universities. However, most of the public Federal Universities apply the following (from the highest position to the lowest one):
Canada.
Faculty (teaching staff)
Assistant professor is the entry-level rank for non-tenured members of faculty.
Non-faculty teaching and research personnel
Administrative ranks
Croatia.
Honorary academic rank
Administrative ranks
Cuba.
Tenured:
Cyprus.
Tenure-track faculty positions
Non-tenure track positions
Egypt.
Teachers are categorized in five main classes in Egypt at university level. The ascending rank of teacher is Demonstrator, Assistant Lecturer, Lecturer, Associate Professor and Professor. The initial position Demonstrator is generally enrolled as the top student of the class. Master's degree is required for university level Assistant Lecturer. After PhD, the appointment starts with Lecturer, then gradually Associate Professor and Professor depending on research/teaching experience. Beside these, professor of Emeritus is given to extraordinary professor after their retirement.
Finland.
In Finland, there is less of a distinction between graduates and undergraduates: university students may be employed as research assistants ("tutkimusapulainen") before they graduate with a master's degree. A doctoral student must already hold a master's degree, and is typically employed by the university, or enjoys a similar grant, and will be called "tohtorikoulutettava" (doctoral candidate), "tutkija" (researcher) or "assistentti" (teaching assistant). Besides post-doctoral researchers ("tutkijatohtori") and senior teaching assistants ("yliassistentti"), there are several mid-level non-professorial positions, such as teaching researcher ("opettava tutkija"). Senior teachers and researchers may be employed as e.g. "erikoistutkija" ("special researcher") or "yliopistotutkija" (university researcher). Docent ("dosentti") is a non-professiorial rank and title (for life) awarded to academics qualified as a principal investigator and for supervision of doctoral students; however, they do not belong to the professor corps and may be employed elsewhere. Professors ("professori") are understood as research group leaders and managers, and traditionally there is no direct equivalent of an assistant/associate/full professor career path, although Aalto University is introducing these. Qualifications for a professor's position are earned as a docent or in other mid-career positions. In management, professors serve as department heads ("laitosjohtaja" or "osastonjohtaja") and deans (head of faculty, "dekaani"). The leader of a university is called a rector ("rehtori"), assisted by multiple vice-rectors ("vararehtori"). Vice-rectors may retain their professor positions or work full-time as a vice-rector. Some universities have an even more senior officer called Chancellor ("kansleri"), who is concerned more with outreach and public relations than with daily management.
France.
In French business schools, ranks are the same as in the United States: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and finally (Full) Professor.
Germany.
A simplified overview of academic ranks in Germany:
Greece.
Administrative ranks (Universities and Technical Universities)
The holders of administrative ranks must be Professors or Associate Professors. The only exception is Secretary General, who is not a faculty member.
Administrative ranks (former Technological Educational Institutes)
The Technological Educational Institutes (TEI) (1983 - 2019) were reformed between 2013 and 2019 and their departments incorporated into existing universities. 
The holders of administrative ranks must be Professors or Associate Professors.
Guyana.
Administrative ranks
Hong Kong.
In the past, Hong Kong followed the British system (4 levels). In recent years it is moving towards the North American counterpart, with the titles renamed to their corresponding equivalence (professor (professor), associate professor (professor/reader), and assistant professor (senior-)lecturer)). Hong Kong's universities usually differ between professorial grades (end- or mid-career research and teaching positions) and lecturers (entry or mid-career positions - in the UK called either teaching fellows or lecturers, and "Mittelbau" in German-speaking countries). Depending on institutions, the title of "professor" is assumed by chair professors and professors, or assistant professors and above.
Academic ranks
Administrative ranks
Iceland.
In Icelandic universities, especially The University of Iceland, "prófessor" is the most senior ranking teaching position. Below "prófessor" is "dósent", then "lektor". This three step hierarchy is akin to the US-scale, of full-, associate- and assistant-professors. Until the early 1990s no upward mobility was available in the Icelandic system. Most university teachers were hired as "prófessor." A "dósent" or a "lektor" wishing to ascend to a higher rank had to apply for a new position when it became available. Currently (since the 1990s) much more university teachers are hired as junior rank "lektor" and are promoted to "dósent" and "prófessor" if their work proves worthy of it.
India.
Regular Academic ranks (Hierarchy from top): Academic institutions in India have the mandate of teaching, training and research. This also includes research universities.
Research ranks (Hierarchy from top): Research institutions such as national labs have a different kind of hierarchy and are primarily concerned with basic and applied research. They guide Ph.D. students in their research thesis but do not grant degrees. In most cases the Ph.D. candidates are registered with another university which grants the degree. Awarding of degree is subjected to meeting the same criteria as Ph.D. guided by university professors.
Non-faculty ranks
Administrative ranks in universities
Administrative ranks in research institutions
Indonesia.
Academic ranks
According to the Joint Regulations of the Ministry of Education And Culture And Head of National Civil Service Agency No 4/VIII/PB/2014; No 24 Year 2014 and the Regulation of Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform No. 46 Year 2013 and No. 17 Year 2013 Article 6; and the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education decree No. 164/ M/ KPT/ 2019, the academic ranks (Jabatan Fungsional) for lecturer (university-based) and researcher (non-university) are
Academic ranks for lecturers
Academic ranks for researchers
Administrative ranks (university)
Iran.
Holders of bachelor's degree when granted to teach in a college:
Holders of master's degrees when granted to teach in a college:
Holders of Ph.D. degrees:
Terms of address in general: "ostād"
Emeritus ranks
Administrative ranks
Iraq.
Holders of master's degrees can be (in ascending order):
Holders of PhD degrees can be (in ascending order):
Note: Holders of PhD degrees are automatically promoted to lecturer if they were assistant lecturers before they received their PhD.
Israel.
Academic:
Administrative Ranks:
Italy.
Tenured positions ("confermato"):
Non-tenured positions ("non confermato"):
An honorary title as "Professore Emerito" also exists and is typically appointed to illustrious academics after retirement.
Japan.
Tenured or non-tenured faculty
The ranking is as follows:
The Japanese system includes non-tenure, term-limited, positions at all ranks, including professor. These are referred to as positions and officially include "tokunin" in the title. Limited tenure track positions (similar to the United States) have recently been introduced (). In this system corresponds to assistant professor. A major difference between the United States system and Japan is that granting of tenure and promotion to associate professor are not linked; one may be tenured yet remain an assistant professor. Advancing upward typically requires a higher-level post to be vacated, even in the new tenure-track system.
Latvia.
Administrative positions:
Academic positions:
Lebanon.
Academic positions at the Lebanese American University:
Macau.
At the University of Macau there are nine levels of faculty rank, namely
At the Macau Polytechnic Institute there are three levels
North Macedonia.
Administrative positions:
Mexico.
The ranking system in most Mexican public universities is as follows
Usually Mexican academics are also fellows of the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores (SNI) that has four levels (candidate, I, II and III) that more or less correlate (but are not equivalent) to the Asociado and Titular A, B, and C professorships. The rank as professor is determined by the individual's institution while the SNI level is determined by an independent committee that evaluates the researchers nationwide.
Many universities and research institutions make a distinction between "Profesores" -Professors- and "Investigadores" -Researchers- (Asociado A, B, C, Titular A, B, C), the main difference is that "Profesores" have a higher load of teaching, while "Investigadores" have a higher load of research, but normally all of them take part in both activities and are considered equivalent.
Research rankings are awarded by the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores which depends on the national research council (Conacyt):
All titles, both professors and researchers, can be given in a:
Administrative academic positions:
Morocco.
Academic Positions
1. Professeur d'Enseignement Supérieur
2. Professeur Habilité à Diriger les Recherches (supervise les recherches)
3. Professeur Assistant (co-encadre les recherches)
Before Academic Position
1. Docteur
2. Doctorant
Nepal.
Academic Positions
1. Professor Emeritus
2. Professor
3. Associate professor/Reader
4. Assistant Professor
5. Lecturer
6. Teaching Assistant
7. Instructor
8. Technical support staff
Administrative Positions
Nigeria.
Academic Positions
Administrative Positions
Pakistan.
The hiring of academic positions in public universities throughout Pakistan is managed by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the requirement for all positions vary with respect to the field of studies e.g. Engineering, IT, Medical, Law, and Arts and Design.
There are four faculty ranks lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor.
In engineering public universities, a lecturer requires an M.Sc. or B.Sc. degree and high academic standing in the field (e.g. gold medalist, among top 15 students of graduating class).
An assistant professor position requires a Ph.D. in relevant field with no experience.
An associate professorship can be conducted in the fourth year of employment, although, it is becoming more common for promotion and tenure to be awarded in the sixth year of employment. The review requires a certain number 5/8/10 research publications (with at least 1/2/4 publications in the last 5 years) by the calendar years 2007/2008/2012 respectively, in HEC/PEC recognized journals.
A professor requires ten years post-PhD teaching/research experience in an HEC recognized university or a post-graduate institution or professional experience in the relevant field in a national or international organization. It requires a minimum of 8/12/15 research publications (with at least 2/3/5 publications in the last 5 years) by the calendar years 2007/2008/2012 respectively, in HEC/PEC recognized journals
Peru.
After some recent reforms in the University Law (Minedu, 2014), the Peruvian universities (publics and privates) consider these ranks:
Extraordinary Professors: Principally, this is a category of recognition for his contribution as professor or researcher when he retires or as a professional when he has built a great contribution to society throughout his career. To have 10% as maximum of these professors in any university (public or private) is mandatory.
Research Professors: Principally, full-time research position with few teaching responsibilities. Research professorships are almost always funded by grants or fellowships apart from the regular university budget. He is designated because of its academic excellence. He has a special bonus of fifty percent (50%) of its total payments. The competent authority of each university evaluates every two years, the production of the ordinary professors, for their permanence as a researcher.
Ordinary Professors: Often full-time (with exclusivity) professors with research competences. Principal faculty. To have 25% as minimum of these professors in any university (public or private) is mandatory.
Lecturer (Hired Professors): Often part-time (with non-exclusivity) professors. Complementary faculty. Generally, the primary employer is not the university with which they have the status. Principally, this kind of professor come from practitioner market and not develop research activities. MSc required.
In addition, the universities developed prior ranks, as junior temporary rank, to get experience and training (with strong motivation to be ordinary professor):
The lectures are usually hired by private universities as they can offer this type of part-time contract. The instructors are usually hired by public universities as their type of contract has to be full-time. Even if the duties of these two ranks are similar and the terminology for both is the same in Spanish: "Jefe de prácticas", we should consider the differences in their type of contract.
Philippines.
Administrative ranks (UP System;National)
Other professors
Tenure
Due to Philippine labor laws regarding permanency, a faculty member who has not received tenure within three years of initial hire cannot continue as a full-time hire at the same university.
Poland.
Research-and-teaching staff (higher rank)
and also for a special purpose:
Teaching staff: (lower rank)
Elected or nominated posts
Portugal.
Extinct ranks:
Romania.
Administrative ranks
Research-and-teaching staff (higher rank)
Special
Russia.
In Russia, otherwise than in the most other countries, synonimization of the terms “academic/scientific rank” and “position in academia” is not admissible, except in informal conversations. Officially, the “scientific rank” in Russia is a title which is conferred by the Higher attestation commission to the scientist after several years of a successful work in the professor (or deemed equivalent) or docent (or deemed equivalent) position. Similar traditions existed in the USSR.
Rwanda.
Academic ranks
Singapore.
Singapore universities adopt a hybrid of US and British academic ranks. Faculty members on the tenure-track are appointed for sustained excellence in both teaching and research. Assistant Professors are appointed on term contracts, while Associate Professors and Professors may be appointed either with tenure or on term contract. Faculty members on the Educator Track engage in high quality educational activities. They are oriented towards teaching excellence, student learning, and pedagogical research and innovation. Appointments in this Track include Teaching Assistants, Instructors, Lecturers, Senior Lecturers and Associate Professors (Educator Track). They are on term contracts which are usually of 1 – 3 years in the first instance. Research track faculty members focus on conducting fundamental research of high international quality. Appointments on this Track include Research Assistants, Research Fellows, Senior Research Fellows, Associate Professor (Research) and Professor (Research). They are on term contracts of 1 – 3 years in the first instance. Practice Track faculty members are scholar-practitioners with professional skills and expertise in industry to complement the teaching and research enterprise of the university. They also contribute significantly to the outreach activities of the School. Appointments are to Associate Professor (Practice) and Professor (Practice). They are on term contracts of 1 – 3 years in the first instance.
Slovakia.
Special
Administrative
Honorary ranks
Slovenia.
Administrative ranks
Honorary ranks
South Korea.
Protected job titles (a.k.a. tenure positions):
Other positions:
Sri Lanka.
The appointment of professors follows the British system and is governed by the University Grants Commission regulations. A points-based system considers contributions to the research field, national development and institutional development. Several types of professorships exist:
Professor positions are clearly separated from other junior faculty positions such as, in seniority order: senior lecturer (grade I) (usually PhD and 6+ years service), senior lecturer (grade II) (usually a PhD and 2+ years service), lecturer (usually with PhD), lecturer (probationary), assistant lecturer.
Administrative ranks
Sweden.
Researcher level
Higher titles
Honorary titles
Syria.
The academic rankings in the Syrian Arab Republic are very similar to the Egyptian ones; see Academic ranks in Egypt for details.
Tunisia.
Administrative ranks
Turkey.
Academic ranks
Administrative ranks
Ukraine.
Academic ranks
Administrative ranks
United Kingdom.
Research and teaching career pathway
Research career pathway
Technical career pathway
Teaching career pathway