# Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896 "2003-03-28T21:36:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/1 "2003-03-28T21:36:58Z")
I should know this, but what is the difference between an assistant, associate and a full professor? Are they just higher pay grades or what? Which one includes tenure? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/2 "2003-03-28T21:41:09Z")
[Here’s a site](http://www.usurg.com/Medical_Credentials.htm#difference) that tells the difference for their University. ---
**Author:** ![chickendoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@chickendoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chickendoc)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/3 "2003-03-28T21:47:43Z")
Thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/4 "2003-03-28T23:36:14Z")
That site lists it as it is almost everywhere I know about: New (tenure-track) Hire with terminal degree: Assistant Professor. After seven years(\*) of successfully being re-hired and granted tenure: Associate Professor. Three more years of this (ten years total): [Full] Professor. (\*)That’s usually seven years of equivalent experience with your terminal degree, so if you teach at State U. for three, then find a new position at the University of State, they’ll usually credit your first three and you’ll only have to spend four at University of State before you are eligible to apply for promotion and tenure. This is generally true, but there is quite a bit of variation. Note also, that you have to apply for promotion and/or tenure, which has to be approved by the department, dean, university, and board of regents. It is also generally true that Associate Professorship/Tenure is an all-or-nothing deal, but not always. Lovingly yours, Pantellerite, Assistant Professor ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/5 "2003-03-28T23:39:48Z")
On review: An appology for the rambling and spotty grammar–it’s Friday, classes are done for the week, and I’ve been drinkin’! ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/6 "2003-03-28T23:45:55Z")
Let’s not forget _Adjunct Professor_. ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2003, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/7 "2003-03-28T23:50:50Z")
Adjunct is mostly an honorific. A department can–with school/college approval–name someone (again, with a terminal degree) an “Adjunct Professor” without necessarily hiring them to do a damn thing (plus, no need for a search committee, etc.) When Adjuncts do teach, it’s usually on a part-time basis. Pantellerite, Former Adjunct Faculty Member ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/8 "2003-03-29T00:07:41Z")
No, “Courtesy” is an honorific. “Adjunct” generally means you (1) provide a related service such as off-campus supervision; or (2) teach under a certain number of hours. Shoshana, Adjunct Asst Prof ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/9 "2003-03-29T00:11:47Z")
Yeah, what she said! I never paid much attention when I was adjunct except to “will my class make?” and “will I get paid?” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/10 "2003-03-29T00:41:53Z")
It’s possible to skip a few steps, too. If a grad student wins the Nobel Prize or somesuch, then they’ll probably be hired immediately as a full professor. It’s also possible for a non-tenure track faculty member to become tenure track. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/11 "2003-03-29T01:44:09Z")
The link has some differences from standard practice. You usually get 2 3-year contracts as Assistant Prof. _During_ your sixth year you go up for tenure. Being in your 7th year without tenure usually means you are going bye-bye. But there are a lot of variations. I know some people given tenure in less than 6, I was an Associate Prof. without tenure. I was also at a place where all non-tenured faculty were on 1-year contracts. (Talk about disincentive.) Some places allow you to hang around longer for 6 years before getting tenure. Etc. So don’t assume that Associate Prof. = tenure everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/12 "2003-03-29T01:52:01Z")
And another thing: “Credit” for time at previous institutions is very, very far from universally recognized. I.e., never happened to me or any of my friends. ---
**Author:** ![quasar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@quasar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/13 "2003-03-29T02:34:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pantellerite \* > **Adjunct is mostly an honorific. A department can–with school/college approval–name someone (again, with a terminal degree)…** Pardon the ignorance: what is a terminal degree ? Are there any differences between assistant /associate / full professors regarding actual functions / responsabilities? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/14 "2003-03-29T05:54:57Z")
Pantellerite writes: \> Three more years of this (ten years total): [Full] Professor. Not consistently so in the cases that I’ve heard of, although I admit there’s a lot of variation about this. Becoming an assistant professor after six years is pretty standard. (As other people have remarked, if you’re not awarded tenure in your sixth year, you’re given one more year and told to find a job elsewhere.) There’s much variation about when you become a full professor. How well you do as a scholar is often important. I’ve heard of cases where people didn’t become a full professor until they had been teaching for twenty years. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/15 "2003-03-29T06:36:31Z")
These days, you can easily be a permatemp adjunct (like me and many of my colleagues). Many of us would love to have full time positions, and are more than qualified for them, but there is no automatic promotion or a guaranteed interview. Nor are there many f/t positions available now, at least in CA, where the state budget is in the toilet. I’ve been at this since 1990. I know excellent professors who’ve been at it for 15, 20 years or more. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/16 "2003-03-29T06:38:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pantellerite \* > \*\*Yeah, what she said! I never paid much attention when I was adjunct except to “will my class make?” and “will I get paid?” \*\* * * * Oh my God, yes. And “do I get any assignments for the next semester?” That’s how we wind up teaching on multiple campuses. (Did you have more than one? Don’t feel compelled to answer; I’m just being curious/nosy.) ---
**Author:** ![Arturas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Arturas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arturas)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/17 "2003-03-29T07:17:21Z")
Britain has slightly different names for these positions, so I have heard, like lector instead of ass. prof. Do these fully correspond or just somewhat? ---
**Author:** ![MrO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@MrO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrO)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/18 "2003-03-29T08:41:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by quasar \* > \*\*Pardon the ignorance: what is a terminal degree ? > > Are there any differences between assistant /associate / full professors regarding actual functions / responsabilities? > > Thanks. \*\* A terminal degree, I think, is simply the last, or highest available degree in one’s field. Generally a doctorate, which is often a PhD, but there are others: Doctor of Education, Jurisprudence, etc. Bear in mind that this is coming from someone without a terminal degree, so others will know more than me. Though I struggle along with my lowly MA, my job title is “assistant professor.” At my university, foreign teachers don’t get tenure, no matter how many degrees they have, how long they teach, or how much they publish. We’re on one-year contracts forever. I’m on my eighth at this school. From my perspective, the differences in functions and responsibilities are simple: the higher you go, the more qualified you are, the less you do. In other words, most of the work is done by those who are considered least qualified to do it, and are paid the least, and have the least job security. (But I’m not bitter.) Of course the higher you go, the more other responsibilities there are: serving on committees, advising, research, and arranging all the books on the mahogany shelves in your big private carpeted air-conditioned office. (I share a dusty little office with 4 other instructors, but I’m not bitter.) I know an Economics professor at my university who teaches 3 hours a week during semesters following a publication, and 6 hours during semesters when he didn’t publish the previous semester. I generally teach 16 hours a week here at the university, plus various part-time off-campus things to make ends meet, for a total of usually 25-30 classroom hours. Since I often teach writing, I can count on an equal number of hours marking papers, preparing lessons, etc. If I taught 3 hours a week, I might have time to publish some research too. (But I’m not bitter. Jealous, but not bitter.) ---
**Author:** ![Arturas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@Arturas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arturas)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/19 "2003-03-29T11:54:43Z")
In Lithuania, the terminal degree is Habilitated Doctor which means that you have been working in the field for a while and made significant contributions to it. I have heard this degree is common among Central and Eastern European countries. The problem with a this degree is that the incentive to stay active disappears. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2003, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896/20 "2003-03-29T13:26:29Z")
It varies quite a bit in other countries. There are no assistant professors where I’m from. People my grade are lecturers or research fellows. There are a fixed number of chairs in many departments, so a very successful scholar may _never_ become a professor if they don’t move. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assistant-associate-and-full-professors/164896.md?page=2)