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## International Affairs Office, U.S. Department of Education Feb 2008

[[http://www.ed.gov/international/usnei/edlite-index.html]{.underline}](http://www.ed.gov/international/usnei/edlite-index.html)

Structure of the U.S. Education System:

Postdoctoral Research Programs and Academic Tenure

There is no research degree awarded in the U.S. higher education system
following the PhD or equivalent degree. Advanced research programs do
exist, however, in both the area of pure research and in the
professional process by which academic faculty advance in their careers.

###### POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH PROGRAMS

An established system of postdoctoral research studies, commonly called
"postdocs," exists in most of the natural science, biomedical science,
and applied science disciplines. The pursuit of postdoctoral research
studies is voluntary but frequently expected as a way for new PhD
holders to further establish their research credentials, participate in
major professional research projects, and gain valuable experience
managing major research programs and working on research teams.

[Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and
Engineering](http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/) provides
information and links to NSF studies of postdoctoral programs and
participants.

[Postdoctoral Education](http://www.aau.edu/education/postdoct.cfm) is
the Association of American Universities' links to information and data
on postdoctoral studies.

###### PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

Academic faculty in U.S. higher education institutions typically advance
through four levels en route to the status of full professor. The
instructor and assistant professor levels are frequently tenure-track
positions during which the faculty member is expected to prepare a body
of published research and related accomplishments to present before a
faculty review board in his or her discipline. If the review is
successful, the assistant professor is recommended to be awarded tenure,
which is usually a lifetime appointment at the beginning rank of
associate professor. Tenured associate professors may subsequently
advance to full professor status and may chair academic committees,
supervise doctoral dissertations, and hold teaching and research chairs.
The tenure system has undergone restructuring in recent years and some
institutions have abandoned it entirely, but it remains the prevailing
process for developing academic faculty in U.S. higher education.

[National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty
(NSOPF)](http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/nsopf/) is a comprehensive
statistical analysis of faculty at U.S. postsecondary institutions.

[ACE Online Information:
Faculty](http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=InfoCenter&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=23&ContentID=15868)
provides links to important data sources and information relating to the
current status of faculty and tenure policy in the United States.

[AAUP Resources on Tenure](http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/issuesed/tenure/)
provides information on tenure from the American Association of
University Professors.

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