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 at the time of employment 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 are listed below according to the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) of Afghanistan. These ranks are issued stepwise by the MoHE after some procedures, a period of service and conditions. Honorary degree: Term 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 categorized in four main classes in Bangladesh at the university level. The ascending ranks of teachers are Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor. University lecturers are normally required to hold a Master's degree . After obtaining a PhD, the appointment starts with assistant professor, then gradually associate professor and professor depending on research/teaching experience. Beside these, the title of emeritus is given to extraordinary professors 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 The list above presents the ranks used by University of Costa Rica for their academic regime. However, there are no formal or legal academic ranks in Costa Rica. Costa Rica. Each university decides their own names. For example in University of Costa Rica the highest rank is 'Profesor Catedrático' and it requires no more than a 5 year "licencitatura" degree and 15 years of teaching/researching and 16 publications (https://www.ucr.ac.cr/docencia/personal-docente.html). Most other universities have no similar framework and the title Professor is used unregulated by anyone. 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 distinction between graduates and undergraduates: university students may be employed as research assistants ("tutkimusapulainen") before they graduate with a master's degree. A person pursuing a doctoral degree must already hold a Master's degree, and is typically employed by the university, or enjoys a similar grant, and will be called "väitöskirjatutkija" (doctoral researcher), "nuorempi tutkija" (early career researcher), or "tohtorikoulutettava" (doctoral student). 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" (senior research fellow). Docent ("dosentti") is a non-professorial 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 the 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 more concerned with outreach and public relations than 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: Appointment grades Non-appointment grades 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; defunct) 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. Defunct Academic Staff Ranks 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, particularly at 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. Research and teaching career pathway Research career pathway 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"): Honorary titles as "Professore Emerito" and " Professore Onorario" also exist and are 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. Myanmar. Rector Pro-Rector I Pro-Rector II Pro-Rector III Professor (Head of Department) Professor I Professor Associate Professor Lecture Assistant Lecture Tutor/ Demonstrator 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 Macao Polytechnic University there are four levels North Macedonia. Administrative positions: Malaysia. In general for most public universities in Malaysia: 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. Academic ranks Administrative ranks 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