Voting Junior Faculty Appointments: Tenure Track

Associate Professor

Four- to six-year fixed term; if preceded by appointment as
assistant professor, the cumulative consecutive or non-consecutive maximum limit of time as assistant professor and associate professor is 10 years.

Description

The position of associate professor is intended for individuals pursuing full-time academic careers who are highly effective teachers and whose creative work in scholarship, design/research work, or professional practice, or a combination thereof, indicates they are making excellent progress in their academic careers and that they will likely be viable candidates for tenure in the future. Appointments are made for a fixed term of four to six years on a full-time basis. If preceded by an appointment as assistant professor, the cumulative consecutive or non-consecutive maximum limit of time as assistant professor and associate professor may not exceed 10 years. Associate professors are guaranteed a review for promotion to professor, but are not guaranteed such a promotion. An individual holding the position of associate professor is an officer of the University and may not concurrently hold a position at another academic institution. Residency in the Boston area is normally required.

Process for Appointment

Individuals may be appointed to the position of associate professor through a promotion review of an assistant professor or a search for an external candidate. Promotion from assistant professor to associate professor requires promotion committee review with external letters, followed by departmental review, Senior Faculty Council review, recommendation by the dean, and approval by the provost. The departmental senior faculty may serve as the promotion committee if requested by the department chair and approved by the dean. Appointment of an external candidate normally requires a search conducted by a search committee with notice, outreach, candidate visits, external letters, and deliberation, followed by departmental review, Senior Faculty Council review, recommendation by the dean, and approval by the provost. In exceptional circumstances, a targeted search in which a candidate is identified at the start of the appointments process may be authorized by the provost after a recommendation from the dean in consultation with the senior faculty of the relevant department and the Senior Faculty Council.

Assistant Professor

Four to six-year term.

Description

The position of assistant professor is intended for individuals pursuing full-time academic careers who have some teaching experience and whose creative work in scholarship, design/research work, or professional practice, or a combination thereof, indicates that they have a promising future in their academic career and may someday be viable candidates for tenure. Candidates should have completed the formal educational requirements of their fields which, for designers, shall normally be a professional master’s degree plus professional experience and, for scholars, shall normally be a doctoral degree. Appointments are made for a fixed term of four to six years on a full-time basis. Assistant professors are guaranteed a review for promotion to associate professor, not later than the penultimate year of the assistant professor appointment, but are not guaranteed such a promotion. An individual holding the position of assistant professor is an officer of the University and may not concurrently hold a position at another academic institution. Residency in the Boston area is normally required.

Process for Appointment

Appointment to the position of assistant professor normally requires a search conducted by a search committee with notice, outreach, candidate visits, external letters, and deliberation, followed by departmental review, Senior Faculty Council review, recommendation by the dean, and approval by the provost. In exceptional circumstances, a targeted search in which a candidate is identified at the start of the appointments process may be authorized by the provost after a recommendation from the dean in consultation with the senior faculty of the relevant department and the Senior Faculty Council.