Tenure Track Position University getting Hired as a Tenure Track Professor
Not all professors in universities and colleges are tenure track professors. To be a tenure track professor means that you have a permanent teaching position at an educational institution. However, it takes about six years to reach this stage of your career and there are specific requirements that you must meet. When you are hired in a tenure track position, your first contract will be for three years. During that time, you will be expected to teach a set number of courses and engage in research and writing.
If your evaluations are up to standard at the end of your first contract, you will then receive a second three-year contract in the tenure track position. In most cases, it takes these two contract periods of six years to become tenured as a university professor, but this also depends on the number of tenure positions that are available in your faculty. If, at the end of your sixth year, there are no positions available, the university will offer you an additional one year contract. This is to give you time to obtain a position at another university or college.
Once tenure is granted, you will be promoted to the rank of associate professor. The decision to grant tenure to candidates is the job of a selection committee composed of senior ranking professors. The dean of the faculty and the chair also serve on this committee. The decision to grant tenure comes in the form of a standard letter that sets out all your rights and responsibilities as a tenured professor. The amount of your salary and your rank should also be specified in this letter.
In order to even apply for a tenure track position at a university you must hold a Doctorate degree or be enrolled in a doctoral program. You must have completed research in your field as well as have published scholarly writings. Teaching both undergraduate and graduate classes will be part of your job as well as attending seminars and faculty meetings.
Professors who complete their doctoral degrees at the same university at which they teach can also be appointed to the rank of associate professor and be offered a tenure track position. In this case the initial contract could be between one and three years depending on the work you have already done at and for the university. This is because throughout your years of study, you have become well known to the faculty and they can vouch for you with the powers that be.
