Tenure, Rank, and Promotion

Traditionally, tenure has been understood as a special employment status that gives protection from summary dismissal—a status that is usually reserved for university positions at the senior level. The acquisition of tenure may be linked to a promotion (advancement in rank) from a junior to [Page 1542]a senior position, for example, from assistant to associate professor. A junior position that can lead to tenure after a trial period is called a tenure track position.

Systems for tenure and promotion vary considerably between countries, higher education sectors, and institutions. While some systems reserve the term tenure for special protection against dismissal, other systems use the term for academic employment that carries with it a permanent contract. Other variations include whether tenure/permanent employment is linked to a certain ...