The Academic Jobs UK Podcast

Academic Jobs UK Understanding Professorship

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Understanding UK Professorships - AcademicJobs.com Podcast

This episode explores the process of attaining professorship, contrasting the UK's university-specific criteria with the habilitation process used in some European countries. Furthermore, it highlights the gender imbalance within the UK professoriate, revealing that in 2015-2016, only about a quarter of professors were female. Finally, the text also compares UK academic grades with their US equivalents.


Key Themes:

  1. The "Slippery Term" of 'Professor': The author, Bruce Macfarlane, aptly describes "professor" as a 'slippery term,' highlighting the significant discrepancy in its meaning between the UK and North America. In North America, "professor" is a generic title given to anyone teaching and researching at a university. However, in the UK (and much of Europe, Australasia and South Africa) it signifies an individual who has attained the highest academic grade within a university based on their scholarly contributions.

    2. Quote: "Bruce Macfarlane... describes ‘professor’ as ‘a slippery term’. That’s because in the UK it means something quite different from what it denotes in North America."

    1. Dr. vs. Professor: The document clearly differentiates between "Dr." and "Professor." "Dr." denotes someone holding a PhD, the highest academic qualification. Most professors will possess a PhD, but not all PhD holders will be professors. "Professor," on the other hand, is an academic staff grade, specifically the most senior one. It signifies seniority and status within the academic hierarchy.

      2. Quote: "'Professor’ doesn’t denote a qualification but an academic staff grade – the most senior one."

      1. UK Academic Grades and Their US Equivalents: The source includes a helpful comparison of the UK and US academic grading systems:
        • UK Professor = US Full Professor
        • UK Reader = No Direct US Equivalent
        • UK Senior Lecturer = US Associate Professor
        • UK Lecturer = US Assistant Professor
          1. Habilitation vs. Internal Promotion: The path to professorship differs significantly. In countries like France, Germany and Italy, "habilitation" is required—a process where academics write an extensive scholarly document similar to a PhD thesis, which is then assessed by experts. If successful they become eligible for professorship vacancies, but not guaranteed an appointment. In the UK, there's no such requirement. Instead, universities have their own criteria and promotion processes; applicants must demonstrate how they meet these criteria. Another route is applying directly for vacant professorship roles.
          2. The Scarcity of Professorships: The text highlights that only a small proportion of UK university academics hold the title of "Professor," roughly one in ten. In 2015-2016, around 20,000 academics held the position of professor, which only accounted for 9.9% of all academic staff. This further reinforces the notion of professor being the most senior and prestigious academic role.

            3. Quote: "In the UK, around one in ten university academics is a professor."

            1. Gender Imbalance: A stark gender imbalance within the UK professoriate is also noted, with a minority of professors being women (approximately 25%). In 2015-16, only 4,775 of the 19,970 professors in the UK were female.

              2. Key Facts:

              • "Professor" is a grade, not a qualification, in the UK.
              • It represents the highest academic grade.
              • The UK grading system differs significantly from the USA.
              • Promotion to professor in the UK is governed by individual university policies.
              • Professorships are relatively scarce in the UK.
              • There is a notable gender imbalance within the UK professoriate.


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