Professors teach students and conduct research at colleges and universities. While many professors have an employment contract that the college’s administration can terminate, some enjoy job security through a tenure system. If you’re interested in becoming a professor, learning about the tenure system can help you make a plan to achieve your career goals.
In this article, we explain what a tenured professor is, describe how to become one in nine steps and provide answers to common questions about this career path.
What is a tenured professor?
A tenured professor is a college-level instructor who has earned tenure, which is a system that guarantees the professor their job until they retire. This system keeps professors from losing their jobs because of disagreements with college administrators and protects their right to express their scholarly opinions. While a tenured professor at one college might be eligible for automatic tenure at another, earning tenure in the first place requires years of teaching and research on a tenure track.
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How to become a tenured professor
While individual colleges and universities have their own requirements for awarding tenure, many institutions follow the same basic process. Here are nine steps you can follow to become a tenured professor at a college or university:
1. Complete your undergraduate degree
Many tenured professors begin their careers by earning an undergraduate degree in their chosen field. For example, a student who wants to become a tenured professor of English might major in English literature or poetry, depending on what their school offers. They might choose a minor that complements their major or provides more insight about their field of study, like professional writing or history. In most undergraduate degree programs, students complete general education credits in a range of subjects before taking advanced courses in their chosen major.
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2. Earn a master’s degree
You might enroll in a graduate program immediately after earning your undergraduate degree or spend a few years working in your field before returning to school. In a master’s degree program, you might concentrate your studies on a more specific area within your field, so you can deepen your specialist knowledge. For example, an economics student might get a master’s degree in macroeconomics if they plan to teach the subject as a tenured professor. Master’s degree programs also give students the opportunity to learn about research techniques and work closely with experts in their field.
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3. Gain teaching or professional experience
After you complete your master’s degree, you might take a job as an adjunct professor or lecturer at a college or university. These positions are not usually on a tenure track, but they can help you develop your teaching skills and build your resume for a tenure-track role later. If you hope to teach in a subject where professors usually have work experience, like engineering or computer science, you might choose to pursue a job in that field. Gaining experience can make you an appealing candidate for a tenure-track role after you’ve completed your education.
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4. Complete a doctorate
While some tenure-track positions are open to candidates with a master’s degree, most colleges and universities prefer candidates with a doctoral degree in their field of study. Earning a doctoral degree usually takes between three and six years of additional coursework. After completing your doctoral coursework, you might complete a dissertation, which is an in-depth, researched essay on a topic within your field. Often, doctoral candidates spend months or years compiling their research and writing the dissertation. Then, they usually defend their dissertation in front of a panel of experts in the field before receiving their doctorate.
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5. Become a tenure-track assistant professor
Once you’ve earned your doctorate, you can apply for professor jobs at colleges and universities. Usually, to become a tenured professor, candidates apply to a tenure-track assistant professor position. A university might offer a mixture of tenure-track and non-tenure-track positions every year since they typically only have a few tenure spots available at a time. Usually, tenure-track assistant professors teach full time, which might include up to six classes per term. They might also mentor students and serve on the advisory board for student organizations.
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6. Publish research
During your time as an assistant professor, you might conduct research in your field and submit articles for publication in scholarly journals. While some colleges have research expectations for assistant professors, these expectations are usually less rigorous than they are for associate and tenured professors. Often, assistant professors begin their research career by expanding on their dissertation research topic before submitting it for publication. After a scholarly journal receives a submission, a team of experts reviews the submission before accepting it.
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7. Become an associate professor
After a few years in a tenure-track assistant professor role, a candidate usually undergoes their first tenure review, where the university’s tenure board evaluates their research and teaching performance. They may examine average grades from the candidate’s classes, student evaluations and published research to make their decision. If the candidate passes the board’s examination, they become an associate professor. In some schools, you can also get a tenure-track associate professor job at that school via interview if you were an assistant professor at another institution.
8. Work as a tenured associate professor
Associate professors often have a limited tenure of five to seven years, after which point they go through another review for full tenure. Publishing more research during the associate professor period can help a candidate pass their final tenure review, so many associate professors increase their research efforts during this period. They may also engage in service to the college, which is the third component of a tenure-track professor’s job. In this role, they might volunteer at a college’s tutoring lab, lead college field trips or serve on committees with other faculty members.
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9. Pass a final tenure review
The last step before a candidate earns full tenure is a final tenure review, which usually happens at the end of their associate professor tenure period. In this review, the tenure board examines the candidate’s research and teaching material from their time as an associate professor. They may have more stringent research requirements for the final review than they did in the first one to measure improvement. If the board agrees the candidate is the right fit for the school, they may award full tenure, which lasts until the end of the professor’s career.
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FAQs about being a tenured professor
Here are answers to some common questions about becoming a tenured professor:
How does tenure change a professor’s job?
Typically, a professor’s work responsibilities stay the same after they earn tenure. Once they earn the promotion, they may get a .css-1v152rs{border-radius:0;color:#2557a7;font-family:”Noto Sans”,”Helvetica Neue”,”Helvetica”,”Arial”,”Liberation Sans”,”Roboto”,”Noto”,sans-serif;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;-webkit-transition:border-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),background-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),opacity 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-style 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-width 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-radius 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),box-shadow 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1);transition:border-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),background-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),opacity 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-style 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-bottom-width 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),border-radius 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),box-shadow 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1),color 200ms cubic-bezier(0.645, 0.045, 0.355, 1);border-bottom:1px solid;cursor:pointer;}.css-1v152rs:hover{color:#164081;}.css-1v152rs:active{color:#0d2d5e;}.css-1v152rs:focus{outline:none;border-bottom:1px solid;border-bottom-color:transparent;border-radius:4px;box-shadow:0 0 0 1px;}.css-1v152rs:focus:not([data-focus-visible-added]){box-shadow:none;border-bottom:1px solid;border-radius:0;}.css-1v152rs:hover,.css-1v152rs:active{color:#164081;}.css-1v152rs:visited{color:#2557a7;}@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){.css-1v152rs{-webkit-transition:none;transition:none;}}.css-1v152rs:focus:active:not([data-focus-visible-added]){box-shadow:none;border-bottom:1px solid;border-radius:0;}raise in pay.css-r5jz5s{width:1.5rem;height:1.5rem;color:inherit;display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;-webkit-flex:0 0 auto;-ms-flex:0 0 auto;flex:0 0 auto;height:1em;width:1em;margin:0 0 0.25rem 0.25rem;vertical-align:middle;} or benefits along with their job security. Depending on the school’s academic goals, the tenured professor may start to dedicate more time to research and less to teaching in the years after they earn tenure, but they may also continue to teach a full course load. Tenured professors may also have more opportunities for research and travel than their non-tenured colleagues.
Can a professor lose their tenure?
Although tenure protects a professor’s job against most events, a professor can lose their tenure due to misconduct. They might also lose their tenure if the college’s financial situation changes and the school can no longer support the tenure program. Part-time and adjunct instructors typically make less money and have fewer benefits, so they may be a less expensive option for a school. Often, colleges going through financial changes stop offering new tenure-track jobs and might wait for the current tenured professors to retire.
What are the research requirements for tenured professors?
College and university tenure boards have their own research and publication requirements for tenure-track professors. While some schools might accept scholarly articles and conference presentations for tenure, others might require candidates to write at least one book in their subject of expertise. Also, tenure boards rule on individual cases, so they may make exceptions for certain candidates who have performed other types of research, like laboratory tests or field research experiences.
How can I find tenure-track jobs in my field?
While college and university hiring teams may post tenure-track job listings on general job boards and search engines, they might first promote them through professional organizations in the specific field of study. These organizations often send out email lists of open positions to graduate and doctoral program coordinators. If you’re interested in becoming a tenured professor, start by asking your program coordinator or a former professor about openings in your field. You might also search the websites of colleges and universities where you’d like to work to find opportunities.