Career steps

Tenure and promotion to Assistant Professor 1

Assistant Professors 2 apply for promotion to Assistant Professor 1 and tenure* one to three years after the start of their appointment (click here for the procedure). It is up to the Assistant Professor 2 to choose when to apply within this timeframe. In case of a part-time appointment, the upper end of the timeframe is adjusted in accordance with the staff member's working hours, up to 3 years and 9 months in case of a 0,8 fte appointment. The evaluation for tenure is performed by an assessment committee that advises the Faculty Board.

If the staff member meets the relevant criteria, they receive tenure and are promoted to Assistant Professor 1. If it is concluded that the staff member does not yet meet the relevant criteria, they remain Assistant Professor 2 without tenure. The staff member can in that case apply again for tenure in the 4th year of their appointment after at least one year has passed. If the conclusion regarding tenure is again negative this second time, the Assistant Professor 2 will be offered outplacement support. The staff member will retain their appointment for up to one year to engage in outplacement activities and find a job elsewhere.

Life events

Assistant Professors 2 who have faced a life event (such as illness, pregnancy or parental leave, or the death of a loved one) can request a postponement of their appraisal for tenure. This request can be sent to the Faculty Board and should include a recommendation from the scientific director of the staff member’s institute. The postponement of the appraisal is linked to the duration of the life event.

*Assistant Professors 2 who have already received tenure can also request this meeting one to three years after the start of their appointment, but the review will in that case only concern the promotion to Assistant Professor 1.

Promotion to Associate Professor 2

Tenured Assistant Professors can apply to be appraised for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor 2 at a time of their choosing, by default after having been appointed as Assistant Professor for at least five years. The assessment is carried out by the permanent assessment committee 1 or ‘BC1’ (click here for the procedure). If the appraisal is positive, the Assistant Professor will be promoted to Associate Professor 2. If the appraisal is negative, the Assistant Professor will remain appointed as Assistant Professor and can apply one further time for promotion after a period of at least 3 years has passed.

Ius promovendi

An Assistant Professor can in the context of the promotion to Associate Professor 2 request to be granted the ius promovendi, the right to act as formal supervisor of PhD students. Click here for more information about the procedure and the criteria.

Promotion to Associate Professor 1

Associate Professors 2 can apply to be appraised for the rank of Associate Professor 1 at a time of their choosing, by default after having been appointed as Associate Professor 2 for at least 3 years. The assessment is carried out by an ad hoc committee that is called together by the scientific director of the Associate Professor's institute (click here for the procedure). If the outcome of the procedure is positive, the Associate Professor 2 is promoted to Associate Professor 1. If the outcome of the procedure is negative, the Associate Professor 2 will remain appointed as Associate Professor 2 and can apply one further time for promotion after a period of at least 3 years has passed.

Promotion to Full Professor 2

Associate Professors can apply to be appraised for the rank of Full Professor at a time of their choosing, by default after having been appointed as Associate Professor (1 or 2) for at least five years. The assessment is carried out by the permanent assessment committee 2 or ‘BC2’ (click here for the procedure). If the appraisal is positive, the Associate Professor will be promoted to Full Professor 2. If the appraisal is negative, the staff member will remain appointed as Associate Professor and can apply one further time for promotion after a period of at least 3 years has passed.

Promotion to Full Professor 1

Full Professors 2 who have been appointed as such for at least five years can apply to be assessed for promotion to the rank of Full Professor 1 when this promotion procedure takes place. In contrast to the promotion to the rank of Associate and Full Professor 2, promotions to the rank of Full Professor 1 do not depend on individual merit alone, but take place in competition between the incumbent Full Professors 2. This is because the Executive Board of the University and the faculties have agreed that the number of staff holding the position of Full Professor 1 at every faculty may be no more than one third of the total number of Full Professors. An increase in Full Professors 2 due to promotions, together with the retirement of Full Professors 1, may temporarily skew this ratio to a level where the appointment of a number of new Full Professors 1 will become possible again. In this event, the Faculty Board will organize a promotion round and invite Full Professors 2 to apply for promotion. This happens approximately every five years. Click here for more information about the procedure.