Titles, Tracks, and Terminology

Abstract

Faculty appointments are described in terms of title and track. The title is the academic rank in a hierarchy from instructor to professor. The track is the academic pathway for each individual, such as tenure, research, clinician-educator, clinician-investigator, or clinical. The terms of appointment and criteria for promotion are determined by the track. As each school defines titles and tracks differently, it is essential that every faculty member understands the system at his/her institution. Titles have precise meanings for each medical school, especially in the use of suffixes and/or prefixes (modifiers). Tenure tracks strictly regulate the time available to meet the requirements for award of tenure (the tenure clock) and generally require achievements in each of the major missions of education, scholarship, and service (the triple threat). Non-tenure tracks usually focus on one or more mission areas, have no time restriction for promotion, and often have modified titles. Once tenure is awarded, appointments generally continue unless a cause for termination intervenes, whereas non-tenure appointments usually have contractual end dates but may be renewable.