Academic Titles

I. POLICY AND GENERAL STATEMENT

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (“University”) designates titles for its academic positions that conform with those provided by The University of Texas System Board of Regents in Rule and Regulation 31001 Faculty Appointments and Titles.

For information regarding appointment to these titles, refer to HOOP 189, Faculty and Administrative and Professional Appointment and HOOP 167, Student Employment Appointments.

II. PROCEDURE

The following titles must be used on all official documents, including appointment letters, personnel actions and budgets.  In other circumstances, faculty members may add specialty or department designations, when appropriate.  Unless otherwise specified, all titles, except for those in Section II.A, can be used for full-time or part-time faculty. 

A.  Titles with Tenure or on Tenure Track

1. Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor

Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor are the only titles in which faculty members may hold tenure or be on tenure track.  Only full-time faculty may hold these titles.  Tenured or tenure-track faculty members with one of these titles may also simultaneously hold honorific titles as described in Section II.C, except for Section II.C.3.  The conferring of an honorific title does not change a faculty member’s tenure or tenure-track status, except as described in Section II.C.

B.  Non-tenure Track Titles

1. Instructor

Denotes an appointment as a faculty member, during which the scholarly competence, teaching performance, and professional promise of the individual will be evaluated.  Eligible titles include: Instructor, Non-Tenured Research (NTR); Instructor, Non-Tenured Clinical (NTC); and Instructor, Non-Tenured Instructional (NTI). 

2. Lecturer

Describes individuals who will augment and complement regular teaching faculty.

3. Senior Lecturer

Applies to individuals who will augment and complement regular teaching faculty, and who demonstrate excellence in service and performance in their experience and qualifications.

4.  Distinguished Senior Lecturer

Applies to individuals who will augment and complement regular teaching faculty and have demonstrated continued excellence in service and performance in their experience and qualifications.

5. Faculty Associate

Describes an individual who is participating in non-teaching clinical practices or is assigned to a research or non-teaching center, institute, or another interdisciplinary program of the university.

6. Specialist

Describes professional practitioners in specific areas of instruction, training, or supervision. Upon approval of the President, a descriptive prefix may be added to indicate the area of specialty.

7. Research Titles

Professor, Non-Tenured Research; Associate Professor, Non-Tenured Research;  Assistant Professor, Non-Tenured Research; and Instructor, Non-Tenured Research, may be used for appointments for the primary purpose of research with only incidental teaching duties.

8. Clinical Titles

Professor, Non-Tenured Clinical; Associate Professor, Non-Tenured Clinical;  Assistant Professor, Non-Tenured Clinical; and Instructor, Non-Tenured Clinical, may be used for appointments for the primary purpose of patient care and other service activity that may also include directly related teaching and/or research duties.

9. Instructional Titles

Professor, Non-Tenured Instructional; Associate Professor, Non-Tenured Instructional;  Assistant Professor, Non-Tenured Instructional; and Instructor, Non-Tenured Instructional, may be used to designate non-tenure track faculty primarily engaged in instruction.

10. Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, and Adjunct Instructor

These titles may be used when a qualified individual from business, industry, government, private practice, or another institution of higher education may be participating in teaching, research, or clinical care.  Appointments to the faculty with an adjunct title may be with or without pay and shall be for a stated period of time not to exceed one academic year.  The university may offer reappointment to the adjunct faculty member after the expiration of the stated period.

11. Visiting Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, Visiting Assistant Professor, and Visiting Instructor

These titles are used for temporary appointments of individuals either visiting from other institutions where they hold similar ranks or who are appointed to the university but have not yet undergone peer review for advanced rank.  A visiting faculty member will be appointed to a rank that is consistent with the rank held in the home institution. Such appointments are limited to two years and are not renewable.  This title may not be used for without salary appointments. Visitors may be assigned office space and access to support services at the discretion of the department head.

12.  Adjoint Professor, Adjoint Associate Professor, and Adjoint Assistant Professor

These titles may be used to designate faculty who serve the university in cooperative or joint programs pursuant to a memorandum of understanding, cooperative research and development agreement, or similar partnership instrument.  Individuals holding these titles will be employees of and compensated by the partner organization. They will not be deemed employees of the university. They will, however, have the same obligations, responsibilities, and authority as regular faculty employed directly by the university when performing faculty functions pursuant to the agreement.  Appointments will usually be part-time for the purpose of supervising theses and dissertations or for the teaching of highly specialized courses. The term of the appointment shall be specified in the agreement with the partner organization.

C.  Honorific Titles

1. Endowed Chairs, Endowed Professors and Faculty Fellows

These honorific titles describe faculty positions funded by endowments set up by the university with money received from a restricted gift. Other requirements regarding appointment to and administration of endowed chairs, professorships and faculty fellowships are included in HOOP 46, Establishment and Management of Endowments.

2. Regental Professor

Any faculty member who is awarded the Nobel Prize or who has in the past been awarded the Nobel Prize may be given the title of Regental Professor by the Board of Regents on recommendation of the President, the Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, and the Chancellor. Because of the great honor associated with the award of a Nobel Prize, institutional tenure is awarded to Regental Professors by virtue of appointment to this rank.

3. Dean Emeritus/Emerita, Chair Emeritus/Emerita, Professor Emeritus/Emerita, and Associate Professor Emeritus/Emerita

These titles imply distinguished and honorable service at the University.  The awarding of an Emeritus/Emerita title is without salary and is made by the President, upon the recommendation of the appropriate dean.  See HOOP 50, Appointment to Emeritus or Emerita Positions.

These designations confer lifetime academic appointments, effective on retirement from academic/professional life, and may be conferred on faculty members who held the rank of Professor or Associate Professor during their period of active service at the University.

Recommendations for conferring these titles will be based on individual distinction and quality of contribution and service to the university. One of these titles may be given to a faculty member who has retired from academic/professional life or, in anticipation of the retirement of a faculty member, to be effective on retirement from academic/professional life.  Holders of Emeritus/Emerita titles will be granted the following privileges:

• Membership (without vote) in the department, participation in departmental meetings, and membership (without vote) in the general faculty;
• Eligibility to serve on graduate student and other committees subject to the approval of the dean;
• Listing in the University directory;
• Use of the campus mail service within University policies;
• Access to departmental/University resources, as specified at the time of the award of the Emeritus/Emerita title, commensurate with level of activity, and subject to change by the dean or the department head, dependent on departmental/university needs; and
• Those privileges accorded to retired faculty.

Emeritus/Emerita title status does not obligate the university to provide office or laboratory space.  Space may be assigned and maintained at the discretion of the dean or the department head. 

Emeritus/Emerita faculty are expected to remain willing to assist and advise the university as requested, especially in their area of competence.

4.  Distinguished Teaching Professor

In recognition of significant contributions in education, members of an institutional academy of distinguished teachers may use the honorific title Distinguished Teaching Professor. This title may be conferred or removed only upon approval by the Office of Faculty Affairs and Development.

5.  Regents’ Research Scholar

The Regents’ Research Scholar Program ended in 2017, and this title is no longer offered.  However, faculty members with this title may retain it.

6.  Distinguished Research Professor

In recognition of their significant contributions to research, members of an institutional academy of distinguished researchers may use the honorific title Distinguished Research Professor. This title may be conferred or removed only upon approval by the Office of Faculty Affairs and Development.

7.  Distinguished University Professor

In recognition of their significant contributions through membership in the National Academies (e.g., Medicine, Engineering, Science, Humanities) or an equivalent recognition, faculty may use the honorific title Distinguished University Professor. This title may be conferred or removed only upon approval by the Office of Faculty Affairs and Development.

8.  Distinguished Service Professor

In recognition of their significant contributions through service to the university or U. T. System, the profession, and/or the community, state, or nation, faculty may use the honorific title Distinguished Service Professor. This title may be conferred or removed only upon approval by the Office of Faculty Affairs and Development.

D.  Student, Trainee and Other Non-Faculty Titles

1.  Assistant Instructor and Graduate Teaching Associate

These titles may be used for: (1) enrolled graduate students or trainees (e.g., chief residents or fellows) who are teaching part-time or full-time and are the instructors of record for a course (to the extent permitted by applicable accrediting bodies); or (2) individuals who, because of the nature of their duties, do not qualify for one of the usual academic titles.

2. Graduate Teaching Assistant

This title may be used for graduate students who are not the instructor of record for a course but are employed on a part-time basis and assist faculty.

III. CONTACTS

• • Office of Faculty Affairs and Development
  • 713-500-3062
  • https://www.uth.edu/ofad/

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