Faculty Series and Ranks

The Regular Series is the appropriate promotion pathway for the majority of School of Medicine faculty members, including basic scientists, clinician-scientists and clinician-teachers.  Faculty members seeking promotion to Associate Professor in the Regular Series must demonstrate excellence in one of the principal areas of accomplishment:  teaching; research; or clinical practice.  Importantly, at least meritorious achievements (the lower standard) must be demonstrated in scholarship, teaching and clinical work or service.   “Scholarship” is broadly defined and includes not only research (the scholarship of “discovery”), but also the scholarship of teaching, application and integration.  See later sections of this Guide and the Rules of the School of Medicine for more information.  All faculty members in the Regular Series, who are employed by the University of Colorado, are eligible for tenure.

The Clinical Practice Series is an academic pathway designed for faculty members who focus most of their time on direct patient care and other activities related to improving health care quality (for example, outcomes, access to care, efficiency, patient safety or the health of populations).   There is an expectation of greater clinical effort, and excellence in clinical work (as measured against the School of Medicine Promotion Matrix) is required.  There is no requirement for written scholarship, although clinically-relevant scholarship is encouraged.  Teaching (at least at the meritorious level) is required.   Because scholarship is not required, faculty members in the Clinical Practice Series are not eligible for tenure. 

Instructors, Senior Instructors and Assistant Professors may not be assigned to the Clinical Practice Series; rather, they will hold titles in the Regular Series.  Prior to undergoing departmental review for promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor, all faculty members who are clinicians, in consultation with their chair and mentor(s), must choose whether to seek promotion to Associate Professor in the regular or clinical practice series.  Normally, they will make this election after undergoing a comprehensive mid-course review, based on their interests and accomplishments in clinical work, service, teaching and scholarship.

Faculty members who devote almost all their time to grant-funded research, with limited teaching and service responsibilities, may be appointed and promoted in the Research Professor Series.  Faculty members in the Research Professor Series will be supported by funds from external grants and contracts.   They may be independently-funded or collaborative scientists, as defined in the Rules of the School of Medicine.  Faculty in the research professor series are at-will employees and are not eligible for tenure, in accordance with Colorado laws and University of Colorado Policies.

Instructors should have at least the master’s degree or its equivalent and should otherwise be well qualified to participate in teaching, research or clinical service in the School of Medicine and its programs.  Faculty at this rank are not eligible for University tenure nor does your service for this position count toward University tenure.

The rank of Senior Instructor allows higher recognition and salary and, in some cases, longer periods of appointment than that of Instructor.  It may be awarded to faculty members who do not possess the terminal degree or other prerequisites for promotion to Assistant Professor, but who have special abilities in teaching, research or clinical service that justify such recognition.  Faculty at this rank are not eligible for University tenure nor does your service for this position count toward University tenure. Faculty at the Instructor or Senior Instructor level may have the terminal degree appropriate to their field.  They may also have promise in teaching, clinical service or scholarly activity, although they usually do not have an established record of outstanding accomplishments.  Faculty at the Instructor or Senior Instructor level may lack board certification, a record of research funding, teaching or clinical experience or other qualifications for appointment at the Assistant Professor level.

Assistant Professors should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field, or its equivalent, and should otherwise be well qualified to teach in the Medical School and its programs.   Assistant professors should demonstrate potential for excellence in teaching, research, or clinical activity and the capacity to participate productively in scholarly activity.

Associate Professors should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field, or its equivalent.  Associate Professors must demonstrate excellence in teaching, research, or clinical activity; and at least meritorious performance in teaching, scholarly activity, and service/clinical activity.

Professors should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or its equivalent.  They must demonstrate continued achievement in their areas of expertise; a national reputation; at least meritorious performance in teaching and service/clinical activity; excellence in two of the following (teaching, research, and/or clinical activity); and excellence in scholarly activity.