Academic ranks in Spain
Academic ranks in Spain are the titles, relative importance and authority of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia. Overview According to the Spanish Organic University Law, the following are the academic ranks in Spain: National Royal Academies: "Academico de Numero" (Full Royal Academician with a numbered chair) (elected full academician in one of the National Academies, most of the academies are subject specific except for the Royal Academy of Doctors (Real Academia de Doctores) which is interdisciplinary. Appointments to the rank of numbered academician are published in the government gazette (BOE) and are for a lifetime. Numbered academicians enjoy the official style of "excellency" and are considered to be the maximum exponents of their disciplines. This is the highest academic rank that can be attained in Spain. There are fewer than a 1000 people who hold this title at any time.) Academico Correspondiente" (Corresponding Academician) (elected corresponding academican in one of the National Academies. Appointment to the rank of the corresponding academician is for a lifetime and they enjoy the treatment of "ilustrisimo Sr. ". Corresponding academicians are prominent members of their disciplines, mostly prominent full professors and in some rare cases associate professors. Foreigners can also be appointed to this rank such as the Nobel Prize economists who serve as corresponding academicians of the Royal Academy of Economic and Financial Sciences. Corresponding academicians are not entitled to vote in the meetings of the Academies.) Tenured, civil servants: Catedrático de Universidad (Full Professor) (tenured, full/part time, civil servant, PhD required, accreditation required) Profesor Titular de Universidad (Associate Professor) (tenured, full/part time, civil servant, PhD required, accreditation required) Tenured, non civil servants: Profesor Contratado Doctor (Associate Professor) (tenured, full time, not a civil servant, PhD required, accreditation required) Profesor de Universidad Privada (Associate professor) (only for private universities, PhD required, accreditation required) Profesor Colaborador (Lecturer) (tenured, full time, not a civil servant, does not have to hold a PhD, accreditation required, to be phased out) In the autonomous regions of Basque Country and Catalonia there are 2 additional tenured figures, according to relevant prevailing legislation: Profesor Pleno/Catedràtic Contractat (Full Professor) (tenured, full-time, not a civil servant, PhD required, accreditation required, permanent position equivalent to Catedrático de Universidad). Profesor Agregado (Associate Professor) (tenured, full-time, not a civil servant, PhD required, accreditation required, permanent position equivalent to Profesor Titular de Universidad). Non-tenured: Profesor Ayudante Doctor (Assistant Professor) (must hold a PhD, accreditation required) (Profesor Adjunto in Basque Country, Professor Lector in Catalonia) Profesor Ayudante (Teaching Assistant) (does not need to hold a PhD, but usually is a PhD student) Other positions: Teaching positions: Profesor Asociado (a part time instructor who keeps a parallel job) Profesor Visitante (Visiting Professor) Profesor Emérito (Emeritus Professor, keeps teaching and academic roles beyond retirement age, with the legal pension as salary) Profesor Titular de Escuela Universitaria (Tenured, PhD not required, to be extinguished) Profesor Sustituto Interino (Non-tenured, PhD not required, position created for substitutions in Andalusian universities). Research-only positions: Técnico Superior de Investigación (Senior technical officer)