Associate professor

Associate professor

Socrates, one of the earliest recorded professors.
Occupation
Names	Professor
Occupation type	Profession
Activity sectors	Academics
Description
Competencies	Academic knowledge, teaching
Education required	Sometimes a Master's degree, but typically a Doctoral degree
Related jobs	Teacher/Researcher

Associate professor (frequently capitalized as Associate Professor) is an academic title that can have different meanings. In North America and universities elsewhere using the North American system, it is a position between assistant professor and a full professorship. In a number of Commonwealth countries, the title associate professor is often used in place of reader, which is used in the United Kingdom and a number of other Commonwealth universities; this usage is typical of universities in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in South Africa, Malaysia and other countries (the title associate professor in those countries, like the title reader, corresponds to a full professorship in North America).

Some universities in Commonwealth countries have changed to the American system, or adopted a combination. The University of Western Australia, for example, changed to the American-style system in 2009, and those who until then held the title associate professor received the new title professor, whereas those who until then held the title senior lecturer, received the new title associate professor.

Overview

The table presents a broad overview of the traditional main systems, but there are universities which use a combination of those systems or other titles.

North American system	Commonwealth system
Professor (Distinguished Professor or equivalent)	Professor
Professor	Reader or Associate Professor
Associate professor	Senior Lecturer or Principal Lecturer
Assistant professor	Lecturer