Academic ranks in the Netherlands

Academic ranks in the Netherlands are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.

Overview

• Hoogleraar 1 (a senior full professor, leading a department or university institute)
• Hoogleraar 2 (a junior full professor, leading a research group)
• Persoonlijk Hoogleraar (a junior full professor)
• Universitair Hoofddocent 1,2 (senior/junior associate professor)
• Universitair Docent 1,2 (senior/junior assistant professor)
• Docent 1-4 (a lecturer; without research tasks. Pay grades varying from junior positions below PostDoc to positions equivalent in rank to junior associate professor)
• Onderzoeker / Postdoc 1-4 (a research fellow without formal teaching tasks; postdoctoral fellow; ranging from grade 4 junior researcher (no PhD required) to grade 1 equivalent rank to junior associate professor)
• Assistent in Opleiding / Promovendus (Ph.D. candidate temporarily employed by the university; rank equivalent to junior researcher)
• Onderzoeksassistent (research assistant; no Ph.D. or MSc. required)
• Student Assistent (research or teaching assistant, (under)graduate student temporarily employed by university for research or teaching activities)

special ranks outside the formal system

• Universiteitshoogleraar (a distinguished full professor, appointed to represent the university as a whole)
• Akademiehoogleraar (a distinguished full professor, granted a 5 year scholarship exempted from administrative tasks, sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences)

• Buitengewoon hoogleraar (a professor appointed on a sponsored topic whose chair only exists because of the sponsoring)
• Emeritus hoogleraar (full professor, who retired in good standing. Allowed to keep the title of professor for life, allowed "ius promovendi" (the right to bestow doctorates - limited to full professor under Dutch law) 5 years following retirement.

Administrative position

• Rector Magnificus (head of research and education of a university; always a full professor)

• Voorzitter raad van bestuur (CEO of a university)
• Decaan (dean; head of research and education of a faculty/school)
• Department or group chair (leader of a research group or department - when retiring a replacement will be actively looked for in an open application procedure).

Professorship

The ranking system in Dutch universities is as follows:

• universitair docent 2, abbreviated UD2 (literal translation University lecturer rank 2. Equivalent to UK lecturer, and US assistant professor - pay grade 11)
• universitair docent 1, abbreviated UD1 (literal translation University lecturer rank 1. Equivalent to UK lecturer, and US assistant professor - pay grade 12)
• universitair hoofddocent 2, abbreviated UHD2 (literal translation University head lecturer rank 2. Equivalent to UK senior lecturer, and US associate professor- pay grade 13)
• universitair hoofddocent 1, abbreviated UHD1 (literal translation University head lecturer rank 1. Equivalent to UK reader, and US associate professor- pay grade 14)
• hoogleraar 2, or professor (literal translation high teacher rank 2, lowest Dutch academic rank allowed to use the title prof. Equivalent to UK professor, and US full professor - pay grade H2).
• hoogleraar 1, or professor (literal translation high teacher rank 1. Usually department or sub department chair. Equivalent to UK professor, and US full professor - pay grade H1).

In daily practice no distinction is made between rank 1 and 2 in the Dutch ranking system. Each rank increase come with an shift in pay grade. Promotion from rank 2 to rank 1 within the same function is usually easier than moving to a differently named function. The title professor is protected by Dutch law and can only be used to address full professors (or emeritus professors) affiliated with a university. The title, or abbreviation cannot be used for any other teaching (or other) professional.

A professor should have substantial research achievements and international reputation, and is typically the head of a department or of a "chair-group" within a department. Most academic staff will have both research and teaching duties.

Although the ranks are often translated as if they were aligned with the American system (i.e. assistant, associate, and full professor), this not as clear-cut. Traditionally a lecturer could only become reader or professor by applying for such a position if there was a vacancy. However, Dutch universities are moving towards a system closer to the US tenure track system to have more flexibility in responding to merits of individuals. In Dutch universities, permanent positions must be offered upon the third extension of fixed-term position or after 6 years of continuous contracts(whichever comes first), a rule which was instantiated to avoid permatemps.

Dutch universities can also appoint professors occupying an endowed chair (Dutch: "bijzonder hoogleraar", literally "special professor") on a part-time basis.^[1] Special professors usually have their main employment somewhere else, often in industry or at a research institute or University elsewhere (although special professorships can also be used to give a sitting reader a professor title. In the Netherlands the main benefit for full professor is the jus promovendi which means that a full professor is always principal supervisor for any PhD project). Endowed professors have all the privileges of a full professor ((gewoon) hoogleraar), may give lectures on special topics, or can supervise graduate students who may do their research at the place of the professor's main employment. Due to this system, many university research groups will have several professors. The special professor (bijzonder hoogleraar) does not get paid by the university, but receives a salary from an external organization, such as a company, an organization or a fund. The former title buitengewoon hoogleraar ("professor by special appointment", literally "extraordinary professor")^[2] for a part-time professor is no longer used (since the 1986 reforms); all the then holders of such positions became part-time full professors.

In 1986 the system was reformed and holders of Lector positions (to some extent equivalent to UK readers) were transformed into full Professors, introducing a rank 2 professor at a lower salary scale than the existing professors. The present salary scales refer to Professor 1 or Professor 2 (the former is the higher in standing). In the early 2000s the lector position has been re-introduced at universities of applied sciences for research group leaders aimed at applied research. Until that moment universities of applied sciences had no research tasks.

When a full professor retires in good standing, the professor becomes emeritus professor. This allows the retired professor to keep the title professor for life. An emeritus professor is allowed to supervise doctorate theses until five years after retirement.

Some Dutch universities have also instituted University Professorships appointing scientific ambassadors for the university as a whole, rather than representing a department. The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences can appoint a professor to be an Academy Professors, a high honor for a sitting professor.

References