Faculty Appointments

Faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) are appointed to a department within the School of Medicine (SoM) or to the Graduate School of Nursing (GSN), which does not have departments. Faculty involved in research and graduate training may also have an appointment in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) - contact the school for further information.

Faculty appointments are defined by Rank, Pathway, and Track. The type of appointment is determined by the Department Chair (SoM) or Dean of the Graduate School of Nursing on initial appointment and is defined in the letter of appointment. The initial appointment is temporary and must be formally approved through the academic personnel process within 12 months from the date of appointment for non-clinical faculty or within 6 months from the date of appointment for faculty employed by the clinical system (UMass Memorial HealthCare). Complete information is contained in the UMMS Academic Personnel Policy.

Appointment Process: Click here for further information on the appointment process for new faculty.

Ranks, Tracks and Pathways at UMMS

Ranks and Titles

UMMS uses the standard academic ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor. In addition, the following ranks or titles are used for faculty with more limited academic responsibilities or in special circumstances (click on the titles below for more information; also see Article 5 of the Academic Personnel Policy):

Instructor: multiple uses, including as an entry-level faculty appointment.
Lecturer: for faculty with limited academic contributions.
Affiliate: for voluntary members of the faculty who are not employed by UMMS or UMMHC.
Adjunct: for faculty who hold a primary academic appointment at another institution.
Visiting: for faculty who hold an academic appointment at another institution and are at UMMS for a limited period.
Emeritus: for distinguished, retired faculty.

Tracks

Faculty are appointed to one of two academic tracks:

Tenure Track: requires high quality performance across all mission areas, with continued excellence in research, creative or scholarly activity. All tenure or tenure track appointments are on the unmodified pathway.
Non-Tenure Track: for faculty whose status or breadth of activities may not meet the criteria for tenure. Appointments may be on any Pathway.

Faculty may transfer between tracks, subject to approval: see here for more information.

Pathways

There are three academic pathways (see Article 6 of the Academic Personnel Policy):

Traditional Pathway: faculty are expected to provide excellent contributions in at least two of the three mission areas (research, education, service); titles are unmodified, e.g., "Assistant Professor".
Research Pathway: for faculty expected to focus on research and scholarly activity; titles are modified: e.g., "Research Assistant Professor".
Clinical Pathway: for faculty expected to focus on clinical service; titles are modified: e.g., "Clinical Assistant Professor".