Academic ranks in Denmark

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

Overview

Administrative positions:

• Rektor (rector)
• Dekan (dean), head of a faculty (human sciences, natural sciences etc.)
• Institutleder (department manager), head of a department (computer science, mathematics etc.)

Academic positions:

• Professor
• Lektor (associate professor), time traditionally divided as 50-40-10 between teaching, research, and administration
• Adjunkt (assistant professor), usually almost the same teaching/research/administration division as lektor, although sometimes a little more time for research
• Post-doc, generally a research position, but with the possibility of teaching
• Ekstern Lektor part-time teaching at university. Does not normally require a research degree (PhD or equivalent)

Professorship

In Denmark the word professor is only used for full professors. An associate professor is in Danish called a lektor and an assistant professor is called an adjunkt. Before promotion to full professorship, one can get a time limited (usually 5 years) post as an MSO (professor med særlige opgaver) or "professor with special responsibilities." The post of professor with special responsibilities involves fixed-term specific functions as well as duties that are otherwise associated with professorships. The qualification requirements correspond to those of ordinary professorships. This position gives time for the school to raise funds for the permanent professorship. An additional step between lektor and full professor is docent. A docent has the same work as a professor but they do not actively take part in senior administrative duties, such as heading a department. The Danish PhD does not come with a title; only the local docent, after a similar extended thesis to the German docent, brings the right to be addressed as doktor.