What are the differencesbetween a Lecturer

and a tenured or tenure-track Professor?

Qualifications and Duties Compared

– Academic credentials– Job duties– Evaluation– Compensation

Credentials

Education

Tenure-Track

Lecturer

Ph.D. or terminal Masters

Ph.D. or terminal Masters

Experience More likely toteach straight out of graduate school

More likely tohave real-world experience

What They Do…Tenure-Track Lecturer

Teach Classes Teach 30% of all classes (often smaller ones; varies by campus)

Teach 40% of all classes (often larger classes; varies by dept.)

Do Research

Yes Yes

Publish Required

Not required, but most do

Give conference papers

Yes Not required, but most do

Develop Courses

Yes

Not required, but most do

Required Not required; sometimes possible

Serve on Committees

How Are Each Evaluated?Tenure-Track Lecturer

1) Publications Most important Doesn’t count at all

2) Research 2nd most important Doesn’t count at all

3) Committee Service

3rd most important 3rd most important, for some Lecturers

4) Course Development

4th most important 2nd most important

5) Teaching 5th most important First & most important!

CompensationTenure-Track Lecturer

Salary 60% (or less) of tenure-track

Benefits Full Full or partial depending on appointment level

Job Security Tenure (the goal)

Tenure not possible; limited job security

Notes

Quantitative details refer to all three University of Michigan campuses in total, derived from official U-M data. Variations by campus and by department/program do exist.General descriptions of credentials, responsibilities, evaluations, and compensation pertaining to Lecturers and Tenure-Track Faculty are specific to U-M, though they also apply nation-wide.