Assistant professor title set to be scrapped

A series of radical changes to Turkey’s university system being brought by the Justice and Development Party to the Turkish parliament includes the scrapping of the assistant professor role, the abolition of the oral exam and the lowering of foreign language conditions required of academics seeking promotion to associate professor, and a greater role for universities in the hiring of staff, reports Ahval.

According to moderate Islamist newspaper Karar, the move will allow those with doctorates to be appointed directly as associate professors, cutting out an intermediate stage. However, those not appointed will be ‘doctor teaching assistants’, which will also be the title of existing assistant professors.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the changes recently at a graduation ceremony at his alma mater, Marmara University. “We will reorganise the conditions for associate professorship, God willing … There will be no assistant professorship after getting doctorates.”
Full report on the Ahval site