Promotion to professor by competence

Associate professors with at least a 50% permanent position can apply for promotion to professor pursuant to the rules in this guide. Applicants who have previously had their applications for promotion to professor denied must wait two years before submitting a new application. The two-year rule also applies in case the applicant withdraws their application prior to the decision.

Promotion is personal and has no consequences for the duties of the employee. Promotion may only be applied for within the subject in which the applicant is employed. "Subject" refers to the disciplines that may be included in the degrees awarded by the faculty.

For associate professors who have previously been awarded a declaration of competence for a professor II (adjunct professor) post, a new assessment shall be conducted for promotion to professor. 

The evaluation report from the committee will be sent to the applicant as soon as it is available. There is no right of appeal with regard to the expert assessment, but the applicant can object to the case processing or comment on the expert assessment within two weeks of the statement being sent to the applicant. If the committee finds that the conditions for promotion are met, the Faculty Board approves the assessment and awards the promotion. 

Salary will be handled by the central UiB Negotiation Committee after the Faculty Board's processing of the application. The applicant will receive a letter from the faculty when the application and the salary negotiations has been processed.

The evaluation committee

Applications for promotion to professor by competence shall be evaluated by a committee proposed by the applicant’s department and appointed by the Faculty Board.

The evaluation committee consists of three experts with professorial competence or equivalent competence in the applicant's subject area. A chair of the assessment committee is appointed from among the committee members. To the extent possible, and in the subject areas where it is natural to do so, the committee shall have a member from another country. Only one member of the assessment committee can be from the applicant's institution, and this person cannot be the chair of the committee. If possible, both genders shall be represented on the committee. If this is not possible, an explanation must be provided.

On the recommendation of evaluation committee, in special cases, one or more specialists may be appointed to comment on parts of the material submitted by the applicant. Specialists shall issue individual assessments that are submitted to the evaluation committee as guides.

The evaluation report shall normally be provided within three months after the committee has received all documents.

The regulations are based on the same minimum standard for awarding professorial by application to a position (§1-2). The difference between the competence requirements for professors and associate professors is not only a difference in the requirement for the number of scientific publications, but also in the quality and breadth of scientific publication, in accordance with national and international standards.

According to section (1) of the regulations in § 2-1, the assessment committees shall "base the assessment on the criteria for employment as a professor in § 1-2". This means that the requirement to become a professor is:

1. Academic level in accordance with established international or national standards
2. Documented relevant educational competence

Expert assessment

The committee must always indicate the subject area, and if applicable the specialization, in which the applicant is considered to have professorial competence. The statement shall always indicate whether the competence declaration is unanimous and indubitable.

Scientific competence

Promotion to professor on the basis of competence shall be based on an assessment of documented scientific results. Significant scientific production is required beyond what is required for a doctorate. The research must be of high quality and must show both depth and breadth. Consistent research activity is a prerequisite. The publications for evaluation shall normally be peer-reviewed. International contributions (such as conference papers, publications, or participation in professional networks) are normally required. In order to be awarded promotion to professor, the applicant must be assessed in relation to established international or national standards for such a position in the relevant subject area (cf. Regulations on employment and promotion in teaching and research positions no. 129, 9.2. 2006, § 1- 2.1). Such a national standard is described here.

The applicant must meet the general requirements for scientific specialization mentioned above. Assessments of applications for promotion to professor shall be based on the announcement or job description that applies to the applicant's position, possibly in an updated job description.

Requirements for documentation

The applicant must document both scientific depth and breadth in their production. The award of professorial competence requires demonstration of scientific output that is equivalent in quality, depth, and volume to two doctoral dissertations in different fields within the applicant’s subject area. This includes a doctoral dissertation that forms the basis for associate professor competence. If the applicant has significant scientific production that borders on the specified subject area, and a mastery of scientific methods that can clearly be used within this subject area, then the requirement for production within the specific subject area can be lowered somewhat.

International participation and publication shall be given significant weight in the assessment. Scientific breadth can also be documented in work not submitted as part of the application. Popular science and other dissemination, e.g. textbooks and other subject books, should count positively in the overall assessment, but cannot compensate for inadequate scientific work.

When assessing joint work, i.e. publications with more than one author, each of the authors must be credited for the quality and depth of the work. The scope of the work shall, if necessary, be divided by the number of authors. This applies to joint work where each author's contribution is not stated.

It is the applicant's responsibility to submit documentation that provides a basis for qualitative assessment of their scientific competence.

The application must be accompanied by a complete list of the applicant's scientific works. The applicant must identify the works, up to 15 when applying for promotion to professor, which he/she considers most important for the assessment. These works are submitted for assessment. Other works can also be considered, especially in assessing whether the applicant has sufficient professional breadth. The evaluation committee can therefore, if necessary, request that more works are to be submitted.

Submitted publications must normally be peer-reviewed and published in approved channels, whether it concerns journals, publishers, or internet publishing. Unpublished works can exceptionally be submitted, but in these cases a special justification must be provided. There is a distinction between unpublished works that are forthcoming and works that the author has had for a long time without having been submitted or accepted for publication.

Educational competence

The applicant must document his/her educational competence through an educational portfolio consisting of an overview of their practical experience and competence, documentation (pedagogical education and experience), and a brief reflection essay.

Applicants who have previously been assessed and approved for their basic competence in university pedagogy at the associate professor level must document that they meet the additional educational requirements that are specified for professor competence.

Applicants for promotion to professor who have obtained an associate professor position without approved basic competence in university pedagogy, i.e. applicants who have been appointed on the condition that such competence is acquired within a specified deadline, must either document that such competence has been approved after appointment, for example through course certificates, or they must include documentation for equivalent educational competence in the educational portfolio. The committee then assesses the educational competence for both levels.

Competence requirements for appointment to positions such as professor are set out in Section 1-2 of the Regulations concerning Appointment and Promotion to Teaching and Research Posts. The regulations stipulate three additional requirements beyond the requirements for associate professor:

• Quality development in own teaching and supervision over time
• Broad experience with supervision preferably at the master's/PhD level
• Participation in the development of educational quality in academic communities

Detailed descriptions of criteria and documentation that can be used as a basis can be found in Rules for assessing educational competence at UiB.

The Faculty Board at the Faculty of Humanities has determined this regarding educational competence in the supervisor for the evaluation committees:

• Solid competence and a wide range of skills in planning, implementation and evaluation of teaching and learning activities at all levels, both individually and in collaboration with colleagues
• Reflection on their own role, as well as discussing and justifying choices in planning, implementation and development of teaching, learning activities and supervision
• A wide range of skills and significant contributions to systematic development work related to education, teaching, learning activities and guidance
• Broad experience of supervision at the master’s/PhD levels. Normally, the applicant should have supervised at least 8 master candidates and at least one PhD candidate. PhD and master's supervision from institutions other than where the applicant is employed, may be included in the assessment basis. In subject areas where the student numbers at master's/PhD levels are low or supervision activity has a different form or target group, the assessment of teaching and supervision experience shall take this into consideration. Reference is also made to Rules for assessment of educational competence at UiB.

Educational competence cannot compensate for shortcomings in scientific competence.

Dissemination and popular science activities

Documented works of popular science and other methods of dissemination count in a favorable direction in the overall assessment. It is the responsibility of the applicant to submit documentation that provides a basis for a qualitative assessment of his/her scientific competence.

Activities related to popular science can be documented by means of lectures given, media coverage or published work.