Promotion and Tenure Process

The College of Medicine has seven faculty title series that acknowledge the varied contributions made by its faculty and provide an opportunity for advancement for the different faculty tracks. Criteria for promotion at the different faculty and professional ranks are described in:

• College of Medicine Title Series and Tracks (COM)
• The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure (COM)

1. Tenure-eligible assistant or associate professors have a 6-year "clock" with a mandatory review for promotion and tenure during the sixth year.
2. Tenure-eligible faculty who are initially appointed at the full professor level have a 3-year clock with mandatory review during the third year. Tenure eligible assistant professors are also required to undergo a 3rd year, mid-cycle review to assure that they are on track for eventual promotion.
3. Career Track/non-tenure track faculty with year-to-year appointments do not follow such a timeline, but are reviewed at regular intervals for possible promotion.

Because of the large number of dossiers reviewed each year at the COM-T and University, it is critical faculty closely observe both the format and the established procedures for submitting their dossier. Using the guide sheets for each section of the dossier will provide the candidate and reviewers with an overview of the items to be reviewed in each section and will ensure consistency and completeness of the dossiers. Please also see the CV guidelines below, which provide greater detail about CV format pertinent to the College of Medicine.

• The process for preparing a dossier begins in the spring with the initiation of several workshops presented by the Provost’s Office and by the College of Medicine
• Faculty in the College of Medicine who are due for mandatory review in the following year are notified in March, with instructions to meet with their supervisors and begin compiling their materials for promotion
• The Promotion Dossier CV Guidelines can help the candidate prepare their CV in the correct format
• College of Medicine faculty applying for promotion and/or tenure must prepare a dossier in the approved format (Clinical or Non-Clinical)
  • Not sure which promotion dossier to use?  This document explains which one to use
• Every dossier needs a peer teaching evaluation from the year prior to promotion, which must be completed by someone at the rank you are promoting TO or higher 
  • Evaluation forms are available for bedside, research, clinical and classroom teaching
• Each department has a P&T Coordinator who can provide direction for the candidate in completing the process
  • Some departments also have P&T criteria, which will be used to review all candidates in that department

Additional resources:

OIA Peer Evaluation Training Series

Example of how to meet promotion criteria on the Clinical Scholar track  - created by a faculty taskforce

Example of how to meet promotion criteria  on the Clinical Series track - created by a faculty taskforce