Career at UCPH for faculty and academic staff

UCPH wishes to ensure continual academic development and satisfactory career pathways for individual faculty and academic staff, which includes ensuring that potential career pathways are clear for individual researchers and that there is systematic support for career management.

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Job structure – UCPH

The job structure at UCPH follows the legislated “Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities”. The outline below can give you an overview of the different types of academic positions, including information about job level, required qualifications, job content and period of employment.

Job requirements: Master’s degree. The appointment of PhD fellows is subject to the protocol to the agreement covering staff with university degrees in the state sector.

Job description: Research, some teaching.

Employment terms: Fixed-term education position. Maximum 3 years of employment. Part-time appointment combined with a prolongation of the contract can only be agreed upon at the commencement of employment/first contract.

Job structure level: Positions below the level of assistant professor.

Job requirements: Master’s degree.

Job description: Research and/or teaching. A minor part of working time may be spent on academic development as well as the performance of other responsibilities.

Employment terms: Fixed-term academic position. Maximum 3 years of employment.

Job structure level: Positions below the level of assistant professor.


Job requirements: Master’s degree.

Job description: Teaching/part-time. Independent performance of teaching duties, normally of an elementary nature, or instruction that supplements teaching provided at the level of assistant professor, associate professor or professor. Assistant lecturers carry out teaching activities in the relevant subject according to the regulations of the institution. Assistant lecturers must have special permission to act as examiners.

Employment terms: Part-time position, maximum 3 times 3 years of employment.

Job structure level: Positions below the level of assistant professor.


Job requirements: Master’s degree and additional qualifications at high level, for example particular areas of specialisation, expertise or practical experience achieved through employment involving practical application of the discipline. Teaching qualifications are required.

Job description: Part-time position with main emphasis on the performance of qualified teaching duties. The objective of a part-time lectureship is to enable the appointment of lecturers with relevant practical experience or special qualifications at high level. Part-time lecturers mus independently plan and implement teaching activities according to the institution’s regulations, hold lectures, prepare and carry out examinations and other assessments.

Employment terms: Tenured and fixed-term appointment.

Job structure level: Positions below the level of assistant professor.

Job requirements: Academic qualifications at PhD-level.

Job description: Normally, the post will be heavily weighted in favour of research. In addition, a certain amount of teaching may also be required. Other duties may, furthermore, have to be performed to a limited extent. The university determines the exact ration between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.

The position contains no enhancement of pedagogical competencies. The post of postdoc, therefore, cannot on its one qualify for appointment as associate professor/senior researcher.

Employment terms: Fixed-term academic position. Maximum 4 years of employment.

Job structure level: Positions at the level of assistant professor.

Job requirements: Academic qualifications at PhD level.

Job description: An assistant professorship is a further-education post. The main responsibilities are research (including publication/academic dissemination duties) and researchbased teaching (with associated examination duties). In addition to research and research-based teaching, the post may also include a duty to share knowledge with the rest of society. In addition, assistant professors may be asked to perform other duties. The university determines the exact ratio between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time, but a balance has to be struck for the assistant professor to be able to improve his or her qualifications in areas relevant to the position (typically research and teaching). Supervision is provided, as well as the opportunity to enhance pedagogical competencies with a view to a written assessment of the assistant professor’s teaching qualifications.

In the clinical area, an assistant professorship that may carry the job title ’clinical assistant professorship’ and is normally filled in relation to a position involving the treatment of patients.

Employment terms: Fixed-term position held for a maximum of 4 years, 5 years as clinical assistant professor or tenure-track position. When the position is advertised, it must be clearly stipulated whether the post is fixed-term or tenure-track.

Job structure level: Positions at the level of assistant professor.

Job requirements: Academic qualifications at PhD level.

Job description: The main responsibilities are research (including publication/academic dissemination duties) and research-based Public Sector Consultancy. In addition, a certain amount of teaching may also be required. Other duties may, furthermore, have to be performed to a limited extent. The university may in special circumstances and to a limited extent depart from the requirement that the post must include teaching duties. The university determines the exact ratio between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time, but a balance has to be struck for the researcher to be able to improve his or her qualifications in areas relevant to the position (typically research, research-based Public Sector Consultancy and teaching). Supervision is provided, as well as the opportunity to enhance pedagogical competencies with a view to a written assessment of the researcher’s teaching qualifications.

Employment terms: Maximum 4 years of employment, 5 years as clinical researcher or as a tenure-track position.

Job structure level: Positions at the level of assistant professor.

Job requirements: Research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/researcher, but may also be obtained in other ways. It is assumed that applicants have received supervision and enhancement of pedagogical competencies and have received a positive written assessment of their teaching qualifications. On appointment, other qualifications may also be required, e.g. in relation to knowledge and technology transfer and, for example, patenting and cooperation with external partier.

Job description: Mainly research (including publication/ academic dissemination duties) and research-based teaching (with associated examination duties). In addition to research and research-based teaching, the post may also include a duty to share knowledge with the rest of society – including participation in public debate. Furthermore, associate professors may be asked to manage research, provide guidance and supervision of assistant professors and researchers as well as take part in academic assessments. The university determines the exact ratio between the different responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.

Employment terms: Normally a tenured position, but may also be fixed-term, for example in connection with the appointment of visiting associate professors or in connection with special projects.

Job structure level: Positions at the level of associate professor.

Job requirements: Research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/researcher, but may also be obtained in other ways. It is assumed that applicants have received supervision and enhancement of pedagogical competencies and have received a positive written assessment of their teaching qualifications.

Job description: The post of senior researcher consists mainly of research (including publication/academic dissemination duties) and research-based Public Sector Consultancy. In addition, a certain amount of teaching may also be required. Furthermore, senior researchers may be asked to manage research, provide guidance and supervision of assistant professors and researchers as well as take part in academic assessments. The university may in special circumstances and to a limited extent depart from the requirement that the post must include teaching duties. The university determines the exact ratio between the various responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.

Employment terms: Normally a permanent position, but may also be fixed-term.

Job structure level: Positions at the level of associate professor.

Job requirements: Research qualifications at the level that can be achieved by satisfactorily completing a period of employment as an assistant professor/researcher, but may also be obtained in other ways. On appointment, other qualifications may also be required, for example that the applicant, independently, has performed considerable advisory and communication tasks for authorities, the business community or society in general.

Job description: The main responsibilities of a senior adviser consist of research-based Public Sector Consultancy and the communication of research results to authorities, the business community and society in general. Senior advisers also have a duty to keep up-to-date regarding a broad academic area, conduct analyses of broad academic problems and disseminate these in an academically proper manner. The post may also include teaching and research. The university determines the exact ratio between the different responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.

Employment terms: Primarily tenured position.

Job structure level: Positions at the level of associate professor.

Job requirements: Original scientific production at an international level.

Job description: The professorship consists mainly of research (including publication/ academic dissemination duties) and research-based teaching (with associated examination duties). Moreover, research-based Public Sector Consultancy may be required. In addition, the post may also include a duty to share knowledge with the rest of society – including participation in public debate. Furthermore, professors may be asked to manage research, provide guidance and supervision of assistant professors and researchers as well as take part in academic assessments. The university determines the exact ratio between the different responsibilities. The ratio may vary over time.

Employment terms: Primarily tenured position.

Job structure level: Positions at the level of professor.

Job requirements: The qualification requirements correspond to those of ordinary professorships. Emphasis must, however, be placed on whether the applicant has the potential to continue the development of the discipline and has documented original academic production at international level. Special emphasis must also be placed on an assessment of the applicant’s opportunities to perform the special responsibility or responsibilities associated with the specific post.

Job description: The post of professor with special responsibilities involves fixed-term specific functions as well as duties that are otherwise associated with professorships. Normally, the positions are established with a view to appointing particularly talented, preferably young researchers to develop a promising discipline at international level. The position must be within one of the university’s core activities, a selected priority or an area in which there is a special need for high academic competence as part of the development of a new field of research or education. The ratio between the different responsibilities may vary over time for the individual post holder, although emphasis must be placed on the performance of one or more of the special responsibilities. The terms of employment may include research management.

Employment terms: 3-8 years of employment, with the option of a further extension. Total employment can be maximum 8 years, (though still maximum two extensions).

Job structure level: Positions at the level of professor.

More information and description of special positions

For more information regarding job structure for academic staff at universities, or information about special positions (Teaching Assistant Professor/Teaching Associate Professor, Instructor on BSc in engineering and export engineering courses, Clinical associate professor, Part-time clinical professor, Clinical Instructor, Specialist of Postgraduate Education in Odontology or Senior Clinical Instructor in Dentistry, Postgraduate Fellow in Odontology, Postgraduate Fellow in Psychology), please see the complete Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities 2019.