Academic positions at Bilkent University fall under the following categories:
– Academic-Promotion-Track Faculty Positions (Professorial Faculty Positions)
– Teaching-Track Faculty Positions
– Extension Faculty Positions
– Research Faculty Positions
– Visiting Faculty Positions
– Adjunct Faculty Positions
– Temporary Research Positions
Academic departments work with their Deans and the Provost Office to determine their faculty hiring needs. Search committees formed in each department advertise available positions and identify candidates. Suitable candidates are interviewed and evaluated by the departments, their Deans, and the Provost Office. Appointment requirements specific to each academic position are carried out as needed. Successful candidates are sent offer letters by the Provost.
All faculty members at the assistant professor, associate professor, and professor levels must hold a doctorate or an equivalent degree.
Only academic-promotion-track faculty are eligible for applying to take sabbatical leaves.
Academic-Promotion-Track Faculty Positions (Professorial Faculty Positions)
Academic-promotion-track faculty positions constitute the main professorial academic career path. These faculty members are expected to conduct independent academic research and/or produce artistic output (where applicable), in addition to teaching at the undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) levels.
A. Assistant Professor: Entry level academic-promotion-track faculty position. Appointed by the Rector upon the recommendation of the Provost. Initial appointments are for a duration of two to four years, with annual re-appointments afterwards. Assistant Professors are expected to get promoted to Associate Professor within a given time frame, usually within seven years; those who do not get promoted may be asked to leave the university or considered for a non-professorial position.
B. Associate Professor: Middle level academic-promotion-track faculty position. Appointed after completing a three-step process, the first step being a requirement of the Council of Higher Education and conducted by the affiliated Inter-University Board, the second step being Bilkent University’s own promotion and appointment process which relies upon reports by external reviewers in addition to internal assessments. The last step is again a requirement of the Council of Higher Education that calls for a University Executive Board decision based upon reports by national reviewers, followed by a final appointment by the President of the Board of Trustees.
C. Professor: Top level academic-promotion-track faculty position. Appointed after completing a two-step process, the first step being Bilkent University’s own promotion and appointment process which relies upon reports by external reviewers in addition to internal assessments; the second step is a requirement of the Council of Higher Education that calls for a University Executive Board decision based upon reports by national reviewers, followed by a final appointment by the President of the Board of Trustees.
D. Emeritus Professor: An honorary title that may be granted on an annual basis by the University Executive Board to a retired professor who wishes to remain academically active without receiving any compensation or benefits.
Teaching-Track Faculty Positions
Teaching-track faculty positions are held by faculty whose main responsibility is teaching courses at the undergraduate and graduate (if applicable) levels. Even though research is not their main focus, the university encourages academic research and/or artistic output (where applicable) conducted by teaching-track faculty. At all levels, teaching-track faculty are appointed by the Rector upon the recommendation of the Provost. Initial appointments are for a duration of two to four years, with annual re-appointments afterwards.
Promotion to Lecturer or Senior Lecturer positions for existing teaching-track faculty can only be initiated by the Provost; applications from faculty members are not accepted.
E. Instructor: Main level of teaching-track faculty. When necessary, this position may be further qualified, such as Laboratory Instructor.
F. Lecturer: An upper level of teaching-track faculty.
G. Senior Lecturer: Top level of teaching-track faculty rank.
H. Assistant Professor of Teaching: A teaching-track faculty position that may be granted to assistant professors who were not promoted to Associate Professor within the given time frame but have shown extraordinary teaching performance. New junior faculty applicants who show strong teaching potential without a similar level of potential for independent research may also be appointed as Assistant Professor of Teaching. Assistant Professors of Teaching are eligible to apply for promotion to Associate Professor position on the same terms as academic-promotion-track assistant professors, but only upon the approval of the Provost. “Of-Teaching” appointments are at the Assistant Professor level only.
Extension Faculty Positions
Extension faculty positions are for faculty members who are outside the academic-promotion track, either because they were appointed as professors at another institution but have chosen not to pursue full professorship at Bilkent University or because they are professionals who come from non-academic career backgrounds. Appointment is possible with the approval of the Rector upon a favorable recommendation by the Provost. For Professor and Associate Professor level appointments, Council of Higher Education procedures that call for a University Executive Board decision based upon reports by national reviewers also have to be completed, followed by a final appointment by the President of the Board of Trustees. Initial appointments are for a duration of two to four years, with annual re-appointments afterwards. Even though extension faculty positions are not considered to be a path to professorial faculty appointments, extension faculty may apply to be considered for academic-promotion-track faculty positions.
I. Professor in Residence: A faculty position for academics who were previously appointed as Professor at another institution but have elected not to apply for appointment to an academic-promotion-track Professor position at Bilkent University. In-Residence appointments are at the Professor level only.
J. Professor / Associate Professor / Assistant Professor of Practice: Positions for faculty with professional expertise and career experience but without the academic record necessary for academic-promotion-track faculty positions at Bilkent University. It is not possible to get promoted from one “of-Practice” position to another such position.
K. Professional in Residence: Teaching-track positions for faculty who have demonstrated widely accepted expertise in their respective professions and can convey said expertise in their teaching. In the title, “Professional” may be replaced by the specific profession of the individual.
Research Faculty Positions
Research faculty positions are for faculty members who pay their own salaries and support their own research activities from externally-awarded research funds. Their primary responsibility is to conduct independent research and advise graduate students; in addition, they are expected to teach at a lower teaching load. Appointment requires approval of the Rector upon a favorable recommendation by the Provost and is limited to the fixed term of the support funding. For Professor and Associate Professor level appointments, going through Bilkent University’s own promotion and appointment process which relies upon reports by external reviewers in addition to internal assessments is necessary. In addition, Council of Higher Education procedures that call for a University Executive Board decision based upon reports by national reviewers also have to be completed, followed by a final appointment by the President of the Board of Trustees. Upon the approval of the Provost, faculty at Research Assistant Professor or Research Associate Professor levels may apply for promotion to higher Research faculty positions, going through the same multi-step processes as academic-promotion-track Assistant and Associate Professors. Even though Research faculty positions are not considered to be a path to professorial faculty appointments, Research faculty may apply to be considered for academic-promotion-track faculty positions.
L. Research Professor / Associate Professor / Assistant Professor
Visiting Faculty Positions
Visiting faculty members are academicians who come to Bilkent University to spend a predetermined period of time, not exceeding two years. Visiting faculty positions may be awarded to those individuals who wish to spend sabbatical leaves, conduct collaborative research, or teach at Bilkent University. Appointment requires approval of the Rector upon a favorable recommendation by the Provost. An exception to the two-year limit can be made by the Provost in cases when the faculty member applies for appointment to a permanent position and the process takes longer than two years. It is not possible to get promoted from one visiting position to another visiting position.
M. Visiting Professor / Associate Professor / Assistant Professor
Adjunct Faculty Positions
Adjunct faculty positions are for academicians who have a regular academic appointment at another institution but are associated with Bilkent University in teaching, research, or collaboration. Adjunct appointments are normally part-time fixed-term positions and may or may not be salaried appointments.
N. Adjunct Professor / Associate Professor / Assistant Professor
Temporary Research Positions
Appointment requires approval of the Rector upon a favorable recommendation by the Provost.
O. Research Assistant: Students enrolled in a graduate level program may be appointed as Research Assistants for a fixed term. Research Assistants are not eligible to benefit from any Bilkent University scholarships during their term of employment.
P. Post-Doctoral Researcher / Research Scientist / Researcher: Researchers holding a PhD degree and residing at Bilkent University to collaborate with a faculty member solely for academic research may be employed on a fixed-term basis if funded by the faculty member.
Part-time academic positions are fixed-term teaching appointments with compensation based on weekly contact hours. As the need arises, the university may appoint part-time faculty members to teach specific courses or sections. Deans forward their part-time faculty requests for each semester to the Provost Office for approval. The term of any part-time employment may not exceed the duration of the semester or the summer school.
All full-time academic staff including research assistants but excluding visiting faculty, adjunct faculty, and those holding temporary research positions other than research assistants are reported to the Council of Higher Education for inclusion in their faculty database YÖKSİS.
Appointments and promotions to academic-promotion-track positions or research faculty positions at the associate professor and full professor levels require successful completion of Bilkent University’s Promotions and Appointments Process.
Eligibility for Application to Associate Professor Position
Applicants must hold the title of associate professor (“doçent”) from the Inter-University Board, a government body affiliated with the Council of Higher Education. Academic-promotion-track assistant professors who are currently employed at Bilkent University may be permitted by the Provost to start the Bilkent University Promotions and Appointments Process after having successfully handed in their application to the Inter-University Board.
Faculty members who are currently employed at Bilkent University must be employed in an academic-promotion-track assistant professor or research assistant professor position. Upon the approval of the Provost, assistant professors of teaching may also apply for promotion to professorial associate professor positions. Teaching-track, extension, visiting, and adjunct faculty may apply to be considered for open academic-promotion-track faculty positions on the same terms as candidates from outside Bilkent University.
Eligibility for Application to Full Professor Position
Applicants must have worked in an academic setting in their field for at least five years after getting the title of associate professor (“doçent”) from the Inter-University Board.
Faculty members who are currently employed at Bilkent University must be employed in an academic-promotion-track associate professor or research associate professor position. Teaching-track, extension, visiting, and adjunct faculty may apply to be considered for open academic-promotion-track faculty positions on the same terms as candidates from outside Bilkent University.
External Referees
Bilkent University Promotions and Appointments Process relies upon reports by external reviewers in addition to internal assessments. The candidate, the Chair, the Dean, and when necessary the Provost contribute names to the list of external referees.
External referees are chosen from amongst the most prominent and established scholars in the field of the candidate. External referees should be well-qualified scholars or artists who are able to provide a fair, objective, and detailed evaluation of the candidate’s work. External referees should either currently have or in the past have held a rank that is equivalent to or higher than the candidate’s proposed rank.
It is expected that all external referees are from institutions outside of Turkey; however, in fields with strong national attributes (such as Turkish literature or Turkish law), a small minority of referees may be chosen from Turkey too.
In order to assure an objective assessment, external referees are expected to have an arm’s-length relationship with the candidate, meaning they should not have close connections or relationships with the candidate, professional or personal. This requirement would exclude former advisors, frequent co-authors, co-editors, and research collaborators, in addition to relatives and friends.
The candidate is expected to provide the names of five potential referees at the time of application. Candidates are strictly forbidden from contacting potential referees beforehand or after filing their applications. The candidate may also provide the name of a single person they prefer not to be included in the final list of referees.
The Chair is expected to provide the names of three to five potential referees. Chairs are forbidden from contacting potential referees beforehand or after forwarding the application file to the Dean.
The Dean determines the names of three to five referees. Deans do not contact potential referees beforehand to ask whether they are willing to serve as referees or not. If an exclusion request has been made by the candidate, the Dean is obligated to honor the request and not choose that person as a referee.
In cases where the Dean and the Chair are the same person, the Dean determines the names of six referees; any additional names are determined by the Provost.
A Referee Information Form (see below) should be filled out for each external referee by the person proposing that name, indicating the referee’s qualifications and the nature of their relationship with the candidate if any. In cases when it is not feasible to observe the arm’s-length requirement, for example in an emerging or narrow field of study, an explanation should be provided on the form.
The identities of external referees are strictly kept confidential. The candidate must not know the identities of any of the referees chosen by the Chair or the Dean.
Application
Candidates seeking appointment to academic-promotion-track or research faculty positions at the associate professor or full professor level apply to their Department Chair with the documentation listed below.
- Curriculum Vitae, prepared in standard form. (Link*)
- A personal statement summarizing all scholarly achievements, activities, and goals in regard to academic research and/or artistic output (where applicable), teaching, and service to the university and the academic community. Emphasis should be given to the impact of said achievements in the field of activity.
- All publications and scholarly output that are listed in the CV.
- A subset of selected scholarly output that represents their best and most impactful work, not to exceed eight items.
- A list of five potential external referees. A Referee Information Form should be submitted for each referee. (Link*)
Candidates should provide the Chair with electronic copies of all application documents and one printed copy of each document, except for those over 30 pages long. For application materials that cannot be printed, such as audio or video recordings, an electronic file that contains internet links to the relevant material should be provided.
In cases where the university is aiming to hire a senior academic to a full professor position, with the approval of the Dean and the Provost, the Chair may prepare the application file in place of the candidate.
Internal Assessment at the Department Level
When a candidate files an application with their department, the department Chair notifies the Dean and the Provost, indicating the date of application.
The department Chair forms an Initial Evaluation Committee composed of three academic-promotion-track faculty members at or above the academic rank that is being pursued by the candidate, at least one of whom must be a professor. The Initial Evaluation Committee is preferably formed from faculty members within the department, but when suitable members cannot be found, the Chair may choose members from other departments.
The Initial Evaluation Committee evaluates the candidate’s work and writes a detailed report on the standing of the candidate in terms of research and/or artistic output, teaching, and service to the university. The report may contain comparisons with other faculty members in the department who are at a similar stage in their career. The Initial Evaluation Committee makes a final recommendation in terms of supporting or not supporting the promotion application.
Upon receiving the report of the Initial Evaluation Committee, the Chair writes an evaluation report of their own assessment, also making a final recommendation regarding the application. The Chair then forwards to the Dean all application materials together with the Chair’s report, the Initial Evaluation Committee’s report, and the Referee Information Forms for three to five external referees who are different from those proposed by the candidate.
The Chair is expected to forward all materials to the Dean within one month of the application. If this is not possible for reasons beyond control, the Chair should seek a deadline extension from the Provost.
At this time the Chair also forwards copies of the Chair’s report, the Initial Evaluation Committee’s report, and the Referee Information Forms to the Provost.
In cases where the Dean and the Chair are the same person, the Chair’s responsibilities are carried out by the Dean; however, a separate Chair’s evaluation report is not required and the Chair does not specify any external referees.
Initial Evaluation by the Dean
After reviewing the application materials and internal reports, the Dean forms their own recommendation regarding the promotion application. The Dean also determines three to five external referees who are different from those proposed by the candidate and the Chair, and fills out Referee Information Forms for each referee. In cases where the Dean and the Chair are the same person, the Dean specifies six external referees and may request additional referee names from the Provost .
In cases when the faculty Dean is not an academic-promotion-track professor, the Provost takes over the rest of the process and solicits external referee reports directly from Provost Office. For this, the Dean sends all reports and application materials to the Provost, together with their own detailed evaluation report containing a final recommendation and all the Referee Information Forms.
After the Dean decides on their own recommendation for promotion, if the Initial Evaluation Committee, Chair, and Dean recommendations are all negative, and it is the first time the candidate has applied for promotion to this particular academic rank, the outcome of the application at hand is deemed unsuccessful. In this case, the Dean notifies the candidate and the Provost, sending all reports and application materials to the Provost, together with the Dean’s evaluation report detailing the reasons for the negative recommendation. The candidate may re-apply at any time after one year has passed following the Dean’s notification of the negative result. In this second application, even if all the recommendations for promotion are negative, the Dean forwards all reports, application materials, and Referee Information Forms to the Provost. The Provost then reviews the case and may decide that the application is again deemed unsuccessful and notifies the candidate and the Dean of this result. Alternatively, the Provost may decide to take over the rest of the process and solicit external referee reports directly from Provost Office.
If the Dean holds the opinion that the candidate does not meet the requirements for promotion and at least one of the Initial Evaluation Committee or the Chair report is positive, the Dean must hand over the process to the Provost. In this case, the Dean sends all reports, application materials, and Referee Information Forms to the Provost, together with the Dean’s evaluation report detailing their reasons for the negative recommendation. The Provost then reviews the case and may decide that the application is deemed unsuccessful and in this case notifies the candidate and the Dean. Alternatively, the Provost may decide to solicit external referee letters directly from the Provost Office, taking over the process.
If the Dean holds the opinion that the candidate meets the requirements for promotion, they proceed with soliciting external referee reports even if one or both the Initial Evaluation Committee and Chair reports are negative.
Final List of External Referees
The candidate, the Chair, and the Dean are each responsible for assuring that the external referees they have proposed have all the qualities that are outlined in the External Referees section above, including the arm’s-length condition. If the Dean feels that a proposed referee does not meet all the qualifications, they may suggest the candidate or the Chair who has made the proposal to replace that name, but the final decision to change the proposed name or not lies with the candidate or the Chair.
In the final list of external referees, the Dean must include at least three of the five names provided by the candidate, and all the names provided by the Chair or the Provost when applicable. The total number of referees will therefore be at least 9 and at most 15.
Soliciting Reports from External Referees
The Dean writes to each external referee, asking them to evaluate and write a detailed report on the professional standing of the candidate. The Dean includes:
– The candidate’s Curriculum Vitae
– The candidate’s personal statement
– The candidates selected scholarly work, at most eight items
– A link to the candidate’s complete scholarly work
The Dean’s letter should set a specific deadline, not less than 6 and not more than 10 weeks.
After soliciting evaluation reports from external referees, the Dean sends the list of referees, their affiliations, and contact information together with all correspondence with the referees to the Provost.
If any of the external referees decline to write a report, the Dean may or may not choose to supplement the list of external referees.
After the stated deadline expires, the Dean may remind external referees who have not yet sent in their reports.
When the Dean is convinced that no new reports are likely to be sent in, they send to the Provost the entire application file together with all the internal reports, the external referee reports, all correspondence with the referees, and a table summarizing the interactions with all the referees, including those that were proposed but not chosen to be in the final list of external referees.
The Dean should not discuss the number of external referee reports received or their contents with the candidate or the Chair.
In cases when the external referee process has to be handed over to the Provost by the Dean, all functions of the Dean are carried out by the Provost. When finalizing the external referee list, the Provost must include all the referees proposed by the Dean but may choose to add up to five additional referees to the list.
After receiving the candidate’s file and the external referee reports, if deemed necessary the Provost may decide to solicit evaluation reports from up to five new external referees.
All correspondence with the external referees is handled exclusively by the faculty Dean and/or the Provost.
All internal electronic communication that includes referee information or evaluation reports is to be conveyed either via e-mail using encryption or via USB memory.
Promotions and Appointments Committee
The Promotions and Appointments Committee is composed of the Provost and 7 other academic-promotion-track professors, appointed or re-appointed for each academic year by the Rector upon the recommendation of the Provost. This committee is headed by the Provost, and the identities of its members are kept confidential.
The Provost forwards the file for each candidate to members of the Promotions and Appointments Committee and calls for a meeting to discuss the merits of the candidate’s application. Any committee member who is from the same department as the candidate may not participate in committee work for that candidate.
No one may have access to promotion file documents except the Provost, the Dean, the members of the Promotions and Appointments Committee, the Rector, and Provost Office staff.
The Committee meets as many times as the members find necessary to evaluate each candidate before proceeding to the voting stage. Committee members may not abstain from voting. Votes are cast in secret and handed to the Provost, who in turn brings the votes to the Rector.
All committee work is kept strictly confidential.
Final Decision
The final decision of the Promotion and Appointment Committee is based on the majority of five votes, one of which is the Provost’s vote and the remaining four are randomly selected by the Rector, in order to ensure the anonymity of the votes.
Votes can only be seen by the Provost and the Rector. The number of positive and negative votes in the final decision after blind selection are shared only with the members of the Promotions and Appointments Committee and kept secret from all others.
The Provost informs the result of the vote to the candidate and the Dean and sets up a meeting with the candidate to discuss the overall evaluation of the Committee in broad terms without getting into specifics that might reveal the identities of external referees or Committee members, contents of evaluation reports, or statements made by any specific evaluator.
For successful candidates, the Provost notifies the Rector that a new faculty position may be advertised by the Human Resources Department.
Unsuccessful candidates may not re-apply for promotion for two years after a negative Promotions and Appointments Committee decision unless the Provost approves early application.
Potential Conflict of Interest
If the candidate, the Chair, the Dean, or the Provost holds the opinion that any individual involved in the promotion process, including themselves, may have a potential conflict of interest, they are obligated to inform the Rector. In this case, the Rector reviews the issue and decides on whether any potential conflict of interest is of a nature that may influence the evaluation process; if so, the Rector relieves that individual from their role for the particular candidate and appoints another suitable individual.
This section details the appointment procedures for all assistant professor, associate professor, and professor positions, including academic-promotion-track, teaching-track, extension, and research faculty positions, but excluding visiting and adjunct appointments. These procedures are based on the Higher Education Law of Turkey and the rules and regulations of the Council of Higher Education, hence subject to change if any of the underlying regulations are modified.
The Provost, working in conjunction with the department Chair and faculty Dean, triggers the formal recruitment procedures to fill an open faculty position. Upon the recommendation of the Provost, the Rector notifies the Human Resources Department to advertise the open position, collect applications, and forward these to the Dean after the application deadline has expired.
Assistant Professors
The Dean forms a committee consisting of three professors and/or associate professors, one of whom must be from another university and, if the department Chair is an associate or full professor, one of whom must be the Chair. Each committee member writes a separate report on the academic qualifications and merits of the applicants. The Faculty Executive board meets to determine the best candidate for the open position, and the Dean forwards this decision to the Provost. Upon the recommendation of the Provost, the Rector appoints the proposed candidate to the open position.
Assistant professors are initially appointed for a duration of four years and re-appointed on an annual basis after that, provided their academic performance and career advancement are at a level found to be satisfactory. Academic-promotion-track assistant professors are expected to get promoted to the associate professor rank within a certain time frame, usually seven years, after their initial appointment; appointments of those who do not get promoted within the allotted time are not renewed.
Associate Professors
Candidates must have either obtained the “doçent” title or have had their associate professor status that was obtained outside of Turkey ratified through the Inter-University Board.
Candidates considered for academic-promotion-track associate professor positions must have completed Bilkent University’s Promotions and Appointments Process successfully.
The Rector forms a committee consisting of three professors, one of whom must be from another university and, if the department Chair is a full professor, one of whom must be the Chair. Each committee member writes a separate report on the academic qualifications and merits of the applicants. The University Executive Board meets and votes to determine the best candidate. The Rector appoints the chosen candidate to the open position.
Full Professors
Candidates must have worked in their academic field for a minimum of five years after having obtained the “doçent” title or having been appointed as associate professor outside of Turkey; in this case, their status must be ratified through the Inter-University Board.
Candidates considered for academic-promotion-track professor positions must have completed Bilkent University’s Promotions and Appointments Process successfully.
The University Executive Board forms a committee consisting of five professors, at least three of whom must be from other universities. Each committee member writes a separate report on the academic qualifications and merits of the applicants. The University Executive Board meets and votes to determine the best candidate. The Rector appoints the chosen candidate to the open position.
This section details the appointment procedures for all levels of teaching-track instructor positions, including lecturer, senior lecturer, and professional in residence appointments. These procedures are based on the Higher Education Law of Turkey and the rules and regulations of the Council of Higher Education, hence subject to change if any of the underlying regulations are modified.
All candidates for appointment to instructor positions must hold a master’s degree that has a thesis requirement or a higher degree. Turkish nationals must satisfy the minimum scores for ALES and English Language examinations as required by the Council of Higher Education regulations.
The Provost, working in conjunction with the department Chair and faculty Dean, triggers the formal recruitment procedures to fill an open instructor position. Upon the recommendation of the Provost, the Rector notifies the Human Resources Department to advertise the position, collect applications, and forward these to the Dean after the application deadline has expired.
The Dean forms a committee consisting of three assistant, associate, or full professors. The committee writes a single report on the qualifications and merits of the applicants. The Faculty Executive board meets to determine the best candidate for the open position, and the Dean forwards this decision to the Provost. Upon the recommendation of the Provost, the Rector appoints the proposed candidate to the position.
Instructors are initially appointed for a duration of two years and re-appointed on an annual basis after that, provided their teaching performances are at a level found to be satisfactory.
All fixed-term appointments are limited to the duration of the appointment.
The periodic renewal of all non-fixed-term appointments is contingent on continued academic performance.
According to the “Regulations on Retirement and End of Employment for Academic Staff”, the mandatory retirement date for full-time faculty members, except for those holding administrative positions as Dean, Vice Rector, and Rector, is the first 28 February or 31 August, whichever is earlier, following the day they turn 67 years of age. The appointments of faculty members who may be working in retired status or those who have not yet earned the right to retire in terms of the Social Security Institution also come to an end on the date specified here. The retirement or termination dates of faculty members who continue to perform at a high level of research, teaching, or service may be postponed upon the decision of the Retirement Committee. To be considered for such an extension, faculty members have to apply to their Dean no later than 6 months before the said date.
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