Faculty Appointments

Faculty Nomenclature

Non-Tenure-Track Positions

  • Adjunct with Rank (non-benefits)

    Adjunct with Rank: Persons appointed on a per course, per semester basis with salary. Persons hold academic rank but are not eligible for tenure, fringe benefits, sabbatical leaves, or election to the faculty seats in the Faculty Senate. This appointment is renewable.

  • Affiliate with Rank (non-benefits, non-pay)

    Affiliate with Rank: Persons whose primary occupations are normally nonacademic and who contribute to the University's education, research, and/or service activities on a limited-time basis. They are either from a different college/school than the position location, or from outside the University. This appointment involves no compensation. Persons hold academic rank but are not eligible for tenure, fringe benefits, sabbatical leaves, or election to the faculty seats in the Faculty Senate. Appointment is one year; renewable.

  • Affiliate Research Faculty with Rank (non-benefits)

    Research faculty can be given affiliate status if their primary appointment is outside the university and collaboration with UNH researchers occurs that is either unfunded or funded. A research faculty member who leaves for another institution might retain affiliate status if there is some expectation of continuing relations through grant work, consultation, or other scholarship with UNH. Affiliates are not employed by UNH. Affiliate faculty can participate in research mentorship; however, they generally do not have any role in department/center/school/institute/college governance. Appointment is one year; renewable.

  • Clinical Faculty

    • Clinical Assistant Professor

      Clinical Assistant Professor shall have completed a terminal degree appropriate for his/her field and shall have successful teaching or other relevant experience.  A Clinical Assistant Professor will hold current licensure/certification as appropriate to the field and have significant professional experience post master’s degree in the appropriate field.

    • Clinical Associate Professor

      Clinical Associate Professor shall have attained a terminal degree, have had several years of successful teaching or other relevant experience, and shall have shown evidence of professional leadership and scholarly activity.  A Clinical Associate Professor will hold current licensure/certification as appropriate to the field.

    • Clinical Professor

      Clinical Professor shall have a background of successful teaching, marked by the perspective of maturity and experience, and some outstanding creative attribute recognizable in the professional and academic world as a special asset to the University. A Clinical Professor will hold current licensure/certification as appropriate to the field.

  • Extension Faculty

    • Extension Instructor

    • Extension Assistant Professor

    • Extension Associate Professor

    • Extension Professor

  • Lecturer

    Lecturer faculty, whose primary responsibility is teaching, hold the titles of Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Principal Lecturer. New and continuing lecturers will be appointed at one of these three ranks. The collective bargaining agreement with the UNHLU states that: Once a Lecturer meets the criteria required for promotion, they may initiate the promotion process. While there is no minimum or maximum number of years of service for eligibility for promotion, it is typical that the process for promotion to Senior Lecturer be initiated in the seventh year of continuous or cumulative employment at the rank of Lecturer. It is typical that the process for promotion to Principal Lecturer be initiated in the sixth year of continuous or cumulative employment at the rank of Senior Lecturer.

  • Library Contract Faculty

    Library contract faculty are primarily appointed to carry out designated professional librarian responsibilities but may, at the discretion of the Dean, engage in university, library, and professional service that is relevant to their appointment; the incumbent does not have a responsibility to engage in scholarship or teaching.

  • Online Professional Faculty

Online Professional Faculty (OPF) have specialized training and experience in an academic discipline, along with an appropriate academic credential and, in some fields, professional licensure or certification. These individuals are responsible for providing disciplinary expertise, program direction, curriculum development, and adjunct faculty oversight for professionally oriented degree programs. This faculty role will serve in a leadership capacity in areas supporting faculty, curriculum, academic success, outreach activities, and other areas as needed. Actual teaching load will vary with other responsibilities but will not exceed four courses per fiscal year. Online Professional Faculty are fiscal year employees

Online Professional Faculty

  • Online Professional Faculty will have demonstrated successful college teaching and/or significant professional/industry experience and hold a minimum of a graduate degree in the field of instruction. Online Professional faculty will be expected to demonstrate proficiency with online teaching and course design.

Senior Online Professional Faculty

  • Senior Online Professional Faculty will hold a terminal degree or a combination of non-terminal degree and significant professional/industry experience appropriate for the discipline and have five or more years of outstanding teaching performance within their discipline. Senior Online Professional Faculty will have shown evidence of professional leadership, including curricular, program development, and faculty leadership.
  • Research Faculty

Research faculty are those who undertake research/scholarship and service, and have research as their principal assignment. Research faculty are typically supported by a variety of mechanisms (internal and external sources); however, the majority of salary support is derived from grant and contract funds. Appointments are made at three faculty levels: research assistant professor, research associate professor, research professor. Research faculty are not eligible for tenure and sabbatical leaves.

  • Research Assistant Professor

    Research Assistant Professor shall have completed formal advanced study appropriate to his/her field and shall have demonstrated success in carrying out externally funded research, be capable of advising graduate students, and provide some service to the university and profession.

  • Research Associate Professor

    Research Associate Professor shall have completed formal advanced study, had several years of successful research experience, and have shown clear evidence of his/her ability to conceive and perform independent research and to obtain external funding for his/her research, supported and advised graduate students, and provide some service to the university and profession.

  • Research Professor

    Research Professor shall have a background of successful research, marked by maturity and experience that has earned him/her a national/international reputation in the field.  The candidate will have supported and advised graduate students, and provided some service to the university and profession.

  • Visiting Research Faculty

    Visiting research faculty are individuals who hold regular faculty appointments at other institutions and who contribute to the University’s educational or research activities on either a full-time or part-time basis. Appointments are for specific periods of time. Initial appointments are for a maximum of one year and are renewable, not to exceed three years. Visiting research faculty are not eligible for tenure, sabbatical leaves, or election to the faculty seats in the Faculty Senate and generally do not have any role in the department/center/school/institute/college governance. At the request of the dean or director and with the approval of the provost, visiting research faculty who do not hold regular faculty appointments elsewhere may be appointed consistent with the terms above.
  • Visiting

    Visiting with Rank: Persons who hold regular faculty appointments at other institutions and who contribute to the University’s educational or research activities on either a full-time or part-time basis and provide a demonstrated benefit to UNH. Appointments are for specific periods of time. Initial appointments are for a maximum of one year and are renewable not to exceed three years. Visiting faculty are not eligible for tenure, sabbatical leaves, or election to the faculty seats in the Faculty Senate.

    • Visiting Assistant Professor

      Visiting Assistant Professors may hold regular faculty appointments at other institutions. At the request of the dean and with the approval of the provost, visiting assistant professors who do not hold regular faculty appointments elsewhere may be appointed consistent with the terms above.

    • Visiting Associate Professor

      Appointees must hold regular faculty appointments at other institution(s).

    • Visiting Professor

      Appointees must hold regular faculty appointments at other institution(s).

Tenure-Track Positions
  • Instructor

    Instructor: An instructor is a faculty member who has not completed the appropriate terminal degree.

  • Assistant Professor

    Assistant Professor: An assistant professor shall have completed formal advanced study appropriate for his or her field and have had successful teaching or other relevant experience.

  • Associate Professor

    Associate Professor: An associate professor shall have completed formal advanced study, have had several years of successful teaching experience or other relevant experience, and have shown evidence of professional development and scholarly interest as reflected in research or other individual creative effort.

  • Professor

    Professor: A professor shall have a background of successful teaching and research, marked by the perspective of maturity and experience, or some outstanding creative attribute recognizable in the academic world as a special asset to a university faculty.

Joint Faculty Appointments