Academic ranks in China
Academic ranks in China show the hierarchy of professors, researchers, and administrators in universities and research institutes. Most universities use a four-level system: Senior rank (professor), Vice-Senior rank (associate professor), Medium rank (lecturer), and Junior rank (assistant lecturer).
Some top universities have also adopted the American-style assistant professor for tenure-track positions, with a path to associate professor and then full professor within the tenure system.
Most PhD graduates start as lecturers and can be promoted to associate professor after several years. In exceptional cases, someone with a Western PhD and overseas experience may be hired at a higher level, sometimes directly as full professor.
Usually, each institute has one principal leadership rank (such as dean or president) and several deputy ranks. Common rank series include Professor, Engineer, and Researcher series.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:19 (CET).