Identifying candidates
You will receive a notification from Human Resources (HR) asking you to propose candidates for promotion.
It is expected that you will begin the promotions process within your Department or School by writing to every eligible member of staff and inviting submissions from all who consider they have met the appropriate criteria.
The deadlines for academic promotion applications provided are for completed applications and all supporting evidence to be submitted to HR. Internal deadlines should be set and circulated within the department.
Consultation on applications for promotion
In order to assess the support for any applications submitted, you are asked to initiate a consultation process with relevant senior staff in the Education and Research job family.
This group should be broadly based and could be constituted by the Department or School's executive committee or a committee of senior professors.
Assessing applications for promotion
Applications should be assessed by reference to the Career Progression in the Education and Research job family framework document.
You are asked to complete the Head of Department or Division promotion application assessment form to provide your statement, information on the outcome from the internal consultation process and suggested referees. This should be submitted to HR along with the application.
For applications to professor, the full application, supporting statement from the Dean, Head of Department or Division assessment with suggested referees should be submitted for Faculty level assessment, in the first instance, to determine if a prima facie cases exists. If supported, the full case should then be submitted to HR.
Feedback to candidates on their application
It is your responsibility to keep an applicant informed of the progress of their application within the Department or School, including advising them of the outcome of the consultation process.
Applications which are supported
In addition the completed application form, you will be expected to submit the following information to HR:
| Promotion route | Head of Department of Division assessment form | Supporting statement from a senior member of the Department or Division | Required supporting evidence | Number of external referees (minimum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecturer grade 8 | No, assessment is within application form | Yes | Online unit evaluations, teaching observations | None |
| Research Fellow | No, assessment is within application form | No | Pure report | Internal references required only |
| Senior Research Fellow | Yes | Yes | Pure report | 3 |
| Senior Lecturer (Teaching) | Yes | Yes | Online unit evaluations, teaching observations | 3 |
| Senior Lecturer (Research & Teaching) | Yes | Yes | Pure report, online unit evaluations, teaching observations | 3 |
| Reader (translation or promotion) | Yes | Yes | Pure report | 4 |
| Professor | Yes | No | Faculty Professorial Committee minutes, Pure report, Metrics report, online unit evaluations (as appropriate to contributions being claimed) | 4 (at least 2 from first stage referees) |
Choosing an external referee
Suggested external referees should be familiar with the discipline or field of work and should be as independent as possible to ensure they are able to comment on the strength of the application and work only.
External referees should not be from the University of Bath, and should normally be full professors, or of professorial standing if they are not within academia.
External referees should not be relatives, friends, previous line managers, PhD supervisors or frequent collaborators.
For promotions to professor, at least one referee must be of international standing.
All suggested referees must have been contacted by the Head of Department or Division previously to seek their agreement for providing a reference. The Academic Career Progression team within HR will then contact referees to formally request a reference.
Consideration of applications
For cases considered by Academic Staff Committee (ASC), you (or your nominated Deputy) may be asked to attend the meeting to provide any update on the application and respond to questions.
Once the outcome is known, you will be asked to inform the applicant before they are formally notified in writing.
Principles of research assessment and management
The University has developed a set of principles outlining its approach to research assessment and management, including the responsible use of quantitative indicators. The assessment of academic promotion cases by Academic Staff Committee and its related sub groups will be made in accordance with these principles.
Applications not supported
Where a case is not supported by the Department or School or by ASC, you will be expected to arrange for a Personal Action Plan to be developed.
Useful resources
We encourage you to refer to the academic promotion guide page and related pages and the Career Progression in the Education and Research job family framework document to understand more about the process, procedures and criteria for promotion. However, you might also find it helpful to refer to our academic promotion: useful information page to help answer questions you may have on individual topics.