Faculty Promotion & Tenure Overview
At Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, we seek to help all faculty achieve their full potential with timely achievement of promotion and, where relevant, tenure.
Obtaining and documenting career achievements needed for promotion is best approached over a series of years. We hope that you will visit this website early and often in your time at Northwestern as you plan for your career trajectory.
Learn more at our annual Promotion & Tenure Information Program.
Know Your Career Track
An important early step in your promotion journey is to confirm your career track.
- Confirm your career track in the Feinberg Faculty Portal. Navigate to Profile > Current Appointment. Clinician-Educators and Team Scientists should make note of their domain(s) and Health System Clinicians their area of concentration.
- If you feel your assigned career track or domains are not aligned with your career activity, contact your department leadership. View the appointments page for a summary of all career tracks and appointment types.
How Does My Career Track Affect My Promotion/Tenure Process?
Your career track establishes the criteria used to evaluate your promotion or tenure application. Document requirements and promotion steps also differ by career track.
Annual Promotion & Tenure Cycle
Understand the promotion and tenure process, identify the documents needed for your packet, and obtain guidance to strengthen your application:
Promotion & Tenure Information Program
The Faculty Affairs Office hosts an annual program that covers promotion criteria for each career track, the annual promotion and tenure cycle, and tips for preparing a successful application. The program is recommended for:
- Faculty planning to go up for promotion within the next two years.
- Faculty early in their career who want an overview of the process.
- Department leaders who administer the promotion and tenure process for their department or counsel on career advancement.
This annual program occurs in spring 2025. Email fao@northwestern.edu for more information.
Got Feedback?
If you are experiencing challenges and frustrations related to finding information about the promotion and tenure process at Northwestern, please feel free to provide anonymous feedback and suggestions.