An Assistant Professor should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent qualifications. They should be well-qualified to teach at the undergraduate or graduate levels, participate in scholarly/creative work, and if applicable, clinical activities. 

An Associate Professor should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent qualifications, a record of successful teaching experience, accomplishment and promise for significant contributions in scholarly/creative work, and leadership and service experience. If applicable, they will also have a record of successful clinical activity. In most cases, the award of tenure accompanies appointment or promotion to associate professor, with the exception of some schools and colleges on the Anschutz Medical Campus, and the University of Colorado Law School, where promotion and tenure can be separate processes.

A Professor (also called Full Professor) should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent qualifications, and: (a) a record since earning the terminal degree or equivalent qualifications that, taken as a whole, may be judged to be excellent; (b) a record of significant contribution to graduate and undergraduate education, unless individual or departmental circumstances can be shown to require a stronger emphasis, or singular focus, on one or the other; and (c) a record since receiving tenure or promotion to Associate Professor that indicates substantial, significant, continued growth, development, and accomplishment in teaching, scholarly/creative work, leadership and service, and if applicable, clinical activities.

The title is extended by the Board of Regents to recognize outstanding contributions of tenured full professors to their academic disciplines. The faculty awarded must demonstrate accomplishments in the following areas: 

1. Excellence in the promotion of learning and student attainment of knowledge and skills
2. Distinguished performance in scholarly/creative work
3. Outstanding leadership and service to the profession and to CU.

This is reserved for a select group of faculty members who are leaders in their respective fields as attested to by national or international recognition and/or their significant public service achievements.

An Instructor should have at least their master's degree or equivalent experience and should be well-qualified to teach at the level of instruction to which they are assigned.   

A Senior instructor should have at least a master's degree or equivalent experience and a record of successful teaching experience. 

A Principal Instructor should have at least a master’s degree or equivalent experience, and a consistent record of excellent teaching and pedagogical development since being appointed as Senior Instructor.

An Assistant Teaching Professor should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent experience and should be well-qualified to teach at the level of instruction to which they are assigned. 

An Associate Teaching Professor should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent experience, and a record of successful teaching experience.

A Teaching Professor should have the terminal degree appropriate to their field or equivalent experience, and a consistent record of excellent teaching and pedagogical development since being appointed as Associate Teaching Professor. 

A Research Scientist should have at least a master’s degree in their field or equivalent experience. They should have evidence of abilities in research.

A Senior Research Scientist should have at least a master’s degree and may have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and typically may have advanced postgraduate training, such as postdoctoral research, residency, or fellowship. They should have evidence of participation and beginning leadership in research.

An Assistant Research Professor should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and typically have advanced postgraduate training, such as postdoctoral research, residency, or fellowship. They should have a record of progressive research expertise and collaborative research activities that contribute to the discovery of knowledge.

An Associate Research Professor should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and typically have advanced postgraduate training, such as postdoctoral research, residency, or fellowship. They should have a sustained and consistent record demonstrating research expertise, leadership in advancing knowledge, and research collaboration that contributes to the development of knowledge.

A Research Professor should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and typically have advanced postgraduate training, such as postdoctoral research, residency, or fellowship. They should have a sustained and consistent record demonstrating research expertise, leadership in advancing knowledge, and research collaboration that is recognized as contributing to the development of knowledge. They should also have demonstrated substantial, significant, and continued growth and development since being appointed as Associate Research Professor.

Clinical Instructors should have at least their master’s degree or equivalent experience and have experience in clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research. 

Clinical Senior Instructors should have a master’s degree or equivalent experience. They have significant experience and a record of accomplishment in their assigned duties in clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research.

Clinical Principal Instructors should have a master’s degree or equivalent experience. They have a record of excellence in their assigned duties in clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research.

Clinical Assistant Professors should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience. They have demonstrated potential to substantially contribute to the clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research activities of a unit.

Clinical Associate Professors should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and have a record of accomplishment in their assigned duties in clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research activities of a unit

Clinical Professors should have a terminal degree or equivalent experience and a record of excellence in their assigned duties and sustained contributions, and continued growth and development that contribute to the clinical care, public health practice, teaching, or research activities of a unit

The chair is the principal officer of the department and is responsible for the effective and efficient administration of the department. 

An Associate Chair is typically appointed in a department where size and/or complexity requires assistance to the chair. The associate chair supports the work and role of the department chair, and may require serving as an acting chair at times the department chair is unavailable. 

A department director is a faculty member who serves as a director of an academic program and perform activities comparable to that of a chair in an academic department. 

An associate department director may be appointed to programs in which size and/or complexity would require assistance to the department director.  This person would have similar responsibilities to that of an associate chair.