Continuing Track vs. Tenure Track

[Levon3]

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between CT and TT (other than the obvious, no tenure)? Someone trying to convince me to take a CT job says that there is no difference in terms of status/prestige, but I am skeptical.

[ZeChocMoose]

On 12/13/2019 at 4:09 PM, Levon3 said:

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between CT and TT (other than the obvious, no tenure)? Someone trying to convince me to take a CT job says that there is no difference in terms of status/prestige, but I am skeptical.

I have never heard the phrase "continuing track" - usually non-TT appointments where I have worked in the U.S. would be labeled as either "clinical" professor, "lecturer," or professor "of practice."   This assumes that appointment is full-time.  If it is part-time, usually you are labeled as an adjunct.

In my experience, there is a huge difference between non-TT and TT positions in terms of work load, pay, benefits, professional development, status, etc.  Does the person who told you there is no difference have a vested interest in you accepting this non-TT position?  It just seems like a weird statement to make given that there are stark differences between the two types of positions. Usually, non-TT positions have shorter contracts, higher teaching loads, less pay, limited benefits, and are ineligible for certain internal grants or other professional development opportunities.  Of course, there always can be exceptions to this depending on the university but usually TT positions are the better option than non-TT positions.

[Levon3]

Thanks, ZeChocMoose. Yes, this person does have a vested interest in me accepting the non-TT position, which adds to my skepticism. I appreciate the info. I didn't know there were that many differences (and especially didn't know that about grants)!

[t_ruth]

This varies highly from university to university. My university has CT positions that have very similar salaries (if not exactly the same) to TT positions. They aren't short-term contracts, and they have their own tenure process. Also, at faculty meetings, I've seen little hierarchy in how CT vs. TT faculty are treated. Here, CT faculty are professionals who focus on teaching or research only, TT are professionals who focus on the typical combo.

This is very different from other universities I've been at, where there is a much bigger difference in terms of prestige, salary, etc.