Becoming a Professor: an Analysis of Gender on the Promotion of Faculty from Associate to Full Professor

Abstract

Factors associated with the promotion of associate professors to full professor were evaluated at a land-grant university in the United States of America. In univariable analyses, gender (female), field of study (non-STEM) and highest degree held (non-doctoral) were all associated with decreased odds of being promoted from associate professor to full professor. However in an adjusted analysis, only the highest degree held by the individual seeking promotion and field of study remained associated with promotion from associate professor to full professor. Male and female faculty with non-doctoral degrees in non-STEM fields had similar but decreased odds of promotion to full professor from associate professor. These data indicate that after adjusting for the highest degree held by the individual seeking promotion and the field of study, there was no evidence that gender was associated with decreased odds of promotion from associate to full professor.