Awarding the Title of Docent

According to Section 89 of the Universities Act (558/2009), upon application a university may award the title of adjunct professor [the title of docent] to a person who has comprehensive knowledge of his or her field, a capacity for independent research or artistic work demonstrated through publications or some other manner, and good teaching skills. According to Section 9 of the University of Lapland’s Rules of Procedure, the rector decides on awarding the title of docent based on a proposal put forward by a faculty or an independent institute of the university.

Scientific Competence of an Applicant for the Title of Docent

An applicant for the title of docent at the University of Lapland is expected to demonstrably have conducted research or artistic activities in a field related to the profile or focus areas of the university, a faculty, or an independent institute of the university. The expertise of the docent may be utilized in research projects, research groups, and degree and postgraduate education as agreed separately. Particular attention must be paid to ensure that the applicant’s research or artistic output (scientific/artistic publications and activities) is adequate before applying for the title of docent.

Applying for the Title of Docent

To initiate the application process, the applicant contacts the dean of the faculty or the director of the Arctic Centre, whose task is to determine whether there are sufficient grounds for awarding the title of docent in the field that the application concerns.

Particular attention is paid to the following aspects of the merits of the applicant for the title of docent:

• A general requirement for the title of docent at the University of Lapland is that the applicant has completed a doctoral degree and produced other scientific publications which, in terms of scope, are equivalent to, at least, a doctoral dissertation demonstrating a good level of knowledge, and, for the title of docent in the field of art, the applicant has conducted high-level artistic activities equivalent to the artistic output required for a doctoral dissertation demonstrating a good level of knowledge.
• the applicant’s demonstrable, independent scientific activities, for example activities performed within research networks, documented activities as a reviewer of research and in recruitment roles, and success in obtaining research funding.
• demonstrable activities within research communities, and reporting research results also in co-authored publications.
• the applicant’s merits in supervising theses and postgraduate studies and in teaching where applicable
• positions of responsibility within the applicant’s field of science and/or art, such as roles in organizations and networks of the field of science or art, editorial roles in scientific journals and publication series, roles in collecting and maintaining significant research data sets, and roles in organizing conferences.

The written application for the title of docent must clearly indicate the field of the title of docent that the application concerns. The application must include the applicant’s Researcher’s Curriculum Vitae prepared according to the recommendations of the  Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) and Teaching Portfolio Following the University of Lapland’s Guidelines. As a rule, the title of docent is not awarded to the personnel of the University of Lapland.

Putting forward a proposal for the Title of Docent

The title of docent must be related to the University of Lapland’s research and teaching. The faculties and the Arctic Centre may produce unit-specific instructions that elaborate on the general instructions on awarding the title of docent by adding details regarding the significance of the title of docent and eligibility of applicants that are relevant from the perspective of their fields of science and art. The instructions may also determine when the applicant is required to give a public teaching demonstration and when, for a special reason, a teaching demonstration is not considered necessary.

• The Faculty Council or Board will determine whether there are sufficient grounds for the title of docent in the proposed field and decides on requesting expert statements regarding the title of docent and inviting the applicant to give a teaching demonstration.
• The Faculty or the Faculty Board will obtain a statement concerning the applicant’s scientific or artistic qualifications from at least two external experts.
• The University of Lapland has separate instructions on giving a teaching demonstration. An applicant may be exempted from giving a teaching demonstration if the applicant has given a teaching demonstration for an equivalent position no more than five years ago.
• The title of docent may be awarded to a member of the University of Lapland’s personnel, a holder of a doctoral degree, on special grounds if the field is not represented at any other university in Finland. The assessment of whether there are special grounds is conducted by the rector or a management representative appointed by the rector, and at the faculties by the dean, and at the Arctic Centre by the director of the Arctic Centre, prior to the faculty’s or board’s consideration of the application.
• After receiving the expert statements, the Faculty Council will, where considered necessary, make a proposal to the rector on awarding the title of docent to the applicant.
• Once the title of docent has been awarded to the applicant by the rector, the applicant is entitled to continue to use the title also after retirement.
• For a person holding the title of docent, compensation for teaching, supervision and assessment of theses is determined according to the university’s general remuneration policies and practices.