Evaluation and promotion

Successful evaluations according to transparent criteria are the prerequisite for advancement in the career system and for successful completion of the tenure-track phase.

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TUM Faculty Tenure Track is a performance-driven, step-up career system extending along the full academic career path. Candidates start with a temporary position (assistant professor, W2), can be made permanent with progression to pay scale W3 after six years (associate professor) and can finally attain the rank of a full professor (W3) with an individually defined salary and work package (needs/merit system).

TUM regularly evaluates the performance of its professors using transparent, binding criteria. These academic evaluations are carried out in line with best international practice. They are an central quality management element of the university's faculty recruitment and career system. The results of the evaluations determine whether promotion is merited in this university’s performance-based career system.

Scope of these evaluation principles

The evaluation policies for the TUM Faculty Recruitment and Career System define the binding criteria used to assess the performance of professors. They are used to evaluate:

  • the eligibility for tenure of assistant professors
  • the promotion of associate professors to full professors.
  • They also apply for direct appointments of associate and full professors.

Evaluation categories and criteria

The professor performance review is divided into three categories: Research & Development • Academic Teaching • Academic Engagement. Depending on the career grade, the performance expectations vary within each of these evaluation categories. Irrespective of career grade, professors are expected to proactively contribute to the development of their school and the university as a whole in addition to furthering their personal development as researchers and lecturers.

Criteria have been defined for each of the three categories (Research & Development • Academic Teaching • Academic Engagement) to evaluate the candidates in line with international benchmarks for each discipline. This ensures that binding assessment standards are established (transparency requirement) and that these form the basis of the personal evaluations (binding requirement).

Based on the international assessment benchmarks for the discipline in question, the following criteria shall be applied to all performance evaluations. Adequate consideration will be given to the career stage (“academic age”), the discipline, and the personal circumstances of the candidate (e.g., parental leave, commitments to family members requiring care, and other services to the community).

Research and development

For the evaluation of performance in the Research & Development category, the following criteria are weighted highly: the originality / creativity of the candidate’s work, the quality of their publications, the support they have given to young scientists, and the candidate’s academic development potential. In each case, the performance is benchmarked against international peers.

Academic teaching

The main criteria taken into consideration in the Academic Teaching category are the quality of the teaching and the creativity shown in devising and conducting courses.

Academic engagement

Proven activities in the Academic Engagement category and proven success in interdisciplinary research projects can have a positive impact on the evaluation of performance in this category.

Tenure evaluation and appointment as associate professor

Promotion and appointment to the position of associate professor requires that the candidate has established a substantial proven track record in Research & Development and Academic Teaching, shows strong future potential in these core areas as well as leadership potential, and has shown initial signs of Academic Engagement.

Prerequisites for a positive tenure evaluation or appointment to the position of associate professor are either

  • excellent performance in Research & Development benchmarked against elite international researchers, and very good performance in Academic Teaching – clearly exceeding the norm, or
  • excellent performance in Academic Teaching and very good performance in Research & Development – clearly exceeding the international norm.

Details of the procedure

Commencing a tenure evaluation procedure is not recommended if candidates (i) are not able to substantiate their support for young scientists (e.g., the qualification of at least one doctoral student) or (ii) are not able to produce evidence of three published articles in peer-reviewed journals to which they made a substantial contribution, or of acknowledged publications in their disciplines or (iii) have not raised external funds independently and in a competitive process or (iv) have not regularly updated the courses they teach to take account of scientific advances or (v) cannot demonstrate sufficient scientific development potential for a grade W3 professorship.

The results of the status assessments (at the end of the 2nd and 4th years following the appointment as assistant professor; see TUM Faculty Recruitment and Career System – Statute for Quality Management) do not establish a precedent for the tenure evaluation.

Direct appointment: Associate Professor (W3)

The same benchmarks apply for direct appointments to the position of associate professor. For appointments of individuals from a non-academic background whose profile does not include teaching, the performance evaluation is restricted to the Research & Development category. However, the candidates must also demonstrate potential in the Academic Teaching category, leadership potential, and signs of Academic Engagement.

Apply: Open professorships

Career advancement: From associate to full professor

For promotion or appointment to the position of full professor, the candidate must be a leading international figure in his or her discipline, must also have demonstrated very good academic teaching skills, and must have shown strong commitment to the university’s boards and committees and the academic community as a whole (Academic Engagement).

Prerequisites for appointment to the position of full professor:

  • excellent performance in Research & Development benchmarked against elite international researchers, and very good performance in Academic Teaching – clearly exceeding the norm, or
  • excellent performance in Academic Teaching and very good performance in Research & Development – clearly exceeding the international norm.

For the evaluation of performance in the Research & Development category, the following criteria are weighted highly in addition to those outlined above: international reputation and visibility of the professor (i.e., leadership in the scientific community) as well as proven Academic Engagement and leadership skills.

Commencing an evaluation procedure is not recommended if candidates, in addition to the criteria outlined above, (i) have not significantly contributed to the advancement of their disciplines due to a lack of new methodologies / concepts and originality / creativity in their work or have not contributed to the scientific reputation of TUM (ii) due to a lack of regular published articles in peer-reviewed journals or acknowledged publications in their disciplines or (iii) a lack of effective support for young scientists (e.g., supervising the qualification of doctoral students and postdocs) or (iv) a lack of success in raising external funds in competitive processes, or (v) have not demonstrably undertaken significant activities that show Academic Engagement at TUM, support for TUM’s young scientists or service to the academic community.

The procedure to evaluate whether an associate professor should be appointed to the position of full professor can be initiated by the President or at the suggestion of the Dean, in coordination with the school and in agreement with the candidate, as a rule no earlier than three years following the tenure evaluation.

Direct appointment: Full Professor (W3)

The same benchmarks apply for direct appointments to the position of full professor. For appointments of individuals from a non-academic background whose profiles do not include teaching, the performance evaluation is restricted to the Research & Development category. However, the candidates must also demonstrate potential in the Academic Teaching category, leadership skills, and signs of Academic Engagement.

Apply: Open professorships

Do you have any questions? Contact us

Technical University of Munich
Faculty Recruitment, Career Advancement and Dual Career
Arcisstr. 21
D-80333 Munich
facultyrecruitingspam prevention@tum.de

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Documents on the faculty recruitment and career system at TUM

TUM Faculty Recruitment and Career System

Regulations on the TUM Faculty Tenure Track

TUM Faculty Recruitment Code of Conduct

Find further documents in the service compass

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