The Faculty of Law's guidelines for the recruitment and promotion of teachers
Section 2 of the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University (UFV 2019/1673) states “Disciplinary domain/faculty boards are to issue guidelines and assessment criteria for recruiting and promoting teachers to complement these Appointment Regulations”. At a meeting on 28 February 2023, the Board of the Faculty of Law decided to adopt guidelines as set out below (revised 4 March 2025).
1 General
These guidelines are intended for use in evaluating research, teaching and other qualifications to employ teachers until further notice and in promotion matters. The guidelines are addressed at all those involved in the above-mentioned cases, especially the Recruitment Group, external experts and applicants.
Teacher categories at the University are as follows:
a) Under the Higher Education Act and Higher Education Ordinance: professor (including visiting professor and adjunct professor), senior lecturer, associate senior lecturer.
b) Under local decisions: lecturer, adjunct senior lecturer, adjunct lecturer.
For the processing of teacher appointments (not fixed-term senior lecturer or adjunct positions), promotion cases and cases in which the status of Associate Professor or Distinguished University Teacher is conferred, there is a Recruitment Group under the Faculty Board. The Recruitment Group consists of a chair (dean) and five other members, including one doctoral student and one student representative. Two group deputies are appointed for the teachers.
Personal deputies are appointed for the doctoral student and student representatives. The teacher representatives are appointed by the Faculty Board, which also appoints the Group Chair.
For professor or senior lecturer posts and applications for promotion, the Faculty Board appoints at least two people particularly familiar with the subject area concerned. Referred to below as “subject specialists”, these individuals are assigned to appraise the applicants' research and teaching expertise, ranking the applicants and giving reasons for their choices. Nominations for subject specialists are submitted by the Dean after consultation with subject representatives and the Research Committee Chair. Since the subject specialists must come from other higher education institutions (HEIs), and can therefore assess applicants’ teaching expertise in depth only with difficulty (for example, through classroom observation), the Faculty Board also appoints a special teaching expert. The Head of Department recommends a teaching expert after consulting with the Teaching Committee Chair.
The person appointed as teaching expert must be associated with the Faculty and proficient in the theory and practice of education. This expert’s task is to assess teaching expertise and other qualifications (except research expertise); report on the expertise of the candidates best suited to the position; rank them in order of preference; and explain the choice arrived at.
A decision on appointment as or promotion to professor is taken by the Vice-Chancellor, based on the Faculty Board's recommendation following the Recruitment Group's review. A decision on indefinite-term appointment as senior lecturer or lecturer is made by the Head of the Department of Law, based on the Recruitment Group's recommendation.
Guidelines for granting Associate Professor or Distinguished University Teacher status are contained in separate decision documents appended to this document.
The paragraphs of the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University (AR) governing general qualification requirements and assessment criteria for teaching appointments are given below.
Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
§ 4 When the University appoints new teachers, it must select the applicants who, following a qualitative overall assessment of their competence and expertise, are judged to have the best potential to perform and develop the relevant duties and to contribute to the positive development of the department/equivalent.
§ 5 One general qualification required is that applicants must be able to work with other people and otherwise meet the demands of suitability required to perform their duties well.
§ 6 To be eligible for a teaching appointment, an applicant must have a documented ability to teach in either Swedish or English or in both these languages. In addition, the ability to teach in another language may be required, based on current needs in the recruiting department/equivalent. In the case of promotion to a higher teaching position, applicants must normally demonstrate sufficient proficiency in Swedish to be able to participate in the University’s internal procedures.
§ 7 Teachers must have completed teacher training for higher education or the equivalent.
§ 8 At Uppsala University all teachers appointed must have a doctoral degree unless there are special reasons. A doctoral degree means a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent foreign degree. In addition, applicants must show research and teaching expertise at a level in line with what is required to be able to perform the duties well. The way in which research and teaching expertise are to be assessed is specified further under the requirements for each position.
§ 9 The Disciplinary Domain Board/Faculty Board must ensure that all assessment of qualifications is objective and impartial, particularly with regard to legal gender and other grounds of discrimination. In the recruitment of professors at Uppsala University, the Faculty Board must take stock of all applications received to ensure that there are qualified applicants of both legal genders. If the field of applicants consists only of a single gender, the Disciplinary Domain Board/Faculty Board must inform the Vice-Chancellor in writing of the measures taken to attract applicants from both legal genders in the recruitment.
§ 16 To qualify for a teaching appointment, an applicant must have shown sufficient expertise in both research and teaching Assessment criteria applicable to teaching appointments are, first, the degree to which the applicant possesses the expertise required to qualify for the position and, second, the other assessment criteria stated in the person specification for the position. Which criteria are emphasised may vary, depending on whether the assessment involves eligibility criteria for appointment and promotion, or assessment criteria for ranking applicants. The assessment criteria may be weighted differently, depending on the content of the work and the other conditions for the position that have been defined on the basis of operational needs.
§ 17 Qualifications must be documented in a manner that makes it possible to assess both their quality and their scope.
§ 20 Research expertise refers to research qualifications. In assessing research expertise, research quality must be the primary consideration. Consideration must also be given to the scope of the research, in terms primarily of its depth and breadth. Furthermore, consideration must be given to the capacity to plan, initiate, lead and develop research and third cycle (doctoral) education, the ability to obtain research funding in competition, and the ability to collaborate and engage with the wider community through research.
§ 22 Teaching expertise refers to educational qualifications. In assessing teaching expertise, teaching quality must be the primary consideration. Consideration must also be given to the scope of teaching experience, in terms of both breadth and depth. Furthermore, consideration must be given to the capacity to plan, initiate, lead and develop education, and to the ability to base teaching on research. Teaching expertise should also include the ability to collaborate and engage with the wider community through education.
§ 28 Administrative expertise is demonstrated, for example, by the ability to plan, organise and prioritise work in an efficient and appropriate manner, and the ability to specify and keep to time frames. Such expertise includes overall operational planning, the ability to manage resources in a way that reflects operational priorities, and the ability to work in a structured manner based on awareness of goals and quality.
§ 30 Management expertise is demonstrated by the ability to lead operations and staff, make decisions, take responsibility and motivate others, providing them with the conditions needed for efficient achievement of shared goals. Expertise may also be demonstrated by an ability to coordinate the group, to help create a sense of involvement, participation and job satisfaction, and to deal with conflicts.
Faculty of Law's guidelines
The qualifications must be documented so that both quality and scope can be assessed. In the case of co-produced works, it must be clearly stated how the applicant has contributed.
2 Appointment as professor
Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 4, § 3)
Qualification requirements for employment as a professor, except in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts, are fulfilled by someone who has demonstrated both research and teaching expertise. […]
The assessment criteria for appointment as professor must be the degree of expertise required as qualification for employment. As much attention must be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to the assessment of research or artistic expertise. Each higher education institution otherwise determines the assessment criteria that must be applied to the appointment of a professor. (SFS 2010:1064)
Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
See §§ 4–30 in Section 1 above.
§ 31 Research expertise must have been demonstrated by the applicant’s independent research contributions and by achievements that are of very high quality by international standards. The applicant must have demonstrated expertise in planning, initiating, leading and developing research; an ability to obtain research funding in competition; and well-documented expertise in supervising third cycle (doctoral) students. The applicant’s contributions to the international and national scientific community must be assessed on the basis of such criteria as the quality and scope of scholarly publications. The international track record required must be assessed in light of the nature and specific circumstances of the subject.
§ 32 Teaching expertise must have been demonstrated by an extensive educational portfolio in accordance with § 22. Furthermore, the applicant must demonstrate well-documented expertise in supervision at first cycle (undergraduate) level, second cycle (Master’s) level and third cycle (doctoral) level.
A prerequisite for considering that the applicant has teaching expertise is that the applicant has completed at least ten weeks of teacher training for higher education that is relevant to the organisation and its activities, or has equivalent knowledge. If there are special reasons, the teacher training for higher education may be undertaken during the first two years of employment. The teacher training must also include third cycle (doctoral student) supervision.
Faculty of Law's guidelines
Research expertise
The subject boundaries stated in the announcement of a vacant professor position must be the guiding principle for the evaluation of research qualifications. Assessment of research expertise comprises appraisals of, first, scholarly publications cited that are relevant to the appointment and, second, the applicant’s capacity for further research activity in the subject specialisation concerned. Subject to the limitations of the appointment's focus, both depth and breadth are of importance when evaluating research qualifications and research expertise. In the assessment, work cited must be measured by the importance of its independent research quality. The starting points for evaluating the applicant’s research proficiency are proven familiarity with the subject and previous research, creativity and originality in the chosen research focus, and the depth of analysis and scope of research production, taking into consideration the time during which the applicant was active. In addition, a proven ability to interact and collaborate constructively with other researchers is important.
Eligibility: When evaluating whether the applicant’s research expertise is sufficient for employment as a professor, the starting point is that this expertise must significantly exceed the degree of expertise necessary for conferral of Associate Professor status (see Appendix 1).
Assessment criteria: The applicant’s research production must exceed the requirements for Associate Professor status, which correspond qualitatively and quantitatively to an additional monograph on a par with a doctoral thesis. This further production may consist of a monograph or equivalent scholarly achievement in the form of numerous in-depth articles or the equivalent. The ability to tackle new research questions in research after the award of Associate Professor status – and thereby provide evidence of broadening research – is considered a qualification. At least one of the research publications prepared after the conferral of Associate Professor status should be in a language other than Swedish, preferably with international publication.
Normally, the applicant must have supervised at least one doctoral student up to award of a doctoral degree, as either principal or assistant supervisor. The supervision must have been active.
If special reasons apply, the requirement of supervisor experience may be waived if, for example, the applicant has more than one year’s experience of doctoral supervision that has not yet culminated in doctoral thesis defence, combined with work tasks that have involved extensive contributions in teaching, supportive or reviewing work in the education of doctoral students. Such contributions must consist of, or correspond to, tasks within the framework of doctoral supervision. They may, for example, be experience of leading research projects, management assignments focusing on research, or organisation and participation in courses in third cycle (doctoral) education. Value must also be assigned to substantial experience of assignments such as serving as external reviewer, examining committee member and external expert.
The applicant must have shown the ability to obtain research grants in competition. It is an advantage if the applicant has received a multi-year external research grant in competition with other researchers and has also successfully submitted a final report on this research.
For appointment as professor, experience with research leadership activities is considered a qualification.
In a balanced assessment of the applicant’s research qualifications and expertise, additional factors must be considered, without being ranked. Examples are publication after peer review, presentation of research results (internationally or nationally) and research collaboration (international and national). If the applicant has broadened and taken on new research questions after the award of Associate Professor status, this is considered a qualification.
Teaching expertise
The subject boundaries stated in the announcement of a vacant professor position must be the starting point for evaluating teaching qualifications. Assessment of teaching expertise comprises appraisals of, first, teaching qualifications cited and, second, the applicant’s capacity for further teaching activity in the subject specialisation concerned. Subject depth and breadth alike have a bearing on the assessment, as do quantitative scope and educational quality and versatility. (See also Section 10, “Instructions for drawing up a teaching position application”, below.)
In the assessment of the applicant's teaching qualifications and teaching expertise, factors considered must include the following:
• the extent of teaching experience (for appointment, more than one year’s total full-time teaching at HEI level should normally be required)
• level (whether the applicant has taught at first cycle (undergraduate), second cycle (Master's) or third cycle (doctoral) level)
• teaching environment (where experience was gained, such as Uppsala University’s Department of Law, another Swedish or foreign HEI, in training practitioners, etc.)
• teaching in a foreign language
• forms of teaching
• breadth of teaching in terms of subject specialisation, level, environment and forms of teaching
• course management experience and experience from course administration
• educational awareness and development work
• experience of producing teaching materials.
The relative importance of the factors listed above is determined in the individual case, based on the subject boundaries of the position advertised.
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The following rules apply to appointments as adjunct professor and visiting professor:
Swedish Higher Education Act and Higher Education Ordinance
Chapter 3, § 3 of the Act
A professor shall be employed until further notice unless otherwise stipulated in paragraph two.
A professor may be employed for a fixed term, if the appointment concerns […]
2. an adjunct post at a higher education institution for someone mainly employed outside the higher education sector (adjunct professor) […]. (SFS 2010:701)
Chapter 4, § 11 of the Ordinance
An adjunct professor must be employed until further notice, but until a specified date. These appointments may be extended. The total period of employment may be no longer than twelve years. For other aspects of these appointments, the Employment Protection Act (1982:80) applies. (SFS 2010:1064)
Chapter 4, § 12 of the Ordinance
A visiting professor must be employed until further notice, but until a specified date. These appointments may be extended. The total period of employment may be no longer than five years. For other aspects of these appointments, the Employment Protection Act (1982:80) applies. (SFS 2010:1064)
Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
§ 45 For appointment as adjunct professor, adjunct senior lecturer and adjunct lecturer, with the exception of teaching expertise, the same qualifications are required as for the relevant teacher category.
§ 111 When appointing an adjunct teacher, an agreement must be drawn up between Uppsala University and the primary employer. The agreement must contain the terms and conditions of the appointment, such as duties, payroll costs and other expenses, resources in the form of premises and equipment, ownership of findings, the right of publication, and secrecy.
3 Promotion to professor
Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 4, § 3)[1]
Qualification requirements for employment as a professor, except in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts, are fulfilled by someone who has demonstrated both research and teaching expertise. […] As much attention must be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to the assessment of research or artistic expertise.
Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
See §§ 4–32 in Sections 1 and 2 above.
§ 46 Applications for promotion may only be made by teachers employed at the University on indefinite- term contracts who are actively engaged in their role at the time of application, and by associate senior lecturers.
§ 48 The subject area must normally be the same as for the applicant’s previous position, but this can be changed if there are special reasons for doing so.
§ 50 A senior lecturer must be promoted to professor and a lecturer to senior lecturer if they apply for this in writing, are qualified for such a position and have been deemed to meet the specific requirements adopted by the relevant Disciplinary Domain or Faculty Board.
§ 51 When preparing to advertise a position as lecturer or senior lecturer, a Disciplinary Domain or Faculty Board may decide to offer the possibility of immediate promotion. This means that in conjunction with the appointment, an applicant can apply for and be granted promotion to a more senior position.
§ 54 The applicant must have demonstrated research expertise in accordance with § 31.
§ 55 The applicant must have demonstrated teaching expertise in accordance with § 32.
§ 56 A prerequisite for considering that the applicant has teaching expertise is that the applicant has completed at least ten weeks of teacher training for higher education that is relevant to the organisation and its activities, or has equivalent knowledge. The teacher training must also include third cycle (doctoral student) supervision.
§ 57 The applicant must have demonstrated collegial responsibility and be considered capable of contributing to the development of the University. This requires leadership, development and collaboration skills, and, where applicable, clinical expertise.
§ 58 Promotion from senior lecturer to professor may take place no earlier than five years following completion of the doctoral degree, to ensure sufficient experience of independent research work and supervision of doctoral students, unless there are special reasons.
Faculty of Law's guidelines
For promotion to professor, the same standards of research and teaching expertise are required as for appointment as professor; see Section 2 above. For promotion, assessment of research and teaching expertise is limited to the subject within which promotion is sought.
Applicants for appointment as senior lecturer can simultaneously apply for promotion to professor, unless the focus of the appointment prompts a restriction on the scope for promotion and this restriction is explicitly stated in the public announcement (see AR, § 51).
[1] This regulation relates to the appointment as professor, but is also applicable to promotion.
4 Appointment as senior lecturer
Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 4, § 4)
A person qualified for appointment as a senior lecturer is
1. except in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts, someone who has demonstrated teaching expertise and been awarded a doctorate or has the corresponding research competence or other professional expertise that is valuable for the post’s subject matter and duties. […]
The assessment criteria for appointment as senior lecturer must be the degree of expertise required as qualification for employment. As much attention must be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to reviewing other eligibility conditions under the first paragraph. Each higher education institution otherwise determines the assessment criteria that must be applied to the appointment of a senior lecturer. (SFS 2010:1064)
Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
See §§ 4–30 in Section 1 above.
§ 34 Research expertise must have been demonstrated by the applicant’s independent, high-quality research contributions. The applicant’s contributions to the international and national scientific community must be assessed on the basis of such criteria as the quality and scope of scholarly publications. The international track record required must be assessed in light of the nature and specific circumstances of the subject.
§ 35 Teaching expertise must have been demonstrated by an educational portfolio in accordance with § 22.
A prerequisite for considering that the applicant has teaching expertise is that the applicant has completed at least ten weeks of teacher training for higher education that is relevant to the organisation and its activities, or has equivalent knowledge. If there are special reasons, the teacher training for higher education may be undertaken during the first two years of employment.
Faculty of Law's guidelines
Research expertise
The subject boundaries stated in the announcement of a vacant senior lecturer position must be the guiding principle for evaluating research qualifications. Assessment of research expertise comprises appraisals of, first, scholarly publications cited that are relevant to the appointment and, second, the applicant’s capacity for further research activity in the subject specialisation concerned. Subject to the limitations of the appointment's focus, both depth and breadth are of importance when evaluating research qualifications and research expertise. In the assessment, publications cited by the applicant must be assigned their due importance associated with their independent scholarly quality, regardless of the forms and forums in which they were published and their reach. The starting points for evaluating the applicant’s research proficiency are proven familiarity with the subject and previous research, creativity and originality in the chosen research focus, and the depth of analysis and scope of research production, taking into consideration the time during which the applicant was active. In addition, a proven ability to interact and collaborate constructively with other researchers is important.
In a balanced assessment of the applicant’s research qualifications and expertise, weight must be assigned to factors including the following (listed in no particular order): publication after peer review, presentation of research results (internationally or nationally), research collaboration (international and national), publication in more than one language, international publication, supervision of doctoral students, and external funding obtained for research projects.
Teaching expertise
The subject boundaries stated in the announcement of a vacant senior lecturer position may be taken into account when evaluating teaching qualifications. Assessment of teaching expertise comprises appraisals of, first, teaching qualifications cited and, second, the applicant’s capacity for further teaching activity in the subject specialisation concerned. Subject depth and breadth alike have a bearing on the assessment, as do quantitative scope and educational quality and versatility. (See also Section 10, “Instructions for drawing up a teaching position application”, below.) In the assessment of the applicant's teaching qualifications and teaching expertise, factors considered must include the following:
· the extent of teaching experience (for appointment, a minimum of one year’s total full-time teaching at HEI level should normally be required)
· level (whether the applicant has taught at first cycle (undergraduate), second cycle (Master's) or third cycle (doctoral) level)
· teaching environment (where experience was gained, such as Uppsala University’s Department of Law, another Swedish or foreign HEI, in training practitioners, etc.)
· teaching in a foreign language
· forms of teaching
· breadth of teaching in terms of subject specialisation, level, environment and forms of teaching
· course management experience and experience from course administration
· educational awareness and development work
· experience of producing teaching materials.
The relative importance of the factors listed above is determined in the individual case, based on the subject boundaries of the position advertised.
5 Promotion from associate senior lecturer to senior lecturer
Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 4, § 4[2] and § 12a–c)
A person qualified for appointment as a senior lecturer is
1. except in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts, someone who has demonstrated teaching expertise and been awarded a doctorate or has the corresponding research competence or other professional expertise that is valuable for the post’s subject matter and duties. […] As much attention must be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to reviewing other eligibility conditions under the first paragraph.
The assessment criteria for appointment as senior lecturer must be the degree of expertise required as qualification for employment. As much attention must be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as
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to reviewing other eligibility conditions under the first paragraph. Each higher education institution otherwise determines the assessment criteria that must be applied to the appointment of a senior lecturer.
Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
See §§ 4–30, 34 and 35 in Sections 1 and 4 above.
§ 63 A person who is employed as associate senior lecturer must, upon written application, be promoted to senior lecturer if they are considered, upon expert assessment, to satisfy the qualification requirements that have been set by the relevant disciplinary domain or faculty board and have been set out in the job vacancy information.
§ 64 The applicant must have demonstrated research expertise and be considered to have the potential, as senior lecturer, to initiate and independently pursue research of high scientific quality in accordance with § 34.The research qualifications must be documented in such a way as to enable assessment of both quality and scope.
§ 65 Applicants must have demonstrated teaching expertise in accordance with § 35 through teaching, examination and supervision at both first cycle (undergraduate) and second cycle (Master’s) level, and through planning, development and evaluation, and be considered able as senior lecturer to assume educational leadership roles and further develop teaching activities. Teaching qualifications must be documented in such a way as to enable assessment of both quality and scope.
§ 66 A prerequisite for considering that the applicant has teaching expertise is that the applicant has completed at least ten weeks of teacher training for higher education that is relevant to the organisation and its activities, or has equivalent knowledge.
§ 67 The applicant must have demonstrated collegial responsibility and be considered capable of contributing to the development of the University.
§ 68 A written application to be considered for promotion to senior lecturer must have reached the relevant disciplinary domain or faculty board six months, at the latest, before the appointment as associate senior lecturer ends. An associate senior lecturer may be considered for promotion to senior lecturer only once. The decision to grant or reject the application for promotion must be made at the latest two months prior to the end of employment as associate senior lecturer.
Faculty of Law's guidelines
The starting point for the assessment of an application for promotion to senior lecturer shall be the qualification requirements set out in the advertisement for the position of associate senior lecturer. What is also required in terms of research and teaching qualifications is set out in §§ 20 and 22 of the Appointment Regulations and the Faculty's supplementary guidelines for appointment as senior lecturer. In addition, the applicant must be able to work with other people and otherwise meet the demands of suitability required to perform their duties well.
[2] This regulation relates to the appointment as senior lecturer, but is also applicable to promotion.
6 Promotion from lecturer to senior lecturer
Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 4, § 4)[3]
A person qualified for appointment as a senior lecturer is
1. except in disciplines in the fine, applied or performing arts, someone who has demonstrated teaching expertise and been awarded a doctorate or has the corresponding research competence or other professional expertise that is valuable for the post’s subject matter and duties. […] As much attention must be given to the assessment of teaching expertise as to reviewing other eligibility conditions under the first paragraph.
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Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
See §§ 4–30, 34 and 35 in Sections 1 and 4 above.
§ 50 A senior lecturer must be promoted to professor and a lecturer to senior lecturer if they apply for this in writing, are qualified for such a position and have been deemed to meet the specific requirements adopted by the relevant Disciplinary Domain or Faculty Board.
§ 59 The applicant must have a doctoral degree or equivalent competence as well as research competence in accordance with § 34, and be considered to have the potential, as senior lecturer, to pursue research of good scientific quality. The research qualifications must be documented in such a way as to enable assessment of both quality and scope.
§ 60 Applicants must have demonstrated teaching expertise in accordance with § 35 through teaching, examination and supervision at both first cycle (undergraduate) and second cycle (Master’s) level, and through planning, development, evaluation and leadership, and be considered able as senior lecturer to assume educational leadership roles and further develop teaching activities. Teaching qualifications must be documented in such a way as to enable assessment of both quality and scope.
§ 61 A prerequisite for considering that the applicant has teaching expertise is that the applicant has completed at least ten weeks of teacher training for higher education that is relevant to the organisation and its activities, or has equivalent knowledge.
§ 62 The applicant must have demonstrated collegial responsibility and be considered capable of contributing to the development of the University.
Faculty of Law's guidelines
Regarding qualifications in research and teaching terms, see §§ 34 and 35 of the AR and the Faculty's guidelines for appointment as senior lecturer. In addition, the applicant must have been employed as a teacher at a HEI or equivalent for at least three years.
[3] This regulation relates to the appointment as senior lecturer, but is also applicable to promotion.
7 Appointment as associate senior lecturer
Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 4, §§ 4a and 12 a–c)
Section 4a
Qualification requirements for employment as an associate senior lecturer are fulfilled by someone who has been awarded a doctorate or has the corresponding research competence. Primary consideration should be given to someone who has been awarded a doctorate or achieved the equivalent competence within five years of the deadline for application for employment as an associate senior lecturer. However, someone who has been awarded a doctorate or achieved the equivalent expertise at an earlier date may also be considered if there are special grounds. Special grounds are sick leave, parental leave or other similar circumstances.
Each higher education institution decides the assessment criteria that must be applied to the appointment of an associate senior lecturer. Prior to such an appointment, the higher education institution must also establish the assessment criteria that will be applied to an application for promotion to senior lecturer under Section 12c. Ordinance (2017:844).
Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
§ 14 The duties of an associate senior lecturer include research, teaching and administration. The purpose of the appointment is for the teacher to have the opportunity to develop research autonomy and acquire the scholarly and teaching qualifications required for eligibility for appointment as a senior lecturer.
§ 38 Appointment as an associate senior lecturer requires research expertise in accordance with § 20. The research expertise must be of good quality and promise good prospects of an academic career in the relevant subject area for the position.
§ 39 For an appointment as an associate senior lecturer, teaching expertise in accordance with § 22 must be taken into account. To acquire teaching expertise, the applicant should have completed at least five weeks of teacher training for higher education of relevance to the organisation and its activities, or have equivalent knowledge. If it has not been possible to acquire this qualification before appointment, qualifying training for teachers in higher education must be undertaken during the first two years of employment.
§ 80 One precondition for appointing an associate senior lecturer is the existence of a documented operational need and financial scope for a senior lecturer appointment within the relevant subject area.
Faculty of Law's guidelines
Eligible for employment as an assistant lecturer are those who have completed a doctoral degree or have equivalent scientific competence. Prime consideration will be given to applicants who have completed a doctoral degree or have achieved equivalent competence no more than five years before the application deadline. However, those who have completed a doctoral degree or have achieved equivalent competence earlier may also be considered if there are special grounds. Such grounds may comprise leave of absence because of illness, parental leave or similar.
8 Appointment as lecturer
Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University
§ 41 To be eligible for appointment as lecturer, applicants must have a higher education degree and have demonstrated teaching expertise.
§ 42 In appointments to the position of lecturer, in-depth subject study is required rather than research competence.
§ 43 Teaching expertise must have been demonstrated by an extensive educational portfolio in accordance with § 22, or by some other means in the area of activity that the education involves.
A prerequisite for considering that the applicant has teaching expertise is that the applicant has completed at least ten weeks of teacher training for higher education that is relevant to the organisation and its activities, or has equivalent knowledge. If there are special reasons, the teacher training for higher education may be undertaken during the first two years of employment.
9 Instructions for experts
General
As a basis for the experts in their work, reference is made to the announcement of the vacant position in question (if applicable), the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University (including quotations from the Higher Education Ordinance) and the Faculty’s supplementary guidelines.
A public announcement of the vacant senior lecturer position specifies how research and teaching expertise are to be weighted in appointment, and that equal care must be taken in applying these two assessment criteria. The “Eligibility requirements” and “Assessment criteria” parts of the announcement state the factors intended to be particularly important in assessment of the qualifications.
A special teaching expert is appointed to assess teaching and other qualifications. Nevertheless, the two subject specialists also assess the teaching qualifications and weigh them in the assessment of the applicants. The rankings of the applicants must relate, first, to research, teaching and other qualifications separately and, second, a balanced scorecard of these assessment criteria. The opinion statements of the experts should clearly state which criteria were used to assess the applicants’ expertise.
Assessment of the applicants’ qualifications and proficiency is based on the standards and instructions contained in the section of these guidelines governing recruitment or promotion to the position in question. In the disposition of expert statements, the layout of the instructions to applicants (see Section 10 of this document) may serve as a starting point. The expert statements become public records when they are received at the University. In cases where there is competition between applicants or an applicant’s eligibility is questionable, the experts are expected to attend a meeting (usually by telephone) with the Recruitment Group, but not in the Group’s decision.
Possible relationships between applicants and experts involving conflict of interest, such as supervision or co-authorship, should be noted early in the recruitment process.
Should such documentation be lacking in the application documents so that a final assessment becomes impossible, experts are advised to contact the Faculty for supplementary information.
Criteria for assessing qualifications
To assess research and teaching expertise, refer to the Faculty’s guidelines for the appointment concerned (see Sections 1–6 above). Special reference should also be made to § 20 of the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University (AR) for assessment of research qualifications, and § 31 for professor appointments. For the review of teaching qualifications, see in particular §§ 22, 33 and 32. As regards administrative qualifications and management qualifications, refer to § 28 and § 30, respectively, of the AR.
When assessing applicants' qualifications, the quality of their contributions should be the deciding factor. This also applies to assessment of teaching and other qualifications.
Instructions for special teaching experts
It is the teaching expert's task to judge each applicant's teaching expertise and apply other assessment criteria, except for what falls under the assessment duty of the subject specialist. This includes assessing the following for the applicant:
· ability to inspire enthusiasm in and stimulate students
· ability to link research to teaching
· ability to collaborate and social skills
· ability to conduct student-activating teaching
The basis for the judgement is the applicant’s stated circumstances and documentation (including contacting references), and reviews from others capable of judging the applicant's expertise in terms of the stated requirements. The teaching expert must draw up documentation for the assessment, including oral information provided by others. The expert must obtain information from the course director, director of studies and others familiar with the applicant’s teaching proficiency. It is valuable if the special teaching expert – after consultation with the applicant and subsequent follow-up – can observe a teaching session for each applicant.
10 Instructions for drawing up a teaching position application
Applicant should submit their accounts of research, teaching and other qualifications under the headings given below. The items listed below each heading – and also the headings – are only examples of the most common components, from which a selection can and should be made with reference to the specific requirements of the post in question.
Application process: Applications, including attachments, are to be submitted electronically in Uppsala University’s recruitment system (Varbi) following advertisement of a vacancy. The recruitment system contains detailed instructions on the format of applications. When applying for promotion, applicants are requested to first contact the faculty officer via the faculty mailbox jurfak@jur.uu.se for instructions on how to submit the application electronically in Uppsala University’s recruitment system. If any of the publications cited cannot be submitted electronically (whether applying for an advertised vacancy or a promotion), three hard (paper) copies should be sent to Uppsala University, Faculty of Law, Box 256, 751 05 Uppsala or via internal mail to the Faculty of Law.
Research qualifications
Guidelines for judging research qualifications and research expertise are given in Sections 2–8 above. The application should give primary emphasis to research production. Otherwise, the list does not imply any ranking.
- Research production
- Researcher/doctoral student supervision
- Comments on the applicant's own research
- Research collaboration and external research assignments
- Popular science qualifications
- Participation in national and international conferences, courses and other meetings
- Funding situation, research grants
- Legislative assignments
- Research policy assignments, g. membership in research councils
- Scientific assignments in the research community, g. external reviewer, examining committee member or external expert
- Qualified service with legal duties outside the University
- Other research qualifications, such as honorary doctorates, national and international prizes and academy memberships
Assessments reported in, for example, national research evaluations and the ability to obtain external funding awarded after quality review are indicators that may be included in the assessment of applicants’ qualifications, and should therefore be reported by the applicant.
Teaching qualifications
Introduction
Guidelines for judging teaching qualifications and teaching expertise are given in Sections 2–8 above. The basis for the judgement is the applicant’s stated circumstances and documentation (including contacting references), and reviews from others capable of judging the applicant's skills in these respects.
The concept of “teaching qualifications” may include contributions to and experience of education at first cycle (undergraduate), second cycle (Master's) and third cycle (doctoral) level. Broad, solid and up-to-date knowledge in the subject taught by the applicant is a necessary, but not sufficient, prerequisite for teaching expertise. Applicants should specify their teaching qualifications under the headings listed below.
The applicant may also attach information from others, such as statements by a head of department or director of studies. Moreover, information about results, such as development work, course evaluations and student results can be attached.
The applicant’s teaching qualifications should be compiled in a teaching qualification portfolio, which should contain not only quantitative information but also the kinds of information that allow qualitative assessments of the applicant’s teaching expertise.
Teaching contributions
Scale
This refers to the quantitative scale of teaching carried out.
Breadth
This refers to the breadth of teaching contributions, such as whether full courses or parts of courses were carried out and what subjects were covered.
Level
The level at which teaching was conducted (first cycle (undergraduate), second cycle (Master's) or third cycle (doctoral) level) is indicated here.
Environment
Here, the environment in which the teaching was conducted is specified, e.g. whether at a university or somewhere other than a higher education institution (HEI). Whether teaching was conducted abroad and/or in a foreign language may also be stated here.
Forms of teaching
State here whether teaching was conducted in the form of lessons, seminars, lectures, supervision or in some other form.
Course responsibilities
The applicant states here whether they have experience as a course director or person responsible for coordinating part of a course (not a one-off seminar).
Reviews and awards
Here, applicants list any awards they have received for their teaching activities in a broad sense (including teaching materials production). They also provide evaluation results over a longer period, such as from colleagues or students, and statements from the head of department or director of studies.
Examination
This is used to state the scale, level and forms in which the applicant has conducted examinations.
Reflection on applicant’s own teaching contributions
An in-depth analysis of the applicant’s teaching contributions should be presented under this heading. The traditional list of qualifications, which is also covered under other headings, is not enough; it must be a reflection on teaching. The applicant should describe themself as a teacher and provide examples to illustrate what they are describing. The aim is to provide a fair and balanced picture of the applicant as a teacher. The applicant should describe what they do, how they do it, why they do it this way and what results it brings.
Teacher training
Under this heading, the applicant specifies teacher training: – training participated in and education the applicant was responsible for and/or conducted. Examples of what is specified here are teacher training for higher education, teacher training, academic studies in education, other relevant training, e.g. internal training, teacher exchanges, education conferences and seminars, and study visits for educational purposes.
§ 35 of the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University states the following:
A prerequisite for considering that the applicant has teaching expertise is that the applicant has completed at least ten weeks of teacher training for higher education that is relevant to the organisation and its activities, or has equivalent knowledge. If there are special reasons, the teacher training for higher education may be undertaken during the first two years of employment.
If the applicant has not completed 10 weeks of teacher training for higher education, the applicant should explain how they have equivalent knowledge or why special reasons exist for the teacher training for higher education to be completed during the first two years of employment.
Teaching development work and research on education
This section is used to describe experience in e.g. course development, research activities and development projects, evaluations and investigations of educational issues, research on education and teaching, or publications on educational matters. Moreover, qualifications from planning and administration of study programmes, such as assignments as a member of the Teaching Committee or equivalent, faculty programme director or director of studies, are specified here.
Teaching materials
Books and articles published by the applicant and used in teaching, as well as compendia and course materials, are presented here.
Other contributions
Activities that may be presented here are expert assignments, consultancy work related to educational issues and work experience relevant to education. Work as a rapporteur at government offices, courts or public agencies, for example, may confer an educational qualification.
Other qualifications
What might be categorised as “other qualifications” may be part of the applicant's research or teaching qualifications. In so far as any qualification is neither research nor teaching, it may be listed under “Other qualifications”. Applicants should specify such qualifications under the headings listed below.
External contacts and information
This is used to present e.g. participation as presenter at conferences, etc. Other activities associated with what Swedish legislation defines as universities’ third task, e.g. debate articles and comments on official reports, are also presented under this heading.
Administrative and management tasks
Examples of activities presented here include research administration, HR administration, financial administration, educational administration, decision-making and management, and miscellaneous tasks.
Appendix 1 - Guidelines for granting Associate Professor status
UPPSALA UNIVERSITY DECISION
Board of the Faculty of Law
17 October 2013 JURFAK 2013/28
(last revised 28 February 2023 JURFAK 2023/7)
1. Purpose of granting Associate Professor status at the Faculty of Law
The purpose of granting Associate Professor status at the Faculty of Law is to clearly recognise a person’s special research expertise. Associate Professor status may be conferred if it may be beneficial to the research and education. An Associate Professor is required to be active in third cycle (doctoral) education in various ways, such as providing qualified supervision and undertaking the role of external reviewer in public thesis defences. Research qualifications over and above those of a doctoral degree are therefore required to obtain Associate Professor status.
Associate Professor status may normally be conferred only in a subject in which third cycle (doctoral) education is provided at the Faculty. A person who has gained Associate Professor status at another higher education institution cannot be granted Associate Professor status at the Faculty of Law in Uppsala.
2. Consultation
A person wishing to be granted Associate Professor status is recommended to first raise the matter with the Chair of the Research Committee. The Chair must then consult one or more subject representatives on the matter. The subject representatives advising against this does not constitute a formal obstacle to proceeding with the application.
3. Conferral requirements for applicants not employed at the Faculty of Law
If the applicant does not have an indefinite-term position at the Faculty, the subject representatives must issue special statements of opinion on how the granting of Associate Professor status could benefit research and education at the Faculty of Law. Such benefit may consist of the fact that the applicant has previously, to a not insignificant extent, completed tasks as a teacher or supervisor in third cycle (doctoral) education, as a member of an examining committee, as a teacher of first cycle (undergraduate) or second cycle (Master's) education, or in other central activities at the Faculty of Law and, in view of their competence and availability, can be expected to continue to do so in the future.
4. Research expertise
The boundaries of the doctoral education subject in which the applicant wishes to obtain Associate Professor status govern the evaluation of research qualifications. Assessment of research expertise comprises appraisals of, first, scholarly publications cited that are relevant to the appointment and, second, the applicant’s capacity for further research activity in the subject specialisation concerned. Subject to the limitations of the doctoral education subject, both depth and breadth are of importance when evaluating research qualifications and research expertise. In the assessment, publications cited by the applicant must be assigned their due importance associated with their independent scholarly quality, regardless of the forms and forums in which they were published and their reach. The starting points for evaluating the applicant’s research proficiency are proven familiarity with the subject and previous research, creativity and originality in the chosen research focus, and the depth of analysis and scope of research production, taking into consideration the time during which the applicant was active. In addition, a proven ability to interact and collaborate constructively with other researchers is important.
When evaluating whether the applicant’s expertise is sufficient for conferral of Associate Professor status, the starting point is that this expertise substantially exceeds the degree of expertise necessary to obtain a doctoral degree.
A doctoral thesis of high quality that is supplemented by several high-quality articles written after defence of the thesis serves as Associate Professor qualification in terms of research expertise. Depending on the quality of the doctoral thesis, research production on a considerably larger scale may be required for the period after thesis defence. At least one of the research publications prepared after thesis defence should be in a language other than Swedish, preferably with international publication.
Moreover, the applicant must be able to demonstrate the broadening of their research expertise through additional research production after the doctoral thesis. It is an advantage if the applicant has received a multi-year external research grant in competition with other researchers.
In a balanced assessment of the applicant’s research qualifications and expertise, additional factors must be considered, without being ranked. Examples are publication after peer review, presentation of research results (internationally or nationally), research collaboration (international and national) and doctoral supervision. In their statement, it is desirable for the expert to reflect on whether the applicant has broadened their scope and taken on new research questions after earning the doctoral degree.
5. Teaching expertise
Teaching of the subject concerned at the first cycle (undergraduate), second cycle (Master's) or third cycle (doctoral) level, comprising at least 100 teaching hours and declared by the director of studies (or equivalent) to be of good quality, can normally constitute a sufficient qualification. Also judged as teaching qualifications are administrative contributions to planning and management of teaching, production of teaching materials, supervision, experience of teaching law to practising lawyers and experience in popular science writing. Teaching carried out within the framework of a doctoral studentship counts as a teaching qualification.
6. Procedure
Decisions in cases involving conferral of Associate Professor status are made by the Board of the Faculty of Law.
Application process; Applicants are requested to first contact the faculty officer via the faculty mailbox jurfak@jur.uu.se for instructions on how to submit the application electronically in Uppsala University’s recruitment system (Varbi). The recruitment system contains detailed instructions on the format of applications. If any of the publications cited cannot be submitted electronically, three hard (paper) copies should be sent to Uppsala University, Faculty of Law, Box 256, 751 05 Uppsala or via internal mail to the Faculty of Law.
The application must contain a list of qualifications, a research-focused CV including the applicant’s research publications, and other documents intended to substantiate the applicant’s research expertise.
The subject representative must nominate two experts to judge the applicant’s eligibility for Associate Professor status. These nominees should be professors at another faculty. Experts from the applicant's own faculty may only be engaged if special reasons exist. One example of a special reason is that the expertise required for assessing the case is lacking outside the faculty concerned.
When the application and the subject representative’s nominations of experts and also, where required under Section 3 above, the statement made by the subject representative has been received by the Board of the Faculty of Law, the Board appoints experts. These experts must then issue statements of opinion concerning the applicant’s research expertise. It must be clear from these statements whether the conferral of Associate Professor status is supported or not. The Recruitment Group must then submit a statement, containing a recommendation for a decision, to the Faculty Board.
Appendix 2 - Guidelines for granting Distinguished University Teacher status at the Faculty of Law
UPPSALA UNIVERSITY DECISION
Board of the Faculty of Law
11 June 2012 JURFAK 2012/34
(last revised 4 March 2025 JURFAK 2023/7)
1. Purpose of granting Distinguished University Teacher status at the Faculty of Law
The purpose of granting Distinguished University Teacher status (formerly called Excellent Teacher status) at the Faculty of Law is to clearly recognise a person’s special teaching expertise. In the Guidelines for Approval of Distinguished University Teachers (UFV 2010/1842; rev. 15 May 2012) adopted by the Vice-Chancellor, the term “Distinguished University Teacher” is used for teachers who have attained a high level of teaching expertise that clearly distinguished from the basic level, in a manner analogous to how an Associate Professor's research expertise differs from that of a doctoral degree holder. What is required to attain the higher level is defined by the assessment - criteria adopted, which are based on the definition and criteria for teaching expertise laid out in § 22 of the Appointment Regulations for Uppsala University (UFV 2019/1673; rev. 7 November 2024). These guidelines are further clarified by The Faculty of Law’s guidelines for the recruitment and promotion of teachers (JURFAK 2023/7). In the following, further instructions are provided for those who seek recognition as Distinguished University Teacher at the Faculty of Law.
2. Eligible to apply
Teachers (lecturer, senior lecturer or professor) employed at Uppsala University on indefinite-term contracts are eligible for Distinguished University Teacher status.
3. Procedure
Applications for Distinguished University Teacher status may be submitted at any time throughout the year.
Application process; Applicants are requested to first contact the faculty officer via the faculty mailbox jurfak@jur.uu.se for instructions on how to submit the application electronically in Uppsala University’s recruitment system (Varbi). The recruitment system contains detailed instructions on the format of applications. If any of the publications cited cannot be submitted electronically, three hard (paper) copies should be sent to Uppsala University, Faculty of Law, Box 256, 751 05 Uppsala or via internal mail to the Faculty of Law.
Based on a recommendation by the Head of Department in consultation with the Teaching Committee Chair, the Faculty Board appoints two teaching experts. One of the experts must be, or have been, employed as a teacher at the Department of Law of Uppsala and one must not have such previous experience of being a teacher at the Faculty. Interviews and classroom observation visits can be used in assessing the applicant.
The experts must be particularly familiar with the subject area. The shall, individually and independently, report on the applicant's proficiency and provide the reasoning for their standpoint. Collaboration or consultation between the experts may not occur. The experts' statements are submitted to the Recruitment Group, who issue the final recommendation.
Based on the evidence cited by the applicant, the experts' opinion statements and the Recruitment Group's recommendation, the Faculty Board decides whether to award the applicant Distinguished University Teacher status. If the application is rejected, a new application may be submitted not less than one year after the decision.
4. Application
The application for Distinguished University Teacher status must document the applicant's educational activity in the form of a teaching qualification portfolio that enables the experts to assess the applicant’s teaching expertise within the assessment criteria set out in point 5 below. Applicants must, as far as possible, provide documentation of their expertise with respect to each assessment criterion. They must also demonstrate the ability to analyse, problematise and reflect critically on their own contributions, and to explain their basic view of teaching theory and practice and their own role from a learning perspective. The applicants’ own reflection on their basic educational approach should clarify their basic attitude towards problem-based learning.
5. Assessment criteria
5.1 Teaching expertise
Applicants must be able to document their ability to carry out high-quality teaching for extended periods, corresponding to at least five years of full-time teaching.
In their applications, they must show how they provide their support for students to develop their - own understanding. This should be shown by the applicants reflecting on their own way of teaching and otherwise interacting with the students, and on the implications this has for the students’ learning. The applicants should also describe their experience of various forms of teaching.
“Forms of teaching” refers to activities such as supervision individually or in groups, lessons, various types of seminars, lectures, etc. The various types of groups of students taught are those in the Law Programme, other students, practising lawyers, other practitioners from different backgrounds or other groups, and also contributions to the exchange of knowledge between the University and the outside world.
The applicants should, as far as possible, demonstrate awareness of the importance of examinations and examination forms for student learning. This reflection should also include aspects such as how the applicants, in their role as teacher, support students' development of understanding, critical thinking and scholarly approach, and how the students are trained in professional skills.
5.2 Research-based teaching
All teaching must rest on a scholarly foundation, both in terms of the subject and in educational respects. In their applications, the applicants must show how this aim has been applied when preparing and performing their teaching. Applicants must also demonstrate to what extent and in what manner their own teaching practice has been influenced by research on educational theory and practice.
5.3 Educational development and leadership
The applicants must demonstrate how they have contributed to organisational development and a learning organisation. Their own experience of teaching and educational development, both good and bad, that has contributed to their personal development and been used to strengthen their collegial sharing of experience should be presented, and reflections on this sharing should be expressed. Applicants must demonstrate well-functioning educational leadership in such roles as teaching mentor, course director, programme coordinator or director of studies. Educational leadership can be demonstrated through teacher teamwork and cooperation with students.