The appointment procedure
Your path to a professorship
The University of Münster has been awarded the certificate "Fair and Transparent Appointment Procedures". In this context, equal opportunity and diversity are central prerequisites for excellent research and teaching.
Below, we provide an insight into the typical process of an appointment procedure at the University of Münster – from the first idea to the official start of duty of a professorship. This makes it clear how many committees are involved to ensure a fair selection of the most suitable candidates.
Initial steps
If a vacant professorship is to be refilled or a new professorship is to be established, the faculty submits a corresponding (re-)allocation request to the Rectorate via the Rectorate Committee for Strategic Planning (RSP). This request refers in particular to the structural and development planning of the faculty and describes the resources placed at the disposal of a professorship. Enclosed with the request are the (position) advertisement and, as a rule, the planned composition of the appointments committee.
The appointments committee
The faculty board appoints a committee, which, in addition to representatives of the group of professors, also includes academic staff and students. External members should also be involved. The committee can invite further members with an advisory vote. Additionally, the Rectorate can appoint an appointments advisor as an advisory member. The Equal Opportunity Officer and the Representative for People with Severe Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses are also involved.
Before the advertisement is published, the requirements profile and selection criteria are developed. The committee has the task of conducting gender-sensitive and transparent appointment procedures with the aim of selecting the best candidates. It can actively approach potential applicants. Subsequently, it carries out the individual selection steps.
The advertisement
The professorship is advertised via the university's website and suitable national and international platforms and specialist media.
Trial lecture and interview
After reviewing all applications, the committee invites suitable candidates to a university-wide trial lecture. This is followed by a non-public interview between the applicants and the committee.
External reviews
To ensure quality, the committee generally obtains at least two external comparative reviews – often from international specialists. A preliminary ranking possibly decided by the committee is not communicated to the reviewers.
Creation of the appointments list
Based on all results, the committee creates an appointments proposal. This usually contains three people in a fixed order. The proposal is submitted to the faculty board for decision.
Offer of appointment
The human resources department carries out a legal examination of the previous appointment procedure and the appointment requirements of the placed persons and submits the appointment process to the Rectorate for decision and subsequently (with the exception of junior professorships without "Tenure Track") to the Senate for approval. If the appointments proposal is accepted, the Rectorate issues an intention to appoint, but the formal offer is not made at this point. After the intention to appoint has been issued, negotiations begin. After successful negotiations, the Rector or Rectorate issues the formal offer of appointment to the top candidate.
Appointment negotiations
For W2/W3 professorships and tenure-track professorships, the Rector, possibly together with the Head of Administration, conducts the negotiations. For junior professorships without tenure track, the Vice-Rector for Academic Career Development and Diversity leads the negotiations. The basis for the negotiations is a concept paper previously submitted by the candidate and coordinated with the representatives of the faculty.
After the final confirmation of the negotiation results by the Rectorate, the candidate receives the written offer of appointment and decides on acceptance or rejection of the offer. In the event of a rejection, the next person on the list receives the offer. After completion of the appointment procedure, all candidates who have not been considered are informed of this.
Start of duty
As part of the negotiations, a start date is agreed. Between the acceptance of the offer and the start of duty, the human resources department intensively supports the newly appointed professors to ensure a smooth start.
