Career trajectory & promotion
How fast professors climb the ranks, and what promotion is worth. Rank comes from each person’s title over time (Assistant → Associate → Full Professor); we measure the observed years between ranks and the salary jump in the promotion year versus an ordinary continuing year.
Median years between ranks
| Institution | Assistant → Associate | Associate → Full |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech | 5.0 yr n=251 | 5.0 yr n=221 |
| UGA | 4.0 yr n=526 | 5.0 yr n=402 |
| Georgia State | 4.0 yr n=368 | 5.0 yr n=253 |
| Kennesaw State | 5.0 yr n=340 | 5.0 yr n=217 |
| Georgia Southern | 4.0 yr n=347 | 4.0 yr n=204 |
| West Georgia | 4.0 yr n=139 | 5.0 yr n=97 |
| Georgia Gwinnett | 5.0 yr n=214 | 5.0 yr n=95 |
| Valdosta State | 3.0 yr n=132 | 5.0 yr n=89 |
| Augusta | 4.0 yr n=292 | 5.0 yr n=176 |
The raise at promotion
Median year-over-year raise in a year the person’s rank went up, versus a year it didn’t — promotion is where the real jumps happen.
| Institution | Promotion-year raise | Normal-year raise | Promotion premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech | 8.8% n=463 | 2.5% | +6.3 pts |
| UGA | 9.8% n=928 | 2.7% | +7.1 pts |
| Georgia State | 5.2% n=613 | 2.6% | +2.6 pts |
| Kennesaw State | 8.9% n=551 | 2.7% | +6.2 pts |
| Georgia Southern | 7.3% n=547 | 2.3% | +5.1 pts |
| West Georgia | 11.3% n=227 | 2.2% | +9.1 pts |
| Georgia Gwinnett | 7.3% n=307 | 1.8% | +5.5 pts |
| Valdosta State | 8.3% n=222 | 2.5% | +5.8 pts |
| Augusta | 9.8% n=446 | 2.6% | +7.2 pts |
Rank is read from title.canonical_title (tenure-track professor ranks only; lecturers/adjuncts are excluded). Timing is window-censored: we only see FY2015–2025, so someone already an Associate in 2015 contributes only their Associate→Full gap, and both ends are truncated — the medians are a floor, best read comparatively across institutions rather than as absolute time-in-rank. A promotion year is one where the person’s highest rank increased versus the prior consecutive year; the raise is that year’s total-salary change (funds paid), so mid-year promotions understate the true step.