Academic Titles in Japanese

I think most of us has heard the word for “teacher” in Japanese, somewhere somehow. The word “sensei” is almost as common as “sushi” nowadays, popping up in anime titles, movie dialogues, etc.

Sensei = Teacher

Easy breezy.

But how about those sensei who levelled up? Those with power over 9000?

I’m talking about tertiary education level academic titles. Let’s start from the top and go towards the bottom of the academic hierarchy in Japan.

• 名誉教授 (meiyo kyōju) which can be translated as “professor emeritus”
• 専任教授 (sen’nin kyōju) which can be translated as “tenured full-time professor”
• 専任准教授 (sen’nin jun kyōju) which can be translated as “tenured associate professor”
• 専任講師 (sen’nin kōshi) which can be translated as “tenured junior associate professor”
• 特任教授 (tokunin kyōju) which can be translated as “non-tenured specially appointed professor”
• 特任准教授 (tokunin jun kyōju) which can be translated as “non-tenured specially appointed associate professor”
• 特任講師 (tokunin kōshi) which can be translated as “non-tenured specially appointed lecturer”
• 助教 (jokyō) which can be translated as “assistant professor”
• 助手 (joshu) which can be translated as “research associate”
• In general, the academic administrative positions are titled 職員 (shokuin) which can be translated as “staff”.

These academic title translations may seem awkward, and I would agree that they are. However, the academic hierarchy and the academic positions themselves in Japan are quite different from their American counterparts. It is inevitable that some academic titles in Japan will not match those in the United States. With that being said, the Japanese tenured academic positions and non-tenured ones carry the same connotations as they do anywhere else.

Tenure = Sweet bliss

Non-tenure = Gotta keep chasing the rabbit, Alice

(I had to use the metaphor in remembrance of Lewis Carroll’s 125th death anniversary)

I hope these academic title translations help those who are interested in Japanese academia, even for just a tiny bit. And now if you will excuse me, this Alice has some rabbits to chase.