Before the Rector can make an offer of appointment, a professorial appointment process at Leipzig University usually involves four stages. This page provides an overview of the procedure, which requirements have to be fulfilled, and the necessary application documents.
1: Position Authorisation and Job Description
- The faculty council submits a proposal to the Vice-Rector for Development and Transfer for the assignment and job description of a professorship or a junior professorship. This proposal contains a detailed description of the role, which is based on the University’s development plan as well as the faculty to which the position is to be assigned.
- The Rectorate then decides on the proposal and determines the specifics of the position.
2: Announcement of Vacancy and Resource Planning
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The faculty first applies to have the vacant professorship or junior professorship announced.
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The Rectorate approves the announcement text and is consulted on the composition of an appointment committee.
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The Rectorate recommends to the Rector a person to chair the appointment committee and selects an appointment officer.
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The Vice-Rector for Development and Transfer then informs the University Senate of the approved text of the announcement and the composition of the appointment committee.
- The text of the announcement is usually published in relevant international specialist journals and online portals as well as in national newspapers. It is also posted on the Leipzig University website.
3: Selection of Applicants and Appointment Proposal
- The appointment committee selects suitable applicants for the advertised position. It has nine months after the application deadline to draw up an appointment proposal. The selection procedure usually entails several meetings of the appointment committee and consists of several stages.
- Based on the text of the announcement and the job description, the committee defines the selection criteria and their weighting and makes a preselection of suitable applicants.
- The selected candidates are invited to a personal interview. This usually consists of two parts: a lecture or class, which is open to staff and students, and a private interview with the appointment committee. Other forms of face-to-face interview are also possible, such as inviting an applicant to an assessment centre.
- For each of the applicants shortlisted by the appointment committee, the latter commissions at least three external, usually comparative, expert opinions.
- After receipt and appraisal of the expert opinions, the appointment committee draws up its appointment proposal. This should contain three names and must contain detailed reasons.
- The proposal is then submitted to the Rector along with the documentation of the entire selection procedure. We attach considerable importance to preparing these documents carefully with regard to legal compliance, transparency and traceability.
4: Offer of Appointment
- After reviewing the appointment proposal and the submitted procedural documentation, the Rector decides on the most suitable applicant and on how to proceed with the appointment process. The extended faculty council passes the Rector’s appointment proposal. The Rector then usually issues an offer of appointment to the candidate.
- When offering candidates an appointment to a W2 or W3 professorship, the Rector also offers the opportunity to conduct appointment negotiations to discuss material, personnel and room requirements as well as the candidate’s personal remuneration.
Further information about appointment negotiations and the appointment and recruitment process is available on the Information for Prospective Appointees page.
Useful Information
The requirements for appointment to a professorship are listed in Section 59 of the Saxon Higher Education Act (SächsHSG). Candidates must also meet the relevant conditions under general employment law. The requirements include:
- a university degree
- pedagogical aptitude and knowledge of higher education didactics
- special competence in academic work (usually proven by the quality of the doctorate) or special competence in artistic work as well as
- additional academic or artistic achievements.
Additional academic achievements are demonstrated by a junior professorship, a habilitation, or equivalent academic activity.
In the case of professorships involving educational or subject didactics-related responsibilities in teacher training, applicants should demonstrate three years of teaching experience at a school.
Professors with medical, dental or veterinary responsibilities must also provide evidence of their accreditation as a specialist doctor, dentist or veterinary surgeon, in so far as relevant further training is stipulated for the discipline in question.
The requirements for appointment to a junior professorship are listed in Section 64 of the Saxon Higher Education Act (SächsHSG). Candidates must also meet the relevant conditions under general employment law. The requirements include:
- a university degree
- pedagogical aptitude and
- special competence in academic work (usually proven by the outstanding quality of the doctorate).
Junior professors with medical, dental or veterinary responsibilities should also provide evidence of their accreditation as a medical specialist or, in so far as this is not stipulated for the respective discipline, prove that they have worked as medical specialists for at least five years after receiving their registration or licence to practise.
In the case of junior professorship involving educational or subject didactics-related responsibilities in teacher training, applicants should demonstrate three years of teaching experience at a school.
If the applicant has been employed as a research or graduate assistant before or after completing his or her doctorate, then the doctorate and employment phases should have lasted no more than six years in total, and in the field of medicine no more than nine years.
Current vacancies at Leipzig University for professors, junior professors and senior managerial staff are advertised on the Job Opportunities page.
We also publish announcements of professorships and junior professorships at Leipzig University in relevant specialist journals and online portals as well as national newspapers (primarily Die Zeit).
The documents to be submitted when applying for a professorship or junior professorship at Leipzig University (as well as the application deadline and the addressee) are specified in the text of the announcement. They are usually:
- CV with a description of the applicant’s professional and academic career
- list of publications
- list of courses taught so far, stating the type and title of the course, the academic year and semester, the university and the number of teaching hours per week
- evidence of teaching evaluations
- details of external funding secured in the past
- certified copy of the document certifying the highest academic degree earned and, when applying for professorships, certified copy of the proof of qualification for the subject area of the appointment and
- if applicable, licence to practise and, in clinical subjects: specialist accreditation, areas of specialisation and additional qualifications.
Further documents may also be requested, such as a research and/or teaching concept, selected publications, etc.
For applications to the Faculty of Medicine, we kindly ask you to also fill in the relevant short application form provided by the faculty.
There is no age limit for applications. However, junior professorships should be seen as opportunities for further qualification. When a junior professorship is announced, it is therefore aimed at applicants who, having completed an outstanding doctorate (at least magna cum laude), wish to obtain a further qualification and have not completed a habilitation.
If the applicant has been employed as a research or graduate assistant before or after completing his or her doctorate, then the doctorate and employment phases should have lasted no more than six years in total (nine years field in the case of medicine).
The selection is made by an appointment committee, which is established by the faculty council after consultation with the Rectorate. It consists of professors, academic staff, students, and other university staff as well as at least one external expert. Professors have a majority of one seat on the appointment committee.
We aim to ensure gender parity in the constitution of appointment committees.
The selection procedure usually entails several meetings of the appointment committee. It consists of several stages:
- The appointment committee reviews the applications it has received and preselects suitable candidates.
- These applicants are invited to attend a personal interview (usually involving a lecture or class, which is open to staff and students, as well as a private interview with the appointment committee).
- The appointment committee obtains external, usually comparative, expert opinions on the candidates presumed most suitable.
- The appointment committee draws up a list of three candidates for its appointment proposal.
The Rector then decides on how to proceed with the appointment process. Once the extended faculty council has approved the appointment proposal, the Rector usually issues an offer of appointment.
We aim to make our appointment processes as transparent as possible. For us, this also means keeping applicants informed about the current status of the respective appointment process. They are automatically sent the following written information:
- an acknowledgement of receipt of their application (after the application deadline)
- after presentation of the appointment proposal and once an offer of appointment has been issued, a notification of this and whether the applicant has been successful
- information about the successful completion of the appointment negotiations (after acceptance of the offer of appointment) and
- after appointment, a notification that the appointment process is complete, application documents returned.
You can check the status of current appointment processes at Leipzig University here.