Despite its pejorative name, teaching assistant (also called as assistant lecturer) is not at all an "auxiliary worker", but the first stage of a career as a teacher/researcher, the first step towards becoming an associate professor. This is the only job that can be filled without a PhD degree, so the majority of assistant professors are young people who have just completed their doctoral studies, are working on their dissertation (or have already submitted it and are waiting for the defense). For them, this is a transitional status, and they will become adjunct professors shortly after the award of the PhD degree. The teaching assistantship is therefore of limited duration and may not last longer than 3 years.

Conditions for becoming an assistant professor:

• Master's degree,
• Doctoral studies (may be completed),
• "able to carry out creative work" (whatever that means).

Requirements for continuous employment:

• Preparedness for quality teaching, practice leading,
• publication activity,
• participation in the professional life of the university.

For the position of assistant professor (or adjuct professor) a PhD degree is already a requirement. They do a lot of teaching, publish research, participate in proposals and projects, and build up their network of academic contacts in their home country and internationally. They play a role in university public life: presentations, open days, science outreach programmes. They not only give lectures but also consult students. If the following criteria are met, the promotion to an assistant professor is usually automatic, the Faculty Council is not required to decide on the application, and the evaluation does not involve a committee opinion as in the case of associate professors. Criteria for becoming an assistant professor:

• Master's degree and doctoral degree,
• teaching activity, also in a foreign language,
• active publication activity, also in a foreign language,
• regular participation in the professional life,
• at least 3 years of teaching experience.

The 3 years of teaching experience may include the period of doctoral studies, so this criterion is not restrictive even for recent doctorates. Requirements for continuous employment:

• ability to provide high-quality teaching, also in a foreign language,
• publication activity, also in a foreign language,
• participation in the professional life of the university.

The associate professor is a senior teaching position. Associate professors have extensive teaching and research experience, they coordinate the activity of students, doctoral students, teaching assistants and assistant professors. They not only teach, but also play a key role in the organisation of teaching: they develop curricula and act as subject coordinators not only in Hungarian but also in foreign languages. They submit national and international research proposals and coordinate their implementation. They contribute to the Faculty's income through grants and corporate project activities. They are key players in the university's professional life, they carry out committee work, organise academic competitions and science-promotion programmes.

The promotion of associate professors is the result of a multi-stage process. The publication of a call for applications requires the approval of the Faculty Council. The applications received are evaluated by a committee set up for this purpose. The Faculty Council will rank the applications on the basis of the committee's opinion and the Dean will decide on the promotion.

The conditions for the promotion of an associate professor are not only regulated by the Human Resources Policy Code but also by a Dean's Instruction:

• Doctoral degree obtained at least 2 years ago;
• at least 7 years of teaching experience (including doctoral studies);
• several semesters of teaching, including in a foreign language, as a lecturer;
• regular activity as a supervisor (thesis, diploma, PhD, TDK, ÚNKP);
• active publication activity, 50% of the habilitation criteria fulfilled;
• regular professional and academic activities;
• extensive national and international contacts.

In addition to the above, the Dean's Instructions on the criteria for Associate Professors of the Faculty define 7 additional areas in which outstanding performance is required in 3 of them (academic activity, educational organisation, recognition of teaching, talent management, professional public engagement, grants and project activity and international relations).

A full professor is the top of the career of university teachers-researchers. In many institutions, a habilitation is sufficient for becoming a professor, but BME is one of the very few institutions where no one can become a professor without a "Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences" title. This strict requirement ensures that all full professors are backed by very strong, internationally recognised, highly cited scientific achievements and a wide and vibrant international network of contacts. All full professors are research team leaders, regularly submit national and international scientific proposals, and maintain close links with industry through corporate partnerships. They are key players in doctoral training: they teach doctoral courses, supervise doctoral students, and are regular participants and decision-makers in doctoral training and degree committees.

The quality of full professors is also enhanced by the requirements of the external actors involved in the promotion process. The publication of the calls for applications also requires the approval of the Faculty Council. The University Habilitation Committee and Doctoral Council first evaluates the applications received and the Senate votes on the basis of the evaluation. The applications are then sent to the Hungarian Accreditation Committee, where they are evaluated according to a comprehensive scoring system that includes teaching, scientific and public activities. In case of a positive decision, the new professors will be appointed by the President of the Republic and will start their academic work with an inaugural lecture.

The conditions for becoming a full professors are regulated not only by the Human Resources Code but also by the MAB:

• the title "Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences";
• an internationally recognised, outstanding representative in his/her field;
• leadership experience in teaching and research;
• outstanding teaching, scientific and professional achievements;
• regular professional and academic public engagement;
• extensive national and international contacts.

Requirements for continuous application:

• Continuous curriculum development related to the subjects taught,
• development of teaching methodology (notes, textbooks, textbook writing),
• guiding participation in doctoral training, habilitation procedures,
• organisation of teaching and research work,
• regular publications, including in foreign languages,
• staying in contact with practitioners in the field, managing application teams, obtaining research/professional contracts,
• professional representation of the discipline, the institution and the country in the international scientific community,
• pro-active and leading participation in the university's public professional activities.