Academic Promotion and Appointment Process in Higher Education since the Proclamation of the Turkish Republic

This study aims to examine the changes in the procedures and principles of obtaining academic titles in Turkish higher education from the proclamation of the new Republic, and the appointment of those who have these titles to academic positions. By applying the document analysis method, the changes in the law of universities, higher education laws, regulations for academic staff promotion and appointment, published in the Official Gazette since 1933, were examined. A total of twenty-two laws and regulations and the related changes were examined, which revealed that the highest number of changes were made in the titles and appointments of associate professors and professors (totally forty-eight) in the law of universities and higher education law. Nineteen changes were made regarding academic titles in the academic promotion and appointment regulations. To conclude, despite its long-established structure, Turkish higher education has made many significant and frequent changes to its academic title awarding and appointment procedures, primarily due to sociopolitical reasons.