MSU non-tenure-system faculty teach, advise, advance, and work on independent research, scholarship, and pedagogy that provide new insights that are conveyed in myriad ways. Fixed-term faculty members are ranked faculty (instructor, senior instructor, assistant/associate/full professor) who are appointed outside of the tenure system and academic specialists (including senior specialists) who are appointed as fixed term.
Fixed-term faculty are eligible for promotion and are represented by the Union of Non-Tenure Track Faculty for the teaching portion of their assignments. They can be appointed on academic year (AY) or annual (AN) appointments.