One of a Series of Ranks

One of a series of ranks crossword clue, 4 letters. A quick crossword question in Daily Telegraph on Monday 18 Sep 2017.

Answer: TIER

One of a series of ranks in example

The US and the UK both have one a series of ranks for academics, but the names of the job titles are somewhat different. American universities hire “professors” to do teaching and research. In your first job, you get the title of “assistant professor,” which indicates that you are an independent scholar expected to teach undergraduate and graduate courses and lead an independent research program. After a few years, if you are doing well, you can be promoted to “associate professor.”