What Is a Provost?
A provost is a senior administrator at a university, usually the chief academic officer. In many US universities, the provost is the second most senior leader after the president and is responsible for the academic mission: faculty, curriculum, academic programs, research and often the budget for academic units. The official title may be "provost and vice president for academic affairs."
What the provost does
- Oversees academic units such as schools, colleges and departments, with deans reporting to the provost.
- Leads faculty matters, including hiring, promotion and tenure decisions at the university level.
- Supports curriculum and standards, such as new programs, degree requirements and academic policies.
- Manages the academic budget and resources.
- Promotes research and teaching quality, and sometimes student success initiatives.
- Acts for the president in some matters or when the president is absent.
How it compares with other roles
- President or chancellor: the chief executive, in charge of the whole institution, fundraising and external relations.
- Provost: the chief academic officer inside the institution.
- Dean: leads one school or college, such as business or arts and sciences.
- Department chair: leads a single department, such as chemistry.
Provost in the UK and elsewhere
The word is used differently. In some UK universities, "provost" is the head of a college, for example at University College London, or a title of the head of an institution, and at Oxford and Cambridge it can be the head of a college. At other institutions the equivalent roles are vice-chancellor and pro-vice-chancellor.
Why students should know
You probably will not meet the provost often, but the office makes decisions that affect you, such as academic policies, program approvals and large academic changes. In serious academic disputes or appeals, the provost's office may be part of the final stage, so it helps to know that it exists.
Related terms
See dean, chancellor, faculty, tenure and registrar.
Frequently asked questions
Is the provost higher than the president?
No. At most US universities the provost reports to the president and is the second-ranking officer, in charge of academic matters.
What is the difference between a provost and a dean?
A dean leads a school or college within the university, such as engineering. The provost oversees all deans and academic units across the whole institution.
Does every university have a provost?
Many do, mostly in the US. Some have a vice president for academic affairs instead, and in the UK a provost may be a head of a college or university, with different duties.