Regulations & Policies
Academic Affairs - Graduate School
Graduate Faculty Membership and Review |
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| Number: | 2.0260P |
Policy Status:
Major Revision Responsible Division/Department: The Graduate School |
| Effective Date: | 07/12/07 | |
| Revised Date: | 04/22/25 | |
I. OBJECTIVE & PURPOSE
To describe the criteria for graduate faculty membership and membership renewal.
II. STATEMENT OF POLICY
Definition
Graduate faculty are those faculty who meet eligibility criteria to teach graduate courses and/or to offer direct assistance to graduate students. Teaching graduate courses does not automatically confer graduate faculty status.
Two categories of graduate faculty are recognized: Research Graduate Faculty and Teaching Graduate Faculty. Faculty who are approved as Research Graduate Faculty are permitted to teach graduate courses, serve on graduate student exam/thesis/dissertation committees, serve as Graduate Program Directors, and participate on the Graduate Council. Faculty who are approved as Teaching Graduate Faculty are permitted to teach specified graduate courses. Teaching Graduate Faculty may serve as a Graduate Program Director with approval of the college dean and graduate school dean. They can only serve on student exam/thesis/dissertation committees as an additional member beyond the minimum required membership established by the graduate program. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the college dean and graduate school dean.
Eligibility
The Graduate School determines qualifications for both Research Graduate Faculty and Teaching Graduate Faculty based on eligibility criteria detailed below and monitors each category's appointments.
Research Graduate Faculty
Faculty on tenured or tenure-earning lines who possess a doctorate/terminal degree are automatically classified as members of the Research Graduate Faculty.
Teaching Graduate Faculty
Faculty on continuing lines (e.g., instructors, lecturers, clinical faculty) who possess a doctorate/terminal degree are eligible to become members of the Teaching Graduate Faculty. Academic departments are required to provide evidence of a Teaching Graduate Faculty candidate’s continuing scholarship, creative activity, and/or clinical practice, as appropriate to the discipline and teaching assignments.
Faculty without a terminal degree, adjuncts and visiting faculty are ineligible for graduate faculty status. A Request for Non-Graduate Faculty to Teach Graduate Courses is required for requests to assign these individuals to teach a graduate course.
Appointment
The initial appointment of Research Graduate Faculty is automatic upon hire for faculty who possess a doctorate/terminal degree and are hired into a tenured or tenure-earning position. College Deans reserve the right to revoke Research Graduate Faculty membership with appropriate notice.
The initial appointment of Teaching Graduate Faculty may be recommended to the Dean of the Graduate School at any time. Academic department chairs may recommend qualified faculty who are, or will be, actively involved with teaching graduate courses for appointment to Teaching Graduate Faculty. The Dean of the College will review each such nomination and add a recommendation. (The College Dean has the right not to forward names she/he does not judge to be appropriate.) The nomination will then be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School, with accompanying documentation of eligibility (e.g., curriculum vitae, faculty credentialing matrix), for final review and approval.
Renewal of Graduate Faculty Membership Status
The initial appointment of Teaching Graduate Faculty may be recommended to the Dean of the Graduate School at any time. Academic department chairs may recommend qualified faculty who are, or will be, actively involved with teaching graduate courses for appointment to Teaching Graduate Faculty. The Dean of the College will review each such nomination and add a recommendation. (The College Dean has the right not to forward names she/he does not judge to be appropriate.) The nomination will then be forwarded to the Dean of the Graduate School, with accompanying documentation of eligibility (e.g., curriculum vitae, faculty credentialing matrix), for final review and approval.
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