Graduate Faculty Membership

Since the academic reputation of any graduate program rests upon the quality of its faculty, great care is given to the awarding of graduate faculty membership. The selection of graduate faculty rests with the Graduate Council. Graduate Faculty membership is limited to full-time faculty who have the terminal degree or its equivalent. Types of membership are:

Graduate Faculty members can teach graduate classes, direct master's theses, serve on doctoral committees, and direct doctoral dissertations.

Graduate Faculty membership minimum qualifications include:

academic rank of assistant professor or above, or rank of assistant professional track faculty or above
awarded the highest earned terminal degree in the teaching discipline
competence as a scholar, including research capability and/or creative activity as evidenced by publications, creative endeavors and thesis or dissertation supervision.

Graduate Faculty Membership Form

Visiting Members

The University will recognize the graduate faculty status that the visiting member holds at his/her home institution. Anyone not affiliated with an institution of higher education will be evaluated on an individual basis.

Requests for Graduate Faculty membership and for visiting member status may be initiated by the head of the department in which the faculty member serves. All requests initially go to the departmental Graduate Faculty for a recommendation. The request is then forwarded through the department head, college dean and graduate dean for a recommendation from each. It is then sent to the Graduate Council, who makes the decision as to the type of membership to be awarded.

Graduate Faculty Membership Form

Temporary Graduate Faculty

Temporary status to teach graduate courses and/or serve on theses or dissertation committees by other faculty members who do not hold graduate faculty status can be granted by the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. Information on such exceptions is submitted to the Graduate Council each semester and does not require Council action except in such cases as it deems necessary. Questions relating to Graduate Faculty membership should be directed to the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.

Application for Temporary Graduate Faculty Status