The graduate faculty is selected from the university faculty on the basis of academic training, experience, demonstrated potential for creative work and scholarly research, and evidence of the ability and competency essential to directing and supervising graduate students in their pursuit of advanced knowledge.

Faculty members are nominated to graduate faculty status by the head or chair of the academic unit and the academic dean of that college or school. Final review and approval is given by the Graduate Council. Each graduate faculty member is authorized for specific graduate activities within a particular academic unit. These activities and the necessary qualifications for each are:

Activity 1 - Teach Graduate Courses:

Qualifications: Graduate degree. Evidence of professional activity sufficient to assure awareness of current advances in the discipline or profession. Evidence of effective instruction or effectiveness in other types of professional presentations should be supplied. When possible, teaching evaluations should be provided as evidence of effective instruction. In the case of new appointments, strength of evidence that indicates potential may substitute for experience.

Activity 2 - Direct non-thesis students:

Qualifications: Graduate degree. Evidence of professional activity or scholarship sufficient to assure awareness of current advances in the discipline or profession. Evidence of effectiveness in advising and directing master's level student programs should be supplied for re-appointments. In the case of new appointments, strength of evidence that indicates potential may substitute for experience.

Activity 3 - Serve on graduate student committees:

Qualifications: Graduate degree appropriate to the student's degree level. Evidence of professional activity or scholarship sufficient to assure awareness of current advances in the discipline or profession. Evidence of effectiveness in advising, participation on graduate student committees, and supervising graduate student research should be supplied for re-appointments. In the case of new appointments, information suggesting potential for providing guidance to graduate students may substitute for participation on committees.

Activity 4 - Direct master's theses:

Qualifications: Doctoral or other relevant terminal degree (A combination of a master's degree and scholarly activity may be considered as a substitute). Evidence of professional activity and scholarship indicating participation in advances in the discipline or profession. Evidence of successful participation in the advising of graduate students and the direction of master's thesis research should be supplied for re-appointments. Records of any pertinent comments of Graduate Council Representatives on program committees will be reviewed. In the case of new appointments, information suggesting potential for directing master's theses may substitute for experience.

Activity 5 - Direct doctoral theses:

Qualifications: Research doctoral degree. Evidence of professional activity and scholarship indicating active participation in current advances in the discipline or profession. Evidence of successful participation in the advising of graduate students and the direction of doctoral thesis research should be supplied for re-appointments. Records of any pertinent comments of Graduate Council Representatives on program committees will be reviewed. In the case of new appointments, information suggesting potential for directing doctoral theses may substitute for experience.

In some cases, a faculty member's activities are limited to a specific student's committee.

A courtesy faculty member may be appointed to the Graduate Faculty when appropriately qualified for the purpose of teaching a graduate level course, directing theses, or serving on a graduate student's committee. An affiliate faculty member is eligible to be appointed to the Graduate Faculty when appropriately qualified, typically for minor participation in graduate instructional activities (activities 1 or 3 above). For more information see the policy on Courtesy Status Policy document published by the Office of Univesrity Human Resources.

The same process for nomination to Graduate Faculty will be used for the removal or reduction in responsibility of Graduate Faculty Status when the Graduate Faculty member's status initially provided for continuing research or teaching duties. Before a regular faculty member's graduate faculty activities are reduced, the head or chair of the academic unit will write a letter to that faculty member, notifying them of the intent to change responsibilities. Cases in which the faculty member was hired for a fixed term/assignment, retired, died, moved or became inactive will be exempt from the removal process.

Graduate faculty members with the appropriate authorized activities will occasionally be called upon to act as a Graduate Council Representative (GCR). A GCR is required on the committees of master's degree students who are writing a thesis, on Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies committees, and on all doctoral committees. As the title suggests, a GCR is the representative of the Graduate Council on a graduate student's committee and interprets institutional policy concerning graduate degree requirements.

Nomination to Graduate Faculty

A major department/program will need to nominate the proposed member to act in those roles using the 

Please forward the form to [email protected].

Committee structure is evaluated when the graduate student's program of study is received by the Graduate School and when the Grad student schedules their formal examination(s).