Graduate Program
A graduate program includes all Graduate Faculty members who are appointed specifically to the faculty of that program by the Dean of the Graduate School. Any faculty member whose duties include teaching, thesis or dissertation supervision,聽or聽research supervision of CU Boulder graduate students must be appointed to the Graduate Faculty to ensure minimum standards of excellence in relation to graduate education.
Membership
Appointment to the Graduate Faculty of the Graduate School is based on uniform, minimum standards specified in the 鈥淕raduate School Rules.鈥� There are two types of appointment: 鈥渞egular鈥� and 鈥渟pecial.鈥� As detailed below, regular appointment to the Graduate Faculty is limited to full-time faculty members of CU Boulder who hold the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, professor聽or any research professor title; special appointments may be granted to CU Boulder instructors or lecturers, to retired CU Boulder faculty, to faculty of any rank at other institutions, or to individuals beyond academia whose professional expertise is commensurate with CU Boulder standards.
In the case of a coordinated program between one or more University of Colorado campuses, the issue of Graduate Faculty appointment shall be addressed in the program MOU and agreed to by the graduate deans of each campus involved.
General Qualifications
In accordance with the 鈥淎ssumed Practices鈥� policy of the Higher Learning Commission,聽the Graduate School requires that members of the graduate faculty hold a doctoral degree or the terminal degree appropriate to the discipline and have a record of research, scholarship, or achievement appropriate for the graduate program.
鈥淭ested experience鈥� may substitute for the earned credential where the institution has determined that a faculty member is qualified based on experience determined to be equivalent to the terminal degree. Equivalent experience should be tested in that it 鈥渋ncludes a breadth and depth of experience outside of the classroom in real-world situations relevant to the discipline,鈥� and is not typically based on years of teaching experience. A unit that intends to use tested experience as a basis for requesting a GFA must have well-defined policies, procedures, and documentation that demonstrate when such experience is equivalent to a terminal degree and sufficient to determine that the faculty member has the expertise necessary to work with graduate students in their discipline, according to the .聽When making a request for exception based upon equivalent experience, the unit shall include all such information along with the request.
Review Process
Recommendations for membership in the Graduate Faculty are initiated by a department chair or program director. Any faculty member at CU Boulder may request that his/her credentials as a candidate for membership on the Graduate Faculty be reviewed. The recommendation is reviewed by the chair of the department prior to submission to the Dean of the Graduate School for consideration. The Dean of the Graduate School approves or disapproves appointments to the Graduate Faculty. If the action contemplated varies from recommendations, the Dean of the Graduate School and graduate program members discuss the issue in an attempt to reconcile the differences. Appeals of decisions聽made by the Dean of the Graduate School are forwarded to the Executive Advisory Council for action.
Regular Graduate Faculty Appointment
The term of appointment for regular members of the graduate faculty is for a maximum of seven years. For untenured faculty, the length of the graduate faculty appointment corresponds to the length of the faculty member鈥檚 appointment in the department. Members of the Graduate Faculty may be reappointed any number of times.
Additional Qualifications
Regular membership on the Graduate Faculty is generally limited to full-time faculty members of CU Boulder who hold the rank of assistant professor, associate professor聽or professor, as well as any research professor title. The quality of graduate teaching, thesis supervision, research and creative work is central to the decision.
Criteria
The criteria applied in evaluating applications for regular membership include:
Privileges
The appointment of a faculty member as a regular member of the Graduate Faculty means the faculty member may:
*The responsibility for certifying faculty members on regular Graduate Faculty appointments to teach particular courses or to supervise theses or dissertations in a particular area rests with the department chair or dean (where appropriate) of the approved degree program in which the course is taught or the thesis or dissertation is to be completed.
Special Graduate Faculty Appointment
The appointment of a special member to the Graduate Faculty is for a maximum of three years. Such appointments may be renewed upon recommendation by the department chair or program director and re-approval by the Dean of the Graduate School.
Additional Qualifications
The classification of special membership in the Graduate Faculty is intended for individuals who are not full-time members of the CU Boulder faculty, for retired faculty, or for faculty members who are full-time members of the CU Boulder faculty but do not meet the qualifications outlined for regular membership in the Graduate Faculty.
Graduate students are not eligible for Graduate Faculty appointments. They may be granted 鈥渟pecial鈥� Graduate Faculty appointments only in very exceptional circumstances.
Criteria
The criteria to be applied in evaluating applications for special membership include:
Privileges
A special member of the Graduate Faculty may fulfill only designated roles and duties as specified by the department chair or program director and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. These roles and duties may include:
They may not vote on issues before the Graduate Faculty.
Revocation of Regular or Special Graduate Faculty Appointment
The status of a regular or special member may be revoked for cause upon a majority vote of the Graduate Faculty of the member鈥檚 graduate program. This recommendation must then be approved by the Executive Advisory Council and the Dean of the Graduate School. For the purposes of these Graduate School Rules, revocation for cause through this process does not include unprofessional conduct.
In accordance with the Academic Affairs policy and procedures regarding Professional Rights and Responsibilities of Faculty Members and Roles and Professional Responsibilities of Academic Leaders (PRR), any concerns about a Graduate Faculty member鈥檚 unprofessional conduct must be reviewed and determined by the faculty member鈥檚 Supervising Administrator, and any proposed sanction that includes modification to or revocation of a graduate faculty appointment can only be determined by the Dean of the Graduate School, in accordance with the processes and procedures defined by the PRR.
Meetings of the Graduate Faculty
Graduate School business is normally conducted by the Dean of the Graduate School, the Graduate School staff, and the Executive Advisory Committee; however, special meetings may be called at any time on twenty-four hours notice by the Dean of the Graduate School, or upon filing with the Dean of the Graduate School a petition signed by fifteen members of the Graduate Faculty. The petition must set forth in full the reason for calling the meeting. The members present at such a meeting constitute a quorum. The meetings are conducted in accord with 鈥淩obert鈥檚 Rules of Order.鈥�
Last updated July 2023