EIU Graduate School

Regular Graduate Faculty Membership Policy

• Click here for Regular Graduate Faculty Nomination Form.

Designation:  The Graduate Faculty is responsible for comprehensive delivery of all aspects of the graduate curriculum.  Members of the Graduate Faculty are so designated because the specialized content of courses in advanced programs requires faculty with a high degree of specialization and competence as evidenced by their formal academic preparation and by their commitment to scholarship, research, and professional practice.

Faculty Appointments:  To be eligible for nomination, a faculty member must meet the following Faculty Rank, Teaching/Research/Creative Activity, and Degree Criteria:

1. Faculty Rank: Hold the rank of Assistant Professor or above in a tenure/tenure track appointment;

2. Teaching/Research/Creative Activity: Exhibit continued excellence in teaching, continued research/creative activity in his/her specialization, and compliance with institutional policies on research;

3. Terminal Degree: Hold a terminal degree in the field of assignment (as described in the Graduate Faculty Guidelines).

Administrative Appointments:  The Graduate Faculty shall include the President of the University, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Deans of the Colleges, and the Chairpersons and Graduate Coordinators of the departments that offer graduate degree and certificate programs, contingent upon holding the appropriate terminal degree.

Staff Appointments:  Staff without faculty rank are not eligible for Graduate Faculty appointment.

Nomination:  The Department Graduate Committee or Coordinator and Department Chair nominate faculty who meet the eligibility requirements for Graduate Faculty Membership to the College Dean and the Dean of the Graduate School.

Appointment:  The Dean of the Graduate School is responsible for appointment of the Graduate Faculty.

Length of Appointment:  Graduate Faculty members serve five year terms.

Reappointment: Graduate Faculty members must be reappointed every five years. Reappointment parallels the process used for initial appointment.

Denial of Reappointment:  Reappointment will be denied when the Teaching/Research/Creative Activity Criteria are not met.  Denial may include the inability to provide evidence of continuing to achieve teaching excellence, inability to continue to participate in research/creative activity, or engaging in research and related professional conduct that is not-compliant with institutional policies on the conduct of research/creative activity.

Duties:  The Graduate Faculty is responsible for the development, execution, and review of graduate programs, and through its representatives on the Council on Graduate Studies, recommends policy on all graduate matters to the university administration.  A Graduate Faculty appointment is approval to perform all of the following duties:

1. Teach graduate level courses
2. Serve on a degree candidate's committee or committees
3. Serve as an advisor to a graduate candidate
4. Serve as chair of a graduate candidate's committee
5. Serve on the Council on Graduate Studies and University-wide graduate committees
6. Vote, where appropriate, in deliberations of the Graduate Faculty and for elections of members to the Council on Graduate Studies.
   

Terminal Degree Definitions:  For the purpose of this policy, a terminal degree shall be defined as the earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline, except as noted below:

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences:  The earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline with the following exceptions:

• Studio Art:  M.F.A. or Master's Degree plus 30 semester hours of graduate work in the discipline
• Fashion Merchandising: M.F.A.
• Music Performance:  M.M. plus 30  semester hours of graduate work in the discipline
• Theatre Arts Performance: M.F.A. or Master's degree plus 30 semester hours of graduate work in the discipline
• Creative Writing:  M. F. A. or Ph.D.
• Journalism:  Master's degree plus 30 semester hours of graduate work in the discipline
• Communication Disorders and Sciences: Master's degree plus 30  semester hours of graduate work in the discipline (teaching no more than one course per semester)
• Dance: M.F.A. or Master's degree plus 30 semester hours of graduate work in the appropriate discipline
  

College of Education:  The earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline.

College of Health and Human Services: the earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline.

Lumpkin College of Business and Technology:  The earned doctorate in the appropriate discipline with the following exception:

• School of Business:  Ph.D., D.B.A., or J.D. for business law

The highest appropriate degree as specified above must be earned from a regionally accredited institution in an academic area appropriate to the department or unit.  Appropriate equivalent degrees may be considered for approval through a petition to the Council on Graduate Studies.