EIU Office of Internal Auditing

#30 - Educational Requirements for Faculty Rank

Approved: January 8, 2018

Monitor: Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty Qualifications. Eastern Illinois University’s standards for determining qualified faculty are based on a review of academic credentials that is derived from the Higher Learning Commission’s guidelines for “Determining Faculty Qualifications”. The guidelines define minimally qualified faculty based on the level of instruction (undergraduate or graduate).

Undergraduate faculty or instructors are required to have an earned master’s degree in the field or discipline. If a faculty member has an earned master’s degree in another field or discipline unrelated to the area of instruction, the faculty member should have completed a minimum of 18 hours of graduate credit hours in the discipline or field associated with the teaching assignment. All other approved appointments should conform to the tested experience exception process outlined below. The tested experience exception will not ordinarily be applied to cases of affiliate faculty participating in dual credit programs in secondary schools.

Graduate faculty are required to have an earned terminal degree in the field and a record of scholarly engagement and/or creativity. Faculty with advanced degrees, an established record of research or creative work, and specialized skill set may also be eligible for an annual appointment on a case-by-case basis pursuant to the tested experience process and graduate faculty policy.

Tested Experience Exceptions for Instructors. EIU recognizes that real world practitioners have the potential to be outstanding instructors and that our students will benefit from their insights and understanding of the field or profession. For that reason, the University recognizes that in a limited number of specialized fields some part-time instructors may not have completed graduate work or earned a graduate degree (undergraduate) and/or do not hold a terminal degree (graduate), but have the capacity to enhance our programs and benefit our students. For that reason, academic departments may—based on faculty review and at the chairperson’s recommendation to the dean and provost—request an exception on a course by course basis using the “tested experience” process. The minimum requirements for approval for the tested experience exception are presented below:

1. At-least five years of experience in the profession or current employment in the field;
2. Hold appropriate professional certifications and licenses (as appropriate to the field and if applicable); and
3. A baccalaureate degree (B.A., B.F.A., B.S., and so on) to teach undergraduate students or a graduate degree (M.A., M.S., M.Ed. or Ed.S.) with additional coursework in the field or discipline of instruction.

Credentials by Appointment Type. The following educational requirements are the minimum requirements for appointment for both probationary and temporary appointments:

Any exceptions to these requirements must have the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and conform to the expectations of the University’s regional accreditor.