Graduate Faculty Appointment Overview

Purpose of Graduate Faculty Appointments
The focus of Graduate Faculty appointments is on directing and guiding the dissertation research of Ph.D. students. Graduate Faculty appointments are available only in units offering graduate academic programs, and faculty members should seek Graduate Faculty appointments in their home units. Faculty in units without graduate academic programs ordinarily do not need these appointments. A Graduate Faculty appointment in the home unit allows service on the dissertation committee in another unit, provided the other unit has approved such service.

Two members of the Ph.D. dissertation committee, including the dissertation advisor, must hold Graduate Faculty appointments, and the dissertation advisor’s appointment must be in the home unit. The department or program’s Graduate Director assures that members of dissertation and oral examination committees hold appropriate Graduate Faculty appointments.

Responsibilities

• Direct doctoral dissertations
• Serve on the Graduate Council
• Be eligible for nomination for the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Award

Appointment Criteria include:

• Ph.D. or other earned terminal degree in the field of appointment or closely-related field
• Evidence of peer-reviewed scholarly achievement in the last four years
• Faculty appointment within unit
• If faculty in units without graduate academic programs are asked to co-direct a student’s dissertation, they should seek a Graduate Faculty Appointment through the student’s unit.

Appointment term: Five years

Appointment Procedures

• The program prepares a Graduate Faculty Appointment Recommendation form and attaches the nominee's current signed and dated Professional Record.
• The chair evaluates the nominee’s credentials, signs the form and submits it with the Professional Record to the dean of the school/college.
• The dean reviews, signs the form and submits the packet to the Graduate School
• The Dean of the Graduate School makes the final decision on the appointment.
• The Graduate School’s roster of Graduate Faculty is updated periodically.

Questions: Graduate Council Office, 577-8050

View the Graduate Faculty Appointment Overview and Criteria Statement as a pdf document.