Appendix - A: The Graduate College

The Graduate College and graduate faculty at Iowa State University are responsible for the quality of graduate education, for administering students’ graduate programs, and for promoting research support from various governmental, industrial, and private agencies.

A.1 Administration and Advisory Groups

A.1.1 The Graduate College

Administrators and staff in the Graduate College oversee implementation of policies and procedures developed by representatives of the graduate faculty who serve on the Graduate Faculty Cabinet. 

A.1.2 Graduate Faculty

The graduate faculty in various programs handle admission and classification of graduate students, establish requirements for advanced degrees, and have charge of instruction and research at the graduate level. Graduate faculty members also teach graduate courses, serve on Academic Plan Committees (APCs), and direct work of master’s and doctoral students. All graduate courses are taught by graduate faculty members or graduate lecturers. For more information on graduate faculty membership, see Appendix G. 

A.1.3 Directors of Graduate Education (DOGE)

Directors of Graduate Education (DOGEs) coordinate and oversee administration of graduate degree programs. The DOGE must be a member of the graduate faculty. The DOGE ensures that graduate students meet the academic requirements of the program. Responsibilities include approval of APCs, APs, and graduation applications. The DOGE acts as a liaison between the Graduate College and the graduate program, represents the program at periodic meetings called by the Graduate College or the home college of the major to discuss graduate education and research issues, and reports to the program faculty regarding these meetings. The DOGE may have additional duties, including: 

  • mediating disputes between graduate students and advisors, 
  • acting as a temporary advisor for graduate students without a major professor, leading discussions of issues important to the major, 
  • participating in recruitment and retention initiatives, and 
  • collaborating with the Graduate College on data collection regarding graduate education and outcomes. 

Graduate programs may assign other duties to the DOGE. A position description for the DOGE, including the duration of service and method of selection, should be incorporated in program governance documents. 

Graduate certificate programs have a designated Director of Certificate Studies (DOCS). Duties of a DOCS are similar to those of a DOGE. A position description for the DOCS should be incorporated in program governance documents. 

A.1.4 Graduate Faculty Cabinet

The Graduate Council Faculty Cabinet (GFC) represents the university’s graduate faculty; serves in an advisory capacity to the Graduate College dean; approves graduate courses, curricula, and programs; and acts on academic policies that affect graduate and professional programs throughout the university. Curricular issues and policy changes approved by the Cabinet will be forwarded to the appropriate Faculty Senate committee or council as part of the standard academic shared governance approval process. The Graduate Faculty Cabinet reviews requests related to graduate faculty membership and makes recommendations to the Graduate College dean regarding those requests.

Membership

Voting

The voting members of the Graduate Faculty Cabinet are a representative elected body of the graduate faculty. All graduate faculty who are members of the general faculty are eligible to serve except those serving as a department chair or those whose title contains the term president, provost, dean, or director. Each academic college will be allocated at least one member of the GFC. Additional members will be allocated to an academic college based on the number of graduate faculty eligible to serve. An additional member will be allocated to an academic college for each 200 graduate faculty members. The number of GFC members will be calculated each year ending in zero or five.

Non-Voting

Non-voting, ex officio members include the Graduate College Dean and one graduate student selected by the Graduate and Professional Student (GPSS). 

Leadership

The Graduate College Dean will appoint, from the elected voting members, a Chair and Vice Chair each academic year. The Chair will represent the GFC as a voting member of the Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Council.

Term of Office

The voting members of the GFC will be elected for a three-year term. Members may be elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms. Approximately one-third of the voting members will be elected each spring for terms starting at the beginning of the next academic year. Non-voting members are based on their position or are selected by other representative bodies to serve and may serve continuously or until replaced by the representative body who appointed them.

Committees

Graduate Curriculum and Catalog Committee

The Graduate Curriculum and Catalog Committee (GCCC) reviews all material dealing with Graduate College curricula: the ISU Catalog; experimental and dual-listed courses; and proposed new majors, minors, program foci, degree programs, and interdepartmental programs. The committee also participates in the post-audit review of graduate programs or majors five years after their approval by the State Board of Regents. The GCCC will review and make recommendations to the GFC regarding any graduate program and curricular changes, as well as catalog changes related to graduate courses. This is a subset of the GFC consisting of one member from each academic college plus a chair. The Chair of GCCC is appointed by the Graduate College dean in consultation with the Chair of the GFC. The remaining members will consist of one Cabinet member from each college. These members will be appointed by the Graduate College Dean in consultation with Chair of the GFC and Chair of the GCCC. Terms will be based on their GFC terms. These members will engage with their respective college curriculum committees to ensure appropriate communication as graduate curricular issues are considered. The Graduate College Dean will appoint a faculty or staff member to represent the Graduate College.

Graduate Faculty Membership Committee

The Graduate Faculty Membership Committee (GFMC) reviews nominations for graduate faculty membership and graduate lecturer status and recommends outcomes for membership requests to the Graduate College Dean. Non-tenure track faculty members may be nominated to associate graduate faculty membership by the department chair or by other members of the graduate faculty (see Appendix G). The Graduate Faculty Membership Committee (GFMC) and the Graduate College administration review nominations for associate memberships of two to five years. Renewals can be proposed for up to 10 years. The committee will consist of three members of GFC. This committee will be chaired by the Vice-Chair of GFC. The other two members will be appointed by the Graduate College Dean in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the GFC.

Ad hoc Committees

The Chair of the GFC may appoint other committees from its members as needed to conduct the business of the Cabinet.

A.1.5 Departmental and Program Graduate Committees

Many of the programs offering graduate degrees have standing committees that deal with policy matters related to graduate education, e.g., curriculum, departmental requirements, evaluation procedures, professional standards, and the placement of graduates. A combination of faculty and student members is encouraged so that student input is available to the graduate committee along with faculty experience and expertise. Subcommittees of a departmental graduate committee may also hear student grievances according to procedures outlined in Chapter 8.

 

Appendix - B: Majors, Minors, Degrees, and Program Foci

B.1 Graduate Program Information

Click on Programs to browse available graduate majors and degree types.

Appendix - C: Graduate Certificate Programs

C.1 What is a Graduate Certificate?

A graduate certificate provides a mechanism for bestowing formal recognition of focused graduate study in a specialized area that is less comprehensive than required for a master's degree. At Iowa State University, a graduate certificate may be earned either before, after, or concurrently with the master’s or doctoral degree. As such, the standards of admission and the standards to which a certificate student is held are equivalent to those expected of a master's student.

Candidates for a graduate certificate must be admitted to the desired graduate certificate program in the Graduate College. All courses for a graduate certificate must be acceptable for graduate credit and each graduate certificate must require at least 12 graduate credits. A graduate faculty supervisor will be appointed to oversee the certification for each student.

If a person who receives a graduate certificate decides to continue for a graduate degree, the person needs to seek approval from that degree program through the Office of Admissions application. Credits earned for the graduate certificate may also be used to meet degree requirements for the graduate degree if approved by the Academic Plan Committee (APC).

C.2 Academic Procedures for Graduate Certificates

Application

  • An undergraduate student wishing to pursue a concurrent graduate certificate must apply to the graduate program to which they are seeking admission through the Application for Admission.  
  • A new or continuing graduate student must also apply for admission to the certificate program using the Application for Admission. 
  • Students pursuing only a graduate certificate may not be awarded a graduate assistantship. 

Supervision and Academic Plan

Each certificate program has a Director of Certificate Studies (DOCS) – the equivalent of the DOGE for a graduate major. 

Certificate students do not have an APC, but do have a supervising professor that can be the same as the Director of Certificate Studies (DOCS). The supervising professor must be a member of the graduate faculty and of the program. 

To receive a certificate, students must complete the Academic Plan (AP) for approval. The following Graduate College course rules apply to certificates: 

  • A student must have a graduate GPA of 3.00 or better and no course with a grade below a C may be applied to the AP. 
  • Any transfer credits used must have B or better grades, have been taken as a graduate student for graduate credit, and be from an accredited university. Individual programs will determine the maximum transfer credits they will allow for the certificate. 
  • Transfer courses must be completed prior to submitting the AP and a transcript submitted to the Graduate College as part of the AP for review. 

Time limits for graduate certificate programs follow the same 7-year time limit that master’s programs employ. 

Completion

  • Students must Apply for Program Completion within two years after completing the final required course in the certificate AP. 
  • When a student has completed all requirements, the student will submit an application for program completion. The Graduate College will then certify that all requirements have been completed satisfactorily and inform the Office of the Registrar. 
  • The Registrar will  issue an ISU graduate certificate after courses have been satisfactorily completed. 

C.3 Establishing a Certificate Program

The first step in establishing a new graduate certificate is the preparation of a proposal by qualified group of faculty. If the proposed program will be focused in an existing department, program, or college, the proposal should be routed through the corresponding curriculum committees. College curriculum committees will forward the appropriately amended proposal to the Graduate Curriculum and Catalog Committee (GCCC). Proposals for interdisciplinary programs should also be routed through the cooperating departmental and college committee before being submitted to the GCCC.

Required Background Information

  1. Name of the proposed graduate certificate.
  2. Name of the departments and/or programs involved.
  3. Name of contact person.
  4. Need for the graduate certificate.
  5. Objective of the graduate certificate.
  6. General description of the graduate certificate.
  7. Graduate certificate requirements including:
    1. Admissions standards and prerequisites for the certificate program.
    2. Courses and seminars
  8. General description of the resources currently available and future resource needs:
    1. A list of supporting faculty members including a brief description of their expertise relating to the graduate certificate.
    2. The effects of any new courses on faculty workload.
    3. Other resources required for the program including graduate assistants, laboratories and other facilities, supplies, etc.
  9. Relationship of the proposed graduate certificate to the strategic plans of the department, college, and the University.
  10. Plan for periodic review of the certificate program.

C.4 Programs Offering Graduate Certificates

Certifications can be found on the Programs page.

Appendix - D: Master’s Programs at Iowa State University

The number of credits in a major for a master's degree will vary according to the degrees offered. General credit requirements for all master's degrees include: 

  • A minimum of 30 graduate credits is required for all master’s programs at ISU; at least 22 graduate credits must be earned at ISU. 
  • Any transfer of graduate credits from another institution must be recommended in the Academic Plan (AP) by the Academic Plan Committee (APC).
  • Graduate credit earned as a graduate student will be approved for transfer only if a B grade or better was earned. A transcript must accompany the AP. 

D.1 Master of Arts or Master of Science—Thesis

At least 30 credits of acceptable graduate work must be completed, not less than 22 of which must be earned from ISU, and a satisfactory completion of a comprehensive final oral examination is required. Students are expected to research and write a thesis that demonstrates independent and creative work. A minimum of 3 semester credits is required for thesis research which must be documented on the AP.

D.2 Master of Arts or Master of Science—Creative Component

In certain programs a creative component, or nonthesis, degree program is offered. (For more information on requirements, contact the individual program or department.) This option requires the satisfactory completion of at least 30 graduate credit hours of acceptable work (not including research credit), not less than 22 of which must be earned from ISU, and satisfactory completion of a comprehensive final oral examination. In addition, every creative component master’s program must present substantial evidence of individual accomplishment (e.g., a special report, capstone course, integrated field experience, annotated bibliography, or other creative endeavor). A minimum of two semester hours of such independent work (referred to as the creative component) is required on every Academic Plan (AP) for a creative component master’s degree and is applied toward the credit-hour requirement. This element of creative independent study must be explicitly identified on the AP. Detailed requirements may vary with fields. 

 

Appendix - E: Professional Master’s Coursework Only Guidelines

Professional master’s programs are growing in demand nationwide in response, in part, to employers’ demands for students with more academic background in discipline-specific course work. Admissions requirements, credit limits, transfer policies, and time to degree requirements are the same as other master’s programs. Specific exceptions to regular master’s degree requirements are detailed below.

E.1 Proposed General Features of the Professional Master’s Programs (coursework-only)

These apply to new proposals for professional master’s programs. Existing professional master’s programs may be legacied in.

Name of the Program: The name of the degree must be clearly distinguishable from the Master of Science or Master of Arts degree. This means avoiding the word “science” or “arts” in the name of the degree. Exceptions may be appropriate for departments that wish to award a Master of Computer Science or Master of Animal Science degree.

Coursework: Minimum of 30 graduate credit hours of coursework. At least 22 graduate credits must be taken at ISU.  Research credits or creative component credits do not count toward the credit total because this is a coursework only degree.

Note: This is the same credit requirement for an M.S. or M.A. degree. The difference is that there are no research credits.

GPA Minimum: Same as for Master of Science or Master of Arts

Academic Plan Committee (APC): Directed by the DOGE or their graduate faculty designee, who will serve as their major professor on the APC. Individual programs/majors have the option of establishing additional membership requirements for the APC if they desire.

Capstone Experience: Not required

External Oversight: Any programs with accrediting bodies external to ISU would be subject to any requirements that are over and above the ISU minimum.

Note: Students with minors and co-majors, in addition to a professional master’s degree, will have additional requirements. For more information, contact the Graduate College.

Appendix - F: Dual-Listed Courses

Dual-listed courses permit undergraduate and graduate students to be in the same class but to receive credit under two different course numbers. Once a course is approved for dual-listing, the course must be offered to both undergraduate and graduate students in the same section. The course description is the same for undergraduate and graduate.

Departments must request permission to offer 4000-level courses in conjunction with 5000-level courses. The request is made to the Graduate Curriculum and Catalog Committee (GCCC) through Workday. The dual-list form must be filled out in its entirety and uploaded to Workday as part of the process. If the 4000- or 5000-level course (or both) will be experimental courses, that will need to be noted in the system as well. In reviewing proposals for dual-listed courses, the GCCC is looking for evidence that there are differentiated expectations for students who take the 4000-level course and students who take the 5000-level course. They are also reviewing to ensure the content of the course is a suitable level for graduate and undergraduate students.

Appendix - G: Graduate Faculty Membership & Associate Membership

(this policy is the purview of the Graduate Faculty Cabinet GFC)

G.1 Graduate Faculty Full Membership

Eligibility

Membership on the graduate faculty is granted to an individual who holds a tenure/tenure-track appointment with the academic rank of assistant professor or above at Iowa State University.

Eligibility to serve as a member of the graduate faculty is concomitant with the recording of a tenure-track faculty member’s hire in the Provost’s Office. Tenure-track faculty members are expected to participate in an orientation sponsored by the Graduate College and are added to the roster of graduate faculty promptly thereafter.

The graduate faculty also includes the President, the Provost, Vice Provosts and Associate Provosts, the Dean of the Graduate College, Deans and Associate Deans of the other colleges, the Dean of Library Services, and the Directors and Associate Directors of research institutes.

Individuals pursuing a graduate degree at Iowa State University are not eligible for Graduate Faculty membership.

Associate Faculty members may be eligible for full Graduate Faculty membership under specific circumstances defined below. (See Appendix G.1.1) 

Rights and Responsibilities

A full member of the graduate faculty can teach at the graduate level (currently indicated as 5000- and 6000-level courses). For graduate faculty membership in other majors (including interdepartmental majors), faculty members need to apply for appointment using the approach established by the other programs’ governance document. A full member of the graduate faculty may be the major professor of a student's Academic Plan Committee (APC) for the degree level (doctoral or master's level) up to and including the highest degree level they achieved. A full member with a master's level degree can serve as a co-major professor on a doctoral committee as long as the other co-major professor is a full member with a doctoral level degree. A full member of the graduate faculty can serve as a member on any APC. A full member of the graduate faculty is eligible to serve as Director of Graduate Education for master's and doctoral programs and Director of Certificate Studies in graduate certificate programs.

G.1.1. Term Faculty Requesting Full Graduate Faculty Membership

Eligibility

An Associate Graduate Faculty member who has a term faculty appointment and who has demonstrated exemplary service as both an APC member and as co-major professor is eligible for nomination as a full member of the graduate faculty. Such a candidate will have a strong history of graduate student advising, research, and be an active participant in their program's curriculum. This record should include serving as a co-major professor for at least three students who have completed a thesis or dissertation and have graduated and serving on a total of at least 5 total APCs for students who have completed a thesis or dissertation and have graduated. In addition to serving on APCs, the applicant should also include a research record that matches the norms of tenure-track ISU faculty in their discipline with respect to student support and/or funding. Such an application must have the full support of the departmental chair, the DOGE, and the program's graduate faculty members. 

Procedure for Membership

All of the processes to be followed for a nomination will be those for a regular renewal, with the exception of the following. First, a nomination letter should contain a much greater level of justification; providing a summary of past work related to graduate education upon which the nomination is based. In effect, the nomination for Full Membership status, if approved, would confer the privileges of a tenured research faculty with respect to graduate education, and the letter should demonstrate a perspective mindful of that privilege and detail significant past accomplishments in the applicant's history within the graduate program considering them for full membership. Second, after review of the application by the Graduate Faculty Membership Committee (GFMC), if the nomination for Full membership is satisfactory to the committee, the nomination will be subject to consideration and a full vote of the Graduate Faculty Cabinet (GFC). Both or either the GFMC or the full GFC may request additional supplements, edits, or other changes to the nomination as they deem necessary to ensure rigor of the nomination process. 

G.2. Graduate Faculty Associate Membership

Eligibility

Any full member of the graduate faculty may nominate a non-tenure track faculty member for graduate faculty associate membership. Non-ISU employees may also be nominated for associate graduate faculty membership so that they may serve as members of an APC. Associate members of the graduate faculty must have demonstrated competence for pursuing creative work by completing a research doctorate or the highest degree appropriate to the discipline from an accredited or internationally recognized institution. See section 6.2.3.for guidance on committee composition and membership.

In rare circumstances, individuals without the defined degree requirement may be eligible for graduate faculty associate membership when they have a demonstrated record of impactful creative work to establish equivalent tested experience (See Appendix G.5).

Individuals pursuing a graduate degree at Iowa State University, and postdoctoral associates at Iowa State or elsewhere, are not eligible for graduate faculty associate membership.

Procedure for Membership

Nominations for graduate faculty associate membership may be made for consideration by the Graduate College at any time of the year. Every nomination is initiated via the Request for Graduate Faculty Nomination process in Workday and consists of a current curriculum vita of the nominee documenting evidence of the required equivalent degree and a letter of support for the nominee from the DOGE of the major. This letter should detail how the candidate’s expertise will be of benefit so that the justification for the requested activities is clear, explain how the candidate is expected to contribute to the program and in what capacity, and highlight past contributions for the candidate with respect to graduate education, if applicable. A vote of graduate faculty in the major is required (ISU faculty only). The DOGE is responsible for ensuring that all members of the graduate faculty in the major (rosters are available from the Graduate College) are invited to vote to support or not support the nomination by secret ballot. A simple majority of those who cast a ballot will be considered affirmative. The nomination form will include the results of this vote (affirmative or not affirmative, no numbers). A nomination for associate membership can be declined by the nominee.

Following the above steps, the GFMC will review applications for graduate faculty associate membership and make a recommendation to the Graduate College for a final decision. Following approval, faculty members are encouraged to participate in an orientation sponsored by the Graduate College.

Associate membership is granted for a five-year term but will terminate at the end of the faculty rank appointment. After completion of a 5-year term, associate members are eligible for a 10-year associate member appointment. The process is identical to the first appointment, with the addition of a review of activities related to graduate education in the previous term appointment.

Rights and Responsibilities

Associate membership is granted for specific activities that should be requested explicitly. Possible activities are teaching graduate (5000 and 6000 level) courses, serving on APCs of master’s and doctoral students, and other activities that are relevant to the program for which the faculty member has been nominated. For ISU employees, these activities must be consistent with the faculty member’s Position Responsibility Statement. Depending on the highest degree held by an associate member, they may serve as a major professor for a master’s or doctoral APC if a full member of the graduate faculty serves as a co-major professor. To serve as co-major professor, an associate graduate faculty member must comply with ISU's Conflict of Interest and Commitment Policy, Procedures, and applicable management plan. A member of the graduate faculty whose highest degree is a master’s may not co-chair doctoral committees. An associate member may individually chair an APC for master’s programs not requiring a thesis. An associate member of the graduate faculty is eligible to serve as DOGE of only coursework-only master’s programs and DOCS in graduate certificate programs. Non-ISU associate graduate faculty members cannot individually chair an APC, nor may they serve as DOGE.

G.3 Nonmembers of the Graduate Faculty

G.3.1 Graduate Lecturer

Eligibility

A graduate lecturer must hold current faculty status at Iowa State University and have obtained at least a master’s degree. In rare circumstances, individuals without the defined degree requirement may be eligible for Graduate Lecturer appointment when they have a demonstrated record of impactful creative work to establish equivalent experience (See Appendix G.5).

Individuals pursuing a graduate degree at Iowa State University are not eligible for Graduate Lecturer status in that same area of study.

Procedure for Appointment

A request for a staff member to be designated a graduate lecturer should be initiated via the Request for Graduate Faculty Nomination. These requests should be supported by evidence of the individual’s academic qualifications (i.e., curriculum vitae), the name(s) of the graduate course(s) to be taught, and a justification for the request.

The Graduate College may appoint a graduate lecturer for a period of up to five years. Requests for reappointment should be submitted through Workday. Appropriate evidence of continuing need should accompany these requests, along with course(s) to be taught, and justification for the request. Requests are reviewed and approved by the Graduate College. Graduate lectureship is not intended as a mechanism for staffing graduate courses for prolonged periods of time.

Responsibilities

Although not a member of the graduate faculty, a graduate lecturer is permitted to teach specified courses at the graduate level. Since a graduate lecturer does not supervise students working toward advanced degrees, they cannot serve as an official member of an APC.

G.4 Degree Equivalence (Doctoral or Master's)

G.4.1 Ph.D. Degrees

The research doctorate is the highest earned academic degree. A Ph.D. degree is always awarded for independent research at a professional level in either academic disciplines or professional fields. Regardless of the entry point, doctoral studies involve several stages of academic work. These may include the completion of preliminary course, seminar, and laboratory studies and/or the passing of a battery of written/oral examinations. The doctoral student selects an academic adviser and a subject for the dissertation, is assigned a dissertation committee, and designs their research (some educators call the doctoral thesis a dissertation to distinguish it from lesser theses). The dissertation committee consists usually of 3-5 faculty members in the student's research field, including the advisor.

G.4.2 Independent research

Conducting the research and writing the dissertation usually require one to several years depending upon the topic selected and the research work necessary to prepare the dissertation. In defending their dissertation, the doctoral candidate must establish mastery of the subject matter, explain and justify their research findings, and answer all questions put by the committee. A successful defense is required before the doctoral degree is granted.

G.4.3 Degrees equivalent to the Ph.D.

It is recognized that there are some other doctoral titles that enjoy the same status and represent variants of the Ph.D. in certain fields. All of them have similar content requirements. The term used by the U.S. Department of Education is Doctor's degree-research/scholarship and defined as a Ph.D. or other doctor's degree that requires advanced work beyond the master's level, including the preparation and defense of a dissertation based on original research, or the planning and execution of an original project demonstrating substantial artistic or scholarly achievement. Some examples of this type of degree may include Ed.D., D.M.A., D.B.A., D.Sc., D.A., or D.M, and others, as designated by the awarding institution. Potential applicants for Associate Graduate Faculty status are invited to consult the following web-pages for useful references on degrees that will be considered equivalent to the Ph.D.:

  1. List of research doctorate titles awarded in the United States that enjoy the same status and represent variants of the Ph.D. within certain fields are listed by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). https://ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/earned-doctorates/
  2. The list of research doctorate titles awarded in the European Union that enjoy the same status and represent variants of the Ph.D. within certain fields are listed by the "Examinations, qualifications and titles - Second edition, Volume 1, European glossary on education": http://bookshop.europa.eu/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/EU-Bookshop-Site/en_GB/-/EUR/ViewPublication-Start?PublicationKey=EC3212292 (table in Part II of .pdf document) catalogue number: EC-32-12-292-EN-N
  3. Applicants with research doctoral degrees from other countries should document that they have conducted graduate research and had equivalent training as discussed above i.e. independent research, completion of preliminary course, seminar, and laboratory studies and/or the passing of a battery of written/oral examinations, and defense of a dissertation to a committee of faculty members in the student's research field.

G.4.4 Doctor’s degrees: Professional Practice

The classification "doctor's degree - professional practice" has been used for "[a] doctor's degree that is conferred upon completion of a program providing the knowledge and skills for the recognition, credential, or license required for professional practice." These are professional degrees in various fields of professional practice and not graduate research degrees. Several degree titles in such fields include the term "Doctor", but they are neither research doctorates nor equivalent to the Ph.D. Some examples of U.S. professional degrees are listed.

  • Chiropractic (D.C., D.C.M.)
  • Dentistry (D.D.S., D.M.D.)
  • Law (LL.B., J.D.)
  • Medicine (M.B., M.D.)
  • Optometry (O.D.)
  • Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
  • Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
  • Podiatry (D.P.M., D.P., Pod.D.)
  • Theology (M.Div, M.H.L., B.D., Ordination)
  • Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M., V.M.D.)

G.4.5 Research Master's

A research master's student should have a substantial component of research work that resulted in a thesis or dissertation (i.e., > 1 /3 of required credits awarded for research work). The terms Master of Science and Master of Arts are commonly used to denote a research master’s degree, but can also be used to describe a professional master's degree. Similarly, Master of “Field of Study” may also be a research master's degree. If clarification is needed, it is suggested that the thesis topic or publication titles be submitted for clarification as evidence of the research component of the master's training.

G.4.6 Professional Master's

Many master's degrees are professional master's degrees (PSM) which are generally a science plus (+) curricula. PSM programs often consist of two years of coursework along with a professional experiential component that includes business, communications, and/or regulatory affairs. Close cooperation with employers, as well as an internship in a business or public sector enterprise, is often included in the program. Over 1000 PSM programs are available. Examples of degree names are below. However, the terms Master of Science and Master of Arts can be used to refer to a research or professional master’s degree. Similarly, Master of “Field of Study” may also be a research master’s degree.

  • Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.)
  • Master of Public Health (M.P.H)
  • M.B.S. (Master of Business and Science)
  • M.P.S. (Master of Professional Science)
  • Master of Field of Study (e.g. Master of Bioscience, Master of Biotechnology)

G.5 Equivalent experience

Confirming equivalent experience for the appointment requires “tested experience in that it includes a breadth and depth of experience outside the classroom in real-world situations relevant to the discipline in which the faculty member would be teaching” (from page 4 in the HLC report entitled “Using Tested Experience as a Basis for Determining Minimally Qualified Faculty,” Higher Learning Commission, March 2016). Tested experience used as equivalence for the credentials should be established for specific disciplines. A record of impactful leadership in developing research, scholarship, and achievement consistent with the program should be required.

Examples of tested experience

Directed a research program and generated creative and scholarly works that were favorably reviewed by peers in the major area/discipline (books, art, journal articles, patents).

Developed curricula in successful graduate programs.

Hold a demonstrated record of directing students in graduate programs.