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6 - 15.2

Administrative policy and procedures regarding university faculty pursuing a graduate degree at the university

  1. Policy statement. Enrollment of full-time faculty in graduate program degree programs at the university is governed by the following specified conditions.
    1. Full-time faculty members may enroll in any graduate degree program to which they are formally admitted, whether offered by their own academic unit or another, provided that they do not already hold the equivalent of that specific program degree.
    2. A full-time faculty member who is pursuing a graduate program degree in their own unit and who is a member of either the unit’s graduate faculty committee or the graduate curriculum committee shall not be present for any discussions pertaining to the graduate program in which they are enrolled.
    3. A full-time faculty member who is pursuing a graduate program degree in their own unit shall not serve as program coordinator for the graduate program in which they are enrolled.
    4. A full-time faculty member pursuing a graduate program degree shall not serve on any thesis, dissertation, or exam review committee for any student in the same program in which the faculty member is enrolled.
    5. A full-time faculty member pursuing a graduate program degree shall not vote on any personnel action affecting their thesis/dissertation advisor, any member of their thesis/dissertation committee, or any faculty member from whom they are currently taking a course.
    6. In light of the faculty member’s dual status as faculty and graduate student, the academic unit administrator and/or regional campus dean may determine that there are potential conflicts of interests concerning other academic unit or campus committees. In such cases, and after consultation with relevant faculty advisory bodies, the academic unit administrator and/or regional campus dean may require that the faculty member recuse themselves from some or all of that committee’s deliberations. Such restrictions will be clearly laid out in writing.
    7. In other respects, the faculty member pursuing graduate program work in this university retains all the rights and privileges normally belonging to their academic rank, including faculty insurance plans and retirement benefits.
    8. No faculty member should take more than six hours of graduate level coursework (including, independent research, thesis, or dissertation) in any one term. In unusual cases, exceptions may be made to this rule by the senior administrator for graduate affairs upon written request from the academic unit administrator or campus dean. Such written request will provide a clear explanation of what is unusual about the case such that it warrants an exception to the six credit hour limitation.
    9. If, in the opinion of the academic unit administrator or regional campus dean, any aspect of the faculty member's job performance is being unduly affected by their participation in a graduate program, the faculty member may be required by the academic unit administrator to reduce the amount of coursework taken. In such cases, the restriction and the reasons for it will be clearly laid out in writing.
    10. Except where obtaining a particular graduate program degree has previously been identified as a requirement for continued employment as a full-time faculty member, a faculty member’s performance in a graduate program degree shall not be taken into account in personnel matters relating to the faculty member’s status as a full-time faculty member.
Policy Effective Date:
Jun 01, 2022
Policy Prior Effective Dates: 
11/4/1977, 10/26/1979, 6/1/2007, 3/1/2015
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