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GRADUATE FACULTY

            All Graduate Faculty must demonstrate commitment to the academic community, institution, discipline, and students.  In addition, they must possess a high level of competence in teaching.  At the Full level in particular, the faculty must demonstrate research capability and competence in directing independent investigation.  Colleges may propose more stringent local standards for membership: these are subject to ratification by the Graduate Council.

 

Categories and Requirements for Membership

 

Full Membership

            Full members of the Graduate Faculty must:

 

  • Be tenured or on a tenure track on the Texas A&M International faculty;
  • Hold the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Full Professor;
  • Have earned a doctorate or other terminal degree in the teaching discipline or a related discipline; and
  • Produce continued tangible evidence of continued productive scholarship, as normally defined within the discipline concerned.

           

       Full members of the Graduate Faculty are eligible to:

 

  • Direct doctoral dissertations, masters’ theses, and other graduate research;
  • Teach graduate level courses, including doctoral;
  • Serve on graduate student committees, including doctoral;
  • Sit on the Graduate Council and in that position help set policies for the Office of Graduate Studies:
  • Sit on standing and special committees of the Graduate Council;
  • Serve as officers (secretary, etc.) of the Graduate Council; and,
  • Chair standing committees of the Graduate Council.

 

External Membership

            This category is for persons not on the TAMIU faculty.  External members of the Graduate Faculty must:

 

  • Have a terminal or master’s degree, or be considered an outstanding person from government, industry, the professions, education foundations, a TAMU System component institution, or another academic or professional institution of higher education who holds a visiting or part-time faculty position at TAMIU:
 

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  • Show actual involvement in the department graduate program either in teaching 5000 or 6000 level courses or serving on graduate student committees.

 

            Appointment to External membership on the Graduate Faculty is for a term of three years and will be subject to re-evaluation at the end of the term.  This membership must be approved by the Graduate Council.

            Other provisions regarding External membership:

 

            1.         External members who are to be involved in doctoral programs must hold an earned doctorate in the teaching discipline or a related discipline.

            2.        External members who are to be involved in masters’ programs must hold a master’s degree at minimum, and if the doctorate is not held, must have demonstrated such a level of distinction in their fields as to make the degree irrelevant.  In case of such exception, a letter of verification by the person making the nomination should be submitted to such effect.

            3.        In order to chair a graduate student committee, External members must hold a terminal degree or its equivalent.

 

            External members of the Graduate Faculty are eligible to:

 

  • Co-chair masters-level or doctoral student committees, depending on credentials and certification (ineligible to chair such committees);
  • Teach masters-level or doctoral courses, depending on credentials and certification; and
  • Serve on masters-level or doctoral student committees, depending on credentials and certification.

 

Temporary Membership

            This category is for those who teach masters-level courses and are not otherwise involved in the departmental graduate programs.

            Any faculty member holding the master’s degree or what is generally considered to be a terminal degree in his or her discipline may be appointed as a Temporary member of the Graduate Faculty upon approval by the Dean of the Graduate School of a request in writing from the faculty member (see this handbook pp. 19-24, “Definition of Faculty Status” for a definition of the term “faculty member”).

            Review of the Temporary member’s qualifications for possible advancement to a higher membership category shall be made by the chair of the department with the optional assistance of the Full members of the Graduate Faculty in that department.  When an advancement appears to be warranted, the department chair shall recommend in writing such advancement to the Dean of the Graduate School and shall include a rationale for the recommendation based on

 

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the stated criteria for the higher membership classification.  College Deans will make this recommendation where departmental chairs do not exist. 

           Appointment to Temporary membership is for a period of one academic year.  This membership need be approved only by the Dean of the Graduate School.  Temporary members of the Graduate Faculty are eligible to teach masters-level courses.

Procedures for Nomination to the Graduate Faculty

            Nominations are received by the Dean of the Graduate School and kept on file.  The DGSR will annually report to the Graduate Council the current membership in each category.

            The Graduate Council will act to evaluate nominations which have been questioned.  The Graduate Council will also hear complaints from faculty who feel they were not treated fairly in matters of graduate appointment.

            The responsibility for keeping records of the terms of the various classes of members, and notifying department chairs or college Deans of those faculty members up for periodic review or re-nomination, will be that of the Dean of the Graduate School.