For each field, the university specifies the applicable terminal degree. Faculty hired to fill permanent positions who do not already hold the applicable terminal degree will have a statement in their first-year contracts specifying the academic degree they will normally be expected to achieve in order to be considered for tenure and promotion. If the degree held is other than the university’s specified terminal degree, the contractual statement will be considered a permanent waiver of the otherwise applicable degree requirement.

Every effort will be made by search committees and the administration to fill faculty openings with people who have met the normal terminal degree requirements. In those cases where this is not possible due to, for example, prevailing conditions in the academic marketplace, a search committee can nominate a person for a permanent position with academic training less than that specified as the terminal degree. In such cases the faculty and administration will do all that is possible to foster the progress of the appointee toward the attainment of the terminal degree.

Except where the university’s specified terminal degree is waived by the kind of contractual statement referred to above, holding the specified terminal degree will be a factor in all tenure decisions and all promotion decisions. The specified terminal degree will normally be required for tenure. For promotion, those faculty who have been notified that the terminal degree is necessary will not normally be promoted without it. Exceptions may be made in cases of unusual contributions to scholarship, teaching, and service. Even for those not so notified, other criteria must be particularly well demonstrated for promotion.

The terminal degree requirements by field are as follows:

Anthropology                                                  Ph.D.

Art:     

            Art History                                          Ph.D. or Ed.D.

            Studio                                                  M.F.A.

Biology                                                           Ph.D.

Business:

            Accounting                                         M.B.A or accounting discipline-specific master’s

                                                                        degree and C.P.A.

            Other Areas of Business                     Ph.D. or D.B.A.

            Business Law                                      J.D.

Chemistry                                                       Ph.D.

Economics                                                      Ph.D.

Education                                                        Ph.D. or Ed.D.

English:

            Creative Writing                                 M.F.A.

            Other                                                   Ph.D.

English as a Second Language                       M.A. in ESL

Global Languages and Cultural Studies         Ph.D.

Health, Human Performance, and Athletics:

            Human Performance                           Master’s degree through 2003; Ph.D., Ed.D.,

                                                                        or Dr. P.H thereafter

            Health Education                                Master’s degree through 1996; Ph.D., Ed.D.,

                                                                        or Dr. P.H thereafter

            Athletic Training                                Master’s degree

History                                                            Ph.D.

Journalism and Media Studies:                     

            Journalism, Public Relations,             Ph.D., or M.A. with significant non-teaching

            Broadcasting                                       experience      

Library Faculty                                               M.L.S.

Mathematics and Computer Science

            Mathematics                                       Ph.D.

            Computer Science                              Ph.D. in Computing Science or Ph.D. in related

                                                                        field plus either an M.S. in Computer Science or

                                                                        equivalent experience

Music                                                              Ph.D., Ed.D., D.M.A, D.A.,D.M.

Nursing                                                           Master’s degree in nursing through 2004-05;

                                                                        doctorate in nursing or related field thereafter

Philosophy                                                      Ph.D.

Physics                                                            Ph.D.

Political Science                                             Ph.D.

Psychology                                                     Ph.D.

Sociology                                                        Ph.D.

Religious Studies                                            Ph.D. or Th.D.

Theatre and Communication Arts:

            Communication Arts                          Ph.D.

            Theatre: History and Criticism           Ph.D.

            Acting and Directing                          Ph.D., or M.F.A. with significant non-teaching

                                                                        experience

            Theatre Design                                   M.F.A.

            Technical Theatre                               M.F.A.