Graduate Faculty Members
Appointment of Graduate Faculty
The Graduate Faculty are responsible for teaching graduate-level courses, designing the academic content of graduate degree programs, and supervising the writing and defense of graduate student research in the form of theses and dissertations.
Graduate Faculty Categories and Qualifications
There are four Graduate Faculty membership categories: Full, Associate, Graduate Teaching, and Special Members.
- Full Members: All tenure-track and tenured faculty and College Park Professors are automatically appointed as Full Members of the Graduate Faculty.
Full Members are eligible to teach graduate-level courses, direct and serve on graduate program committees, direct master's thesis research, chair master's thesis examining committees, direct doctoral dissertation research, and chair dissertation examining committees. They also can vote and serve on the Graduate Council and its committees. - Associate Members: Professional-track faculty can be nominated to serve as Associate Members for renewable terms of five years. Associate Members of the Graduate Faculty normally come from the ranks of the following categories in the University of Maryland Policy and Procedures on on Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure of Faculty:
- Assistant Research Faculty ranks (assistant research professor, assistant research scientist, assistant research scholar, assistant research engineer);
- Associate Research Faculty ranks (associate research professor, associate research scientist, associate research scholar, associate research engineer);
- Research Faculty ranks (research professor, research scientist, research scholar, research engineer);
- Artist-in-Residence Ranks (assistant artist-in-resident, associate artist-in-residence, artist-in-residence);
- Field Faculty (agent associate, senior agent associate, and principal agent associate);
- Faculty engaged exclusively or primarily in library service (Librarian 3 and 4); and
- Additional faculty ranks as appropriate (Adjunct Assistant Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, and Adjunct Professor; visiting appointments that correspond to eligible ranks listed above; Professor of the Practice, and University of Maryland Professor).
Associate members are eligible to teach graduate-level courses, direct and serve on graduate program committees, direct master's thesis research, and chair master's thesis examining committees. They can co-direct doctoral dissertation research and co-chair dissertation examining committees, but they cannot direct doctoral dissertation research or chair dissertation examining committees. They also can vote and serve on the Graduate Council and its committees.
- Graduate Teaching Members: All faculty teaching graduate-level courses must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Professional-track faculty can be nominated to serve as Graduate Teaching Members for renewable terms of five years. Graduate Teaching Members normally come from the ranks of the following categories in the University of Maryland Policy and Procedures on on Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure of Faculty:
- Instructor
- Assistant Clinical Professor, Associate Clinical Professor, or Clinical Professor; and
- Additional faculty ranks as appropriate
Graduate Teaching Members are eligible to teach graduate-level classes. They cannot direct or serve on graduate program committees, direct or co-direct master's thesis research, chair or co-chair master's thesis examining committees, direct or co-direct doctoral dissertation research, or chair or co-chair dissertation examining committees.
Graduate Teaching Members who hold the highest degree of their discipline do not need a faculty vote to approve their nomination, though the unit has the option to hold votes for these nominees. Nominees without the terminal degree must receive a vote from the Full Members of the Graduate Faculty in the home unit.
- Special Members: Scholars who have no official affiliation with the University of Maryland can be nominated as Special Members of the Graduate Faculty for renewable terms of five year.
Special Members can serve on graduate program committees and co-direct master's thesis research. They may not direct or co-direct doctoral dissertation research or chair master's thesis examining committees.
To qualify for appointment to any Graduate Faculty membership category, individuals normally will hold the terminal degree in their discipline. All members of the Graduate Faculty will be associated with a home unit. For Full Members of the Graduate Faculty, the home unit is the primary unit of appointment to rank. For Associate, Graduate Teaching and Special Members of the Graduate Faculty, the home unit is the academic unit responsible for the particular graduate program initiating the request for nomination. Once appointed, members of the Graduate Faculty are available to serve across units and within multi-/cross-/interdisciplinary graduate programs.
Appointment Procedures
Tenured and tenure-track faculty are automatically appointed as Full Members of the Graduate Faculty. Tenured faculty awarded Emeritus status continue as Full Members of the Graduate Faculty for five years after retirement and may be reappointed for additional five-year terms thereafter, subject to nomination by the home unit.
A nomination is required for appointment of Associate Members, Graduate Teaching Members, and Special Members of the Graduate Faculty. Appointment is by approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.
Nominations for appointments to the Graduate Faculty are made by the Head of the home unit, on the recommendation of the Full Members of the Graduate Faculty in the unit. Each nomination will include a letter of support from the Head of the home unit, confirmation of approval of the Full Members of the Graduate Faculty in the unit (except for Graduate Teaching Members with the highest degree), and current curriculum vitae.
The Letter of Nomination should include information on how the nominee’s expertise, experience, or credentials meet the department’s guidelines to advise and/or teach graduate students. While the CV may speak to some of this, the Letter of Nomination is an opportunity for the head of the unit to provide additional insight as to this person’s qualifications or how this person will provide expertise that is currently lacking among the departmental faculty.
The term of appointment is five years and is renewable upon re-nomination by the Head of the home unit after appropriate review within the unit. The appointment is terminated upon resignation or retirement.
The Nomination to the Graduate Faculty Form is available here.
Termination Procedures
Graduate Faculty membership is granted to ensure that graduate education is of the highest quality in terms of programs, intellectual acumen, and cutting-edge research. Members of the Graduate Faculty are expected to conduct themselves ethically and in accordance with University policy.
If a member of the Graduate Faculty is deemed to have violated University policy, the Graduate Dean can suspend or remove the faculty member from the Graduate Faculty which will result in the suspension of the rights of membership (i.e., teaching classes restricted to graduate students, designing the academic content of graduate degree programs, and supervising the writing and defense of graduate student research in the form of theses and dissertations). In such cases, the Chair of the Department (or equivalent) and/or the College Dean will ensure that the impacted graduate students are assigned a new advisor and their funding continues. The term of the suspension will be determined by the Graduate Dean in accordance with University policies.
Faculty of Multi-Campus Graduate Degree Programs
Exceptionally, faculty who hold appointments at other institutions of the University System of Maryland and who participate in approved multi-campus graduate degree programs may be appointed Full Members of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Maryland. Such exceptions will be proposed on an individual basis, be subject to approval by the Dean of the Graduate School, and be reported to the Graduate Council at its final meeting of each academic year.
Each request for an exception will include a letter of justification from the Graduate Director of the multi-campus program, confirmation of approval of the Full Members of the Graduate Faculty in the program, and current curriculum vitae. All exceptions will be effective for periods up to five years, and may be re-approved for periods of up to five years based on a review by the program and the recommendation of the Graduate Director of the program. The appointment is terminated upon resignation or retirement.
Membership of Former University of Maryland Faculty
Full Members of the Graduate Faculty who terminate their employment at the University of Maryland under honorable circumstances (and who do not have emeritus status) may for a 12-month period following their termination serve as members and chairs of thesis and dissertation examination committees. They may not serve as Dean's Representatives.
Exceptions to this Policy
Exceptions to the prerogatives listed above must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School and will be reported to the Graduate Council at its final meeting of each academic year.
In particular, the Dean of the Graduate School may authorize Associate and Special Members of the Graduate Faculty to chair a doctoral Dissertation or master's Thesis Examining Committee on the recommendation of the home unit that the member possesses the requisite skills and scholarly expertise.
Each request for an exception will include a letter of justification from the Head of the home unit, making a compelling case that the exception is necessary to fill a particular need for a particular student, confirmation of the approval of the Full Members of the Graduate Faculty in the home unit, and a current curriculum vitae. For instance, it would be appropriate to request an exception for an Associate or Special Member to serve as the sole chair of a particular doctoral examining committee if there is no Full Member who is available or qualified to assist in the supervision.
All exceptions will be effective for periods of up to five years and may be re-approved for periods of up to five years based on a review in the home unit and the recommendation of the Head of the home unit. The appointment is terminated upon resignation or retirement.
No exceptions will be made for Graduate Teaching Members of the Graduate Faculty.