2.9 Faculty Credentials

UAB employs competent faculty members qualified to accomplish its missions and goals.  When determining acceptable qualifications of its faculty, UAB gives primary consideration to the highest earned degree in the discipline in accord with Credential Guidelines published by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).  UAB also considers competence, effectiveness, and capacity including, as appropriate, undergraduate and graduate degrees, related work experience in the field, professional licensure and certification, honors and awards, continuous documented excellence in teaching, or other demonstrated competencies or achievements that contribute to effective teaching and student learning outcomes. 

The current Credential Guidelines published by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges include the following:

• Faculty teaching at the undergraduate level: a doctoral or master's degree in the teaching discipline or a master's degree with a concentration in the teaching discipline (minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline).  This requirement applies to both general education courses and major courses within a baccalaureate curriculum.
• Faculty teaching graduate and post-baccalaureate course work: earned doctorate/terminal degree in the teaching discipline or a related discipline.
• Graduate teaching assistants (these are not faculty but are included here for information purposes):  master's in the teaching discipline or 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline, direct supervision by a faculty member experienced in the teaching discipline, regular in-service training, and planned and periodic evaluations. 

This section is taken largely from SACSCOC "Principles of Accreditation," Comprehensive Standards.  See SACSCOC website for the latest Credential Guidelines.

UAB defines an "instructor of record" as an individual designated by the academic unit as responsible for a course, including development of the design, delivery, assignments, or assessments.  Faculty guest lecturers, who contribute to a course based on their specialized expertise, are excluded as instructors of record. Graduate or undergraduate students who are assigned to a course in a support capacity, i.e., grader, proctor, lecturer, recitation assistant, classroom assistant, lab assistant, are not considered instructors of record.