PRO 4.105 Faculty Qualifications

HLC provides a broad framework for required faculty credentials and expects its member colleges and universities to specify requirements for each discipline that would be acceptable to an accreditation committee of peers.

I. Submission and Verification of Documents

1. Deans/Directors collect and review credentials of faculty in their respective departments using established Kirtland procedures.
2. The chief academic officer (CAO) or designee verifies that credentials align with degree content.
3. Newly hired employees are required to provide official transcripts. Official transcripts should be sent directly from the sending institution(s) to Kirtland’s Office of Human Resources. Transcripts must be received within thirty (30) days of the start date for employment.
4. Faculty with advanced degrees from foreign institutions must have their credentials evaluated and translated by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) organization prior to beginning work with Kirtland. Original documentation must be submitted prior to hire date.

II. Credential Table Review & Updating Process

1. The chief academic officer will review the Faculty Credentials Table annually unless clarification of an issue is determined to be essential for immediate resolution. Other issues will be reviewed during regular Dean/Directors meetings.
2. Revisions to the Kirtland Faculty Credentials Table may be proposed to the academic administration team by any of the following groups: faculty members, deans, or directors.
3. Recommendations not received during the annual review each year will be reviewed at the next annual review.
4. Disagreement among faculty subject matter experts, Deans, Directors, or the chief academic officer will be resolved by a special committee named by the President to include: the chief academic officer, a Dean and two faculty members from a department other than the one presenting the dispute.

III. Credential Statement

Kirtland establishes and maintains reasonable policies and procedures to determine that faculty are qualified. The factors that Kirtland considers include, but are not limited to: the achievement of academic credentials, progress toward academic credentials, equivalent experience, and/or external credentials. See below for details.

Academic Credentials

Academic faculty teaching transfer courses must have earned and be able to document the receipt of a master’s degree in the teaching discipline or a master’s degree with at least 18 graduate hours in the teaching specialty;

Qualifications for teaching occupational/technical courses require at least three years of related work experience and an associate’s degree in the assigned program of study and/or other relevant industry credential. Faculty are required to document work experience with an updated resume/CV. 

Progress towards academic credentials/equivalent experience

In certain circumstances, faculty may be permitted to teach courses if they are making demonstrated progress toward the relevant academic credentials or can demonstrate equivalent experience in the discipline. These allowances must be determined and documented by the relevant academic administrator.

Progress toward academic credentials means demonstrable, current, and consistent progress toward the academic credential(s) deemed relevant by Kirtland for an instructor to be qualified. It is expected that an instructor who is qualified as a result of progress toward academic credentials will not permanently be qualified on that basis; rather, the instructor will eventually be qualified on another basis. An instructor who is qualified based on progress toward academic credentials has access to and engages with resources that Kirtland provides to support their teaching.

Equivalent experience means experience that is commensurate with achievement of academic credentials such that it qualifies an instructor for the instruction. This could include through a minimum threshold of experience; research and/or scholarship; recognized achievement; and/or other activities and factors. Equivalent experience may differ by discipline or program. Previous years of classroom instruction does not alone constitute equivalent experience.

To ensure consistency following the appropriate levels of credentials review, the CAO will determine eligibility for hire while following the requirements written above. Hiring recommendations can be based upon immediate receipt/review of unofficial transcripts.

Revised :12/03/2024

To view the policy, go to POL 4.105 Faculty Qualifications