Faculty Credential FAQs

It is expected that all UArizona faculty have the appropriate expertise in the subjects they teach. While the primary factor for determining qualified faculty members is academic credentials, other factors such as equivalent professional/expert experience or certifications, may be considered.

Current Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) and University of Arizona policies do not define necessary credentials. However, Dr. Gail Burd's 2019 Memo is the Provost Council and Faculty Senate approved Process for Verifying Faculty Qualifications for Instruction. In addition, institutional accreditors require for their member institutions to demonstrate consistent procedures and careful consideration of qualifications for all instructional faculty.

All courses that receive credit and which are recorded on an academic transcript for credit, whether in the major, minor, concentration, or elective, should be taught by a suitably-prepared faculty member, regardless of whether that faculty member is full time, part time, contingent, or a part time administrator or occupies any other status with the institution.  By “suitably-prepared,” you can determine an instructor’s eligibility based upon credentials and/or tested experience.

This means every individual who is assigned to teach a UA credit-bearing course must have their credentials for teaching in the discipline of the course recorded in the MSS Credentials system.

1. Post Docs:  YES

2. Seasonal faculty:  YES

3. Individuals in a DCC category that is related to the academic mission of the University who serve as instructors:   YES. This includes Affiliates, Affiliate Partners, Associates, Associate Partners and, Inter-Institutional Faculty & Staff.

4. DCCs (retired faculty) running research labs who are assigned to teach a UA course for credit:  YES

5. Staff who teach UA courses:  YES

6. Guest lecturers teaching more than 10% of the course:  YES

7. Guest speakers:   NO.  If the teaching covers less than 10% of the course.

8. Graduate Assistants/Associates:  NO.  However, graduate students need to be supervised by a faculty member.
   See who can teach graduate courses. 

Yes, MSS Credential information will be completed for all individuals teaching courses, including those receiving OPS.

The position held or the normal job of a person in that position is irrelevant.  Persons teaching UA courses for credit must be qualified to teach and have their credentials recorded in the MSS Credential feature.

Expertise is considered the specialization held by a faculty member that appropriately matches the academic field for the course(s) the individual teaches.

Examples of expertise are:

1. The CEO of Macy’s who teaches a course in the MBA program on running large corporations is an expert.

2. A practicing architect with a BArch degree teaching a course on architectural techniques is an expert.

3. An experienced dancer with New York Ballet Company, but with no college degrees, who teaches undergraduates and graduate students in ballet and modern dance is an expert.

4. Professor in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a PhD degree in neurobiology who has funding and publications on molecular biology has expertise to teach molecular biology

The final determination should be made by the department head in consultation with the academic associate dean in the college. 

TA experience does NOT count as expertise.

Professional academic advisors must meet the qualifications to teach regular UArizona courses for credit.  However, UA policies and a special evaluation process will permit some advisors to teach success courses, probation courses, and major exploration courses.

To document the appropriate credentials, UAccess MSS Credential information must be entered for all faculty members.  

We expect that most of the qualifications will be on the basis of degrees earned that are verified by a third party vendor. A second area that will be used for many faculty is productive scholarship; faculty who have published or demonstrated scholarly or creative work in an area will likely be qualified to teach in those areas.  For others, qualification will depend upon licenses or certifications; the faculty member will need to present the department head with appropriate documentation.

No, but those who do not meet the faculty qualifications requirement and have been teaching at UArizona for at least three years, will have their teaching reviewed under a separate process. No future faculty will have this review process available to them.

Yes, all tenure-track, career-track, and non-tenure track faculty, lecturers, instructors, adjuncts, etc. who teach a course must be qualified and meet the requirements to teach.

Faculty qualifications for teaching will need to be defined and may need to be justified by department heads in concert with the associate dean in the college.

Self-reported credentials will need to be verified.

College or Department representatives will be responsible for verifying degrees with assistance from a third party vendor. Expert qualifications will be determined by the department head in collaboration with the associate dean.

*The department head must also note if the degree is considered a terminal degree (see below).  

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is considered the terminal degree in most academic fields of study in the United States.  The terminal degree is also usually a professional degree such as Master of Business Administration (MBA), Bachelor or Master of Architecture (BArch or MArch), Master of Landscape Architecture (MLArch), Master of Engineering (MEng), and the Master of Fine Arts (MFA). The Juris Doctor (law degree), Medical Doctor (MD), Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), and Doctor of Education (EdD) are also considered terminal degrees.

First, see the list of terminal degrees in the Appendix at the bottom of this page. Wikipedia has an extensive list of degrees that have been considered terminal degrees.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_degree 

A license is issued by a government agency or board and is a requirement in order to practice a profession. Certification is a professional recognition by a credentialing agency that certifies the practitioner meets the standards set by that agency.

Examples of professions with licenses include: Clinical psychological, dentist, audiologist, speech pathologist, nurse, architect, certified public accountants, and physicians. 

We are unaware of a list of licenses or certifications. 

These have not been defined. If you are using the license as a teaching qualification in a specific program, the program faculty and department head would know best how to define the acceptable standards.  The Associate Dean within the college may also be able to provide guidance with this issue.

Yes, units are responsible for demonstrating that all faculty members have the appropriate expertise and qualifications in the subjects they teach. The deadline for college and department representatives to update MSS Credential information for existing employees was September 1, 2018.

Newly hired faculty and instructors who teach should have the MSS Credentials completed as soon as possible. 

The minimum information required depends on the level of the course faculty members are teaching, the variety of courses they teach, and the category by which they meet the qualifications.

Any degree appropriate for the discipline of hire, and all masters degrees, all doctoral degrees, all professional degrees.

No, CVs are not a required attachment for the MSS Credentials direct entry portal. 

No; however, Educational Expertise may be added to indicate the graduate courses completed in the area of teaching.

Information collected in previous years may be referenced; however, all information must be added to MSS Credentials after a data review is completed by the department head and associate dean. We will also use a third party verification process for all current faculty, but this will take place over the next two years.