Any member of the instructional faculty of the University may be considered for membership on the graduate faculty in a specific degree program or department. Membership is determined on the basis of the individual's qualifications and consists of four types: graduate faculty status, master's directive status, doctoral directive status, and co-directive status.
A. Graduate Faculty Status
Members of the faculty with Graduate Faculty Status are authorized to teach graduate courses. They are not authorized to serve on or chair master's and doctoral committees.
Subject to consideration of special circumstances minimum qualifications are completion of the doctorate or its equivalent and proven expertise in the teaching area.
Under special circumstances qualified persons who are not regular members of the FSU faculty may be accorded Graduate Faculty Status on a temporary basis with the approval of the academic dean and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Under no circumstances does this provision apply to persons holding adjunct appointments to the faculty.
Departments will determine criteria and procedures for appointments, according to guidelines in the Faculty Handbook and subject to approval of the dean of the college or school. The criteria will be subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee. Names of new appointees will be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies for confirmation with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee.
B. Master's Directive Status
Members of the graduate faculty with Master's Directive Status are authorized to: (1) teach graduate-level courses, (2) serve as major professor for master's degree students, and (3) serve on supervisory committees for doctoral students, provided each such committee includes at least three members with Doctoral Directive Status.
Subject to consideration of special circumstances, minimum qualifications are completion of a doctorate or its equivalent and proven ability to conduct scholarly research and publish in reputable media or to perform equivalent scholarly or creative works.
Departments will determine criteria and procedures for appointments, according to guidelines in the Faculty Handbook and subject to approval of the dean of the college or school. The criteria will be subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee. Names of new appointees will be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies for confirmation with advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee.
C. Doctoral Directive Status
Members of the graduate faculty with Doctoral Directive Status are authorized to perform all functions appropriate to graduate education.
Subject to consideration of special circumstances, the minimum qualifications for appointment are: (1) attainment of recognized professional stature in the discipline by virtue of substantial post-doctoral or equivalent scholarly or creative work and (2) experience in the supervision of graduate students.
Colleges or schools will determine criteria for appointments, according to guidelines in the Faculty Handbook and subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee. All departmental nominations for appointment will be reviewed by a school- or college-wide faculty committee or a committee outside the department designated for that purpose. That committee's recommendations for acceptance or rejection of nominations will be sent to the dean of the school or college for confirmation. Names of new appointees will be sent to the Dean of Graduate Studies for confirmation with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee.
Appointments to the graduate faculty in this category will be reviewed each time the Graduate Policy Committee (GPC) reviews the graduate program in which the graduate faculty membership is held. The GPC will either approve continuation of doctoral directive status (DDS) or will direct the program to re-evaluate an individual and decide whether or not to resubmit the appointment. GPC approval for continuation of DDS will be made only if the faculty member's teaching and research have continued to be of at least the quality that justified the original appointment. If the program decides to resubmit an appointment, the procedure will be the same as that used in making initial DDS appointments and must be done within 60 days of the date of acceptance of the GPC program review or the individual's doctoral directive status will terminate effective the end of the academic year in which the program review occurred. Termination of doctoral directive status will prevent that person from accepting new doctoral students or being assigned to new doctoral committees as major professor or as doctoral directive status member. Work as major professor or as doctoral directive status member of committees already accepted may be finished.
A faculty member in a department not granting the doctorate may be accorded the opportunity to request Doctoral Directive Status in a degree-granting department or authorized degree program. Requests may be submitted either at the faculty member's initiative or at the invitation of the department. In each case the department shall follow its customary procedures for nominating faculty members for Doctoral Directive Status, and nominations shall be forwarded by the department to the school- or college-wide committee in accordance with approved procedures above. Final confirmation rests with the Dean of Graduate Studies with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee.
Qualified FSU faculty may hold doctoral directive status in more than one degree program. A faculty member with DDS in one FSU department may also be granted DDS by other departments or authorized degree programs. Each area granting DDS would utilize its own criteria and procedures as outlined above.
A Florida State University faculty member with Doctoral Directive Status at another university in an interuniversity cooperative degree program may also be accorded the eligibility to serve as non-departmental member on supervisory committees through the usual Florida State University procedures for granting Doctoral Directive Status.
A Florida State University faculty member who has been awarded doctoral directive status in the University of Florida because he or she participates in a cooperative doctoral degree program with the Ph.D. offered through the University of Florida may be identified in the Florida State University Catalog by an appropriate sign indicating "Doctoral Directive Status awarded by the University of Florida for cooperative program."
D. Co-directive Status
Persons who have been granted appointments to Courtesy faculty rank in a department with approved graduate programs may be awarded Master's or Doctoral Co-directive Status if they meet the college/school and departmental requirements for that status. (See exceptions below providing full membership for SUS faculty.) These appointments are subject to approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee. Such persons may serve as a member or co-chairperson of a committee. A qualified FSU faculty member must serve as co-chairperson.
Assistant Scholars/Scientists, Associate Scholars/Scientists, and Scholars/Scientists (9162, 9161, 9160) and Assistants in Research, Associates in Research, and Research Associates (9121, 9120, 9166) may be considered for Co-directive Status provided that they meet the appropriate departmental, and college/school criteria. Such appointments are subject to approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee.
Post Doctoral Research Associates (9189 )cannot be considered for graduate faculty status of any type since these are transient appointments.
E. State University System Faculty
For faculty in the State University System holding appointments to Courtesy faculty rank or joint college ranks at Florida State University, procedures and criteria which have been adopted and approved for the relevant department and college/school at Florida State University will be applied in determining whether Master's or Doctoral Directive Status will be awarded. Final approval will be by the Dean of Graduate Studies with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee. Persons approved will have full graduate faculty membership.
F. Status of Graduate Students
No graduate student of this institution may be appointed to its graduate faculty, nor may a graduate student have primary teaching responsibilities in any graduate instruction. Under no circumstances may a graduate student be appointed as a member of another graduate student's advisory and examining committee.
G. Retired Faculty
Full-time faculty holding Master's/Doctoral Directive Status who either fully retire or enter an early retirement plan may retain their Master's/Doctoral Directive Status under the following conditions:
Fully retired faculty may continue to serve as major professors for those students who have already begun their thesis/dissertation at the time of the professor's retirement. Fully retired faculty, however, may not accept additional students in this capacity. Fully retired faculty may serve as an additional member beyond the minimum number required on master's/ doctoral committees of new students if they choose.
Service professors, at all ranks, (those faculty on early retirement plans) retain Graduate Faculty Membership under the same guidelines as full-time faculty. These faculty are cautioned, however, to schedule their semesters of employment to coincide with the needs and projected timelines of their doctoral candidates.
H. Faculty Who Depart the University
For faculty who depart the University for any reason other than retirement, the department or program in which directive status is held will review the faculty member's status and the committees the faculty member serves on or chairs. If the department or program wishes to continue the faculty member in some or all of these roles, it may provide a courtesy appointment and nominate the faculty member for master's or doctoral co-directive status, as needed, so the faculty member may continue as co-chair or member for those students who have already begun their thesis/dissertation at the time of the faculty member's departure. If the faculty member is serving as committee chair, the department will then designate a current or new member of the committee with appropriate directive status as co-chair of the committee. Faculty members who depart the University may not accept additional students in this capacity, nor may they serve as the representative of the graduate faculty on committees. Nominations for this limited co-directive status, following the usual process, will be sent to the college committee, to the dean's office and then to the Dean of Graduate Studies for confirmation with the advice and consent of the Graduate Policy Committee.