Minimum Qualifications for Individuals with Instructional Responsibilities

The University of Kansas and all reporting units adhere to Higher Learning Commission requirements concerning minimum qualifications for individuals with instructional responsibilities (instructors of record). All full-time, part-time, concurrent, online, and residential instructors of record must adhere to the following minimum education and/or experience qualification requirements.

Minimum Qualifications Ascertained Using Credentials

The University uses credentials as the primary mechanism to ascertain minimal faculty qualifications.

The standard requirement is that instructors of record must hold a degree in a field relevant to courses taught, conferred by an accredited academic institution in the United States, or a college/ university of equivalent quality outside the United States.

• Instructors of record for undergraduate courses must possess a conferred degree at least one level higher than the program courses taught (i.e., a master’s degree in a discipline or relevant field is required to teach courses assigned at the bachelor’s level). An instructor without a master’s degree or higher in a discipline or field relevant to their instructional area may be qualified to teach undergraduate courses by possessing a conferred master's degree in any discipline or field and a minimum of 18 graduate credit hours in a discipline or field relevant to their instruction area. 
• Instructors of record for graduate courses must possess a conferred terminal degree or professional degree as determined by the discipline and have a record of research, scholarship, or achievement appropriate for the graduate program.
• In cases where a 500 or 600 level undergraduate course is simultaneously offered for graduate credit, the instructor of record shall meet the qualifications for instructing at the graduate level. 

For information about appointing individuals to mentor graduate students and serve on exam committees at KU Lawrence and Edwards campuses, please refer to the Graduate Faculty Appointments policy.

For additional information regarding appointments and responsibilities of graduate faculty at the Medical Center campuses, please refer to the Graduate Studies section of the Academic Catalog and the KU Medical Center Policy on Requirements for Teaching in Required Components of the MD Program Curriculum.

Minimum Qualifications Ascertained Using Tested Experience

In rare cases, instructors may demonstrate their qualifications in lieu of the required academic credential, based upon tested experience criteria, and approved at KUL by the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and at KUMC by the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs. Tested experience is experience, in breadth and depth, obtained outside the classroom, which is relevant to the courses the instructor teaches. Tested experience is typically not exclusively based on years of teaching experience.

• Tested experience for instructors of record for undergraduate courses is a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and one of the following:
  • Their degree is in the discipline and they possess a minimum of five years of applied, relevant experience. The instructor of record must have equivalent certification or licensure in the field, where required; or
  • Their degree is in any discipline and they possess a minimum of ten years of applied, relevant experience. The instructor of record must have equivalent certification or licensure in the field, where required.
  • For foreign language proficiency courses. Their degree is in any discipline and they possess a minimum of 10 years of proficiency in the foreign language.
• Tested experience for instructors of record for graduate courses is a minimum of a master’s degree in any discipline and a minimum of seven years of applied relevant experience. The instructor of record must have equivalent certification or licensure in the field, where required.