The following guidelines regarding terminal degrees for promotion and/or tenure are effective immediately.

Faculty P&T Policy – Credentials for Promotion Guidelines

VCU’s current promotion and tenure policy lacks detail to define appropriate academic credentials required for promotion or tenure. The current policy only states the faculty must have: “Appropriate credentials and experience” (Section 2.1) and that “credentials and experience shall be rated as satisfactory or unsatisfactory” (Section 2.1.1). As such, some academic units have created promotional paths that enable faculty to advance from instructor to assistant, associate, and full professor without a terminal degree. Further, the criteria defining appropriate credentials or experience varies or is lacking across academic units. 

In order to align with current standards, particularly for other R1 universities, VCU must specify a terminal degree requirement.  

While the upcoming promotion and tenure task force will address this issue, it is imperative to introduce guidance in the interim, to align all relevant faculty promotion processes across the university. This measure is important to introduce due to the timeline for the 2024-25 promotion and tenure cycle for faculty.

Based on the above, academic units are being informed that promotion from instructor to assistant or beyond requires the candidate to possess a terminal degree based on the disciplinary standard. This is effective starting from the 2024-25 promotion and tenure review cycle.

At this time, faculty holding a title beyond instructor without a terminal degree will maintain their current title.

Categories Faculty Affairs, Provost, Uncategorized