Regular Faculty
Faculty members holding a Ph.D. or other terminal degree in a discipline are, upon appointment to a tenure-track position, eligible to become members of the Graduate Faculty.
Duties
This appointment confers the right to teach graduate courses, direct theses and dissertations and participate in graduate student committees (subject to the policies of the unit and university), serve on Graduate Council or its committees and to vote on matters coming before the Graduate Faculty.
Eligible Faculty
Those eligible to be regular members of the graduate faculty are the president, provost, dean of the Graduate School, associate deans of the Graduate School and chairs of academic departments.
Nominations
Nominations of eligible faculty are made by the appropriate college, school or department to the dean of the Graduate School.
Graduate Faculty Criteria Template
Each academic unit is encouraged to define its criteria for graduate faculty status, using the Graduate Faculty Criteria Template. This template provides a description of the nomination process.
Associate Faculty
Non-tenure-track USC faculty members and scholars who hold the Ph.D. or other terminal degree may be appointed to associate membership in the Graduate Faculty.
Eligible Faculty
Associate membership is appropriate for full-time USC clinical faculty, research faculty holding an appropriate terminal degree.
Duties
Associate members may teach graduate courses, direct theses and dissertations and participate in graduate student committees, serve on Graduate Council or its committees, and vote on matters coming before the Graduate Faculty.
Associate Graduate Faculty Nomination Form
Associate Membership appointments to the graduate faculty are approved by Graduate Council upon nomination by an academic unit for a period not to exceed 6 years.
Term Faculty
Faculty members and scholars not otherwise eligible for regular membership on the Graduate faculty may be appointed to term appointments.
Duties
Term appointments to the graduate faculty confer the rights only to teach graduate courses and serve on graduate students' committees.
Term Appointment Nomination Form
Term appointments to the graduate faculty are granted upon nomination by an academic unit to the dean of the Graduate School for a period not to exceed 3 years.
Review and Retention
Consistent with the University of South Carolina’s mission as a major research university committed to high quality graduate instruction, the university reviews scholarly and graduate teaching performance on a periodic basis to assure that each member of the graduate faculty continues to satisfy the unit’s criteria for graduate faculty membership.
Review Procedures and Criteria
Units shall establish procedures and criteria for review and retention of membership on the graduate faculty. Such procedures and criteria must be approved by the dean of the Graduate School in consultation with the Graduate Council.
Review Timing
Retention reviews shall coincide with tenure progress reviews, tenure and promotion reviews, and post-tenure reviews. Review of chaired professorships, department chairs, and deans for retention on the graduate faculty shall coincide with their normal periodic reviews.