This policy establishes a university-wide standard for the appointment of instructional staff in courses taught for academic credit at UW–Madison, and as such complies with the Higher Learning Commission’s Criteria for Accreditation.

1. Individuals who teach courses offered for UW-Madison credit must have instructional appointments consistent with that role during the term of instruction.
2. The qualifications of instructional staff are evaluated primarily on the basis of earned degrees in a field or subject area relevant to the courses taught, obtained from academic institutions that are accredited by regional higher education associations and/or professional accrediting organizations, or the equivalent quality of university or college in countries outside the U.S.
3. All instructional staff must have a terminal degree, or a degree at least one level higher than the degree for which the course is taught, i.e., a master’s degree or greater is required of instructional staff to teach a course that counts toward the bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. or terminal degree is required for a course that counts towards a master’s or higher level degree. There are cases where the norm in the discipline otherwise includes instructional staff with specialized degrees, e.g., J.D. holders teaching Ph.D. students in law, or an M.F.A. holder teaching Ph.D. students in the arts; or when the accreditation standards of the profession require otherwise.
4. Instructional staff teaching in graduate programs must hold a terminal degree determined by the faculty to be appropriate to the discipline and must have a record of research, scholarship, or achievement appropriate for the graduate program.
5. In some cases, instructional staff who do not possess the academic credentials described above can be appointed to teach courses if they hold at least a bachelor’s degree and are determined by the hiring authority to be otherwise qualified, e.g., significant contributions in the field, substantial experience. Permission to employ instructors in this category is the purview of the academic unit and is subject to approval of the school or college in which the course(s) is taught.
   1. Academic units, in consultation with the school/college, must define the minimum threshold of experience for alternative qualification, and establish alternative processes for documenting alternative qualifications, evaluating, and supervising these instructors.
   2. Other factors that may be considered relevant to being “otherwise qualified” may include, but are not limited to:
      1. Substantial graduate-level academic coursework and/or methodological training in the discipline.
      2. Related research experience in the industry and/or the private sector.
      3. Practical experience in the art, business, legal, or political sector.
      4. Relevant clinical experience.
      5. Demonstrated competence or fluency in a language other than English and demonstrated ability to teach that language.

The university expects academic units and the schools/colleges to rarely use this provision. The decision to hire an instructor under this provision must be made with the best interests of the students and the university in mind and must preserve the integrity of the educational experience at UW-Madison.

Higher Learning Commission: Determining Qualified Faculty Through HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation and Assumed Practices

Higher Learning Commission Policy: Criteria for Accreditation

Wis. Admin. Code UWS §3