Full Graduate Faculty
All tenure-track and tenured faculty and permanent status or permanent status track
librarians at Towson University are automatically appointed as members of the graduate
faculty (Full Graduate Faculty). They are eligible to teach graduate-level courses,
serve on departmental graduate committees, chair or serve on graduate thesis and dissertation
committees, and be appointed or elected to the university’s graduate studies and graduate
curriculum committees.
Graduate Teaching Faculty
All clinical faculty, lecturers, and adjunct faculty at Towson University with a terminal
degree or assigned to teach graduate level courses or supervise graduate level clinical/professional
practice are automatically appointed as graduate teaching faculty, unless they are
current Towson University Graduate students.
Graduate Teaching Faculty members are eligible to teach graduate-level courses, serve
on departmental graduate committees, and participate on graduate thesis or dissertation
committees, in accordance with the Office of Graduate Studies Guidelines for Preparing Theses and Dissertations
Associate Graduate Faculty
Research or visiting professors, professor of practice (and other USM defined faculty
ranks), and external thesis or dissertation committee members are assigned Associate
Graduate Faculty status at time of appointment. External committee members shall be
assigned based on program specific policies for determining qualifications.
Administrative staff with an earned terminal degree or master’s degree plus five years
of qualified professional experience are also assigned Associate Graduate Faculty
status at time of appointment. Emeritus professors holding Full Graduate Faculty status
at the time of their retirement will be automatically granted Associate Graduate Faculty
Status.
Associate Graduate faculty may serve on departmental graduate committees and participate
on graduate thesis or dissertation committees in accordance with the Office of Graduate
Studies Guidelines for Preparing Theses and Dissertations.
Duties of Graduate Faculty
All graduate faculty are vested with the responsibility for advancing the university’s
mission at the graduate level; they will provide support for graduate education through
teaching, research supervision, and advising of graduate students as appropriate to
their appointment. Graduate faculty should support the continued improvement of instruction,
curriculum development, and program goals of their program(s). They should continue
to develop and enhance their professional scholarship in support of providing a relevant
educational experience to all graduate students.
Privileges of Graduate Faculty
Graduate Faculty status provides eligibility to apply to the University System of
Maryland inter-institutional graduate faculty.
Approved by the University Senate, September 28, 1999.
Amended and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee, March 2013 and November 2022.
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) Membership
The NCFDD is an online community that provides resources and tools, mentoring, and support for
faculty and graduate students including:
- Professional development programming that is focused on increasing productivity
- An intense and reliable support network of highly trained and successful mentors
- An independent confidential “safe space” for brainstorming and problem solving
Contact Information
NCFDD Membership Questions
313-347-8485 (extension 3)