Faculty Credentials

SMU and Faculty Qualifications for Teaching

SACSCOC guideline 6.2a provides guidance to ensure that all full-time and part-time faculty have the qualifications needed to serve as experts in the curriculum. SMU has a carefully managed, centralized and standardized system to document faculty credentials for accreditation purposes. SACSCOC guidelines specify credential expectations at the instructional level, such that faculty teaching across all courses should have minimal credentials. These include, at the undergraduate and 2-year and 4-year transfer credit levels, that faculty typically hold a master’s or doctorate in the teaching discipline, or that they a master’s degree with at least 18 graduate hours in the discipline in which the course is taught. Faculty teaching graduate-level (Masters and higher) courses are expected to hold an earned doctorate or terminal degree in the field or a related discipline (e.g., Master of Fine Arts or JD). Qualifications can also be comprised of a combination of an academic degree, such as a Masters degree, with other relevant credentials that can included non-academic workforce experience. In all cases, SMU has a review process that ensures that the credentials are reviewed at the lowest level of granularity (e.g., the department chair in the discipline) through the layers of faculty governance (e.g., the associate dean of academic affairs and the Office of Faculty Success in the Provost Office). The SACSCOC guidelines, and SMU’s adherence to them through rigorous review and documentation, demonstrates compliance with SACSCOC Standard 6.2.a regarding faculty qualifications.

SMU: Credential eForm Process for Faculty Credentials

SMU uses a PeopleSoft-based Credential eForm system to document, review, approve, and archive faculty qualifications in alignment with SACSCOC accreditation standards. The process ensures that every instructor is academically qualified to teach the courses assigned to them and that the university maintains appropriate accreditation documentation. The online workflow includes multiple levels of academic review and approval. Credential submissions are reviewed and approved by the appropriate academic leadership (typically both the department chair and associate dean or their designee), and the Office of Faculty Success. This layered approval process helps ensure consistency, compliance, and proper institutional documentation.

Overall Purpose of the Process

The Credential eForm process allows SMU to:

  • verify that faculty meet SACSCOC faculty qualification standards,
  • document the academic basis for teaching assignments,
  • maintain a centralized archive of faculty credentials and supporting evidence, and
  • ensure that all credentials receive appropriate academic and administrative review prior to approval.

The process supports both institutional accreditation compliance and consistent academic oversight across the university.

Process: Before Starting the Credential eForm

Prior to initiating a Credential eForm, administrative staff gather the following materials:

  • Faculty member’s SMU ID number
  • Course ID(s) for the course(s) the faculty member will teach
  • PDF copy of the faculty member’s CV
  • Official Transcript
  • Justification Letter written by the appropriate faculty member (if applicable)

Faculty credentials may be approved in one of two ways, depending on departmental needs and the nature of the faculty member’s qualifications: 1) for an entire academic subject area or course prefix (for example, all courses with a particular departmental prefix), or 2) individually on a course-by-course basis. There are two paths: A) faculty member has a terminal degree in the field or b) faculty member does not have a terminal degree in the field.

Path A: Faculty Member Has a Terminal Degree in the Teaching Field

This is the most straightforward credentialing pathway. This pathway reflects SACSCOC guidance that faculty teaching undergraduate and graduate courses should generally possess a doctorate, terminal degree, or appropriate graduate degree in the teaching discipline.

Path B: Faculty Member Does Not Have a Terminal Degree in the Teaching Field

When the faculty member does not hold a terminal degree directly aligned with the teaching discipline, additional supporting evidence is required through one of the following:

Option 1: Itemized Graduate Coursework

Provide a list of graduate-level courses from the transcript totaling at least 18 credit hours in the teaching discipline. Each course is entered individually into the eForm. This aligns with SACSCOC’s “18 graduate hours in the discipline” standard for faculty qualification.

Option 2: Justification Letter

Instead of itemized coursework, departments may submit a justification letter explaining why the faculty member is otherwise qualified to teach the course(s). The justification should include: a brief two-sentence explanation describing relevant expertise, professional accomplishments, certifications, research, or teaching experience that support qualification. SMU has a form faculty can use to generate the justification letter using the Qualtrics form. The completed PDF is then uploaded into the Credential eForm. This allows academic leadership to generate the justification letter without needing to log into my.smu.edu.