The Ranked Faculty

A ranked faculty member is a full-time employee of the School who has been appointed to one of the four regular academic ranks: instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor, or who serves as librarian, director of professional formation, or dean of the chapel. A ranked faculty member normally has full-time teaching duties or other duties (e.g., research, academic administration) equivalent to a full-time teaching load.

Instructor

An instructor will normally meet the following requirements:   

1. Possess a master's degree from a graduate institution of recognized standing or accomplishments that are considered equivalent.  
2. Give evidence of substantial progress toward the doctorate or terminal professional degree (e.g., completion of all requirements except the dissertation).  
3. Give evidence of clear potential for satisfactorily fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a faculty member as described in section V.  

Assistant Professor

An assistant professor will normally meet the following requirements:   

1. Possess an appropriate earned doctorate from a graduate institution of recognized standing or accomplishments that are considered equivalent.  
2. Give evidence of clear potential for satisfactorily fulfilling the duties and responsibilities of a faculty member as described in section V. 
3. Either proven or promise of scholarship in the subject-matter field and competence in instruction.  

Associate Professor  

An associate professor will normally meet the following requirements:   

1. Possess an appropriate earned doctorate from a graduate institution of recognized standing or accomplishments that are considered equivalent.  
2. Will have taught a minimum of six years full-time at the rank of assistant professor in an accredited college, university, or school of theology or the equivalent thereof.  
3. Will have achieved tenure following the criteria and processes described in section VIII of this Faculty Handbook or will be hired with tenure granted at another institution. In some cases, where there is a substantial record of effective teaching and scholarship, but tenure has not been granted for reasons unrelated to the person’s professional achievement, someone may hold the rank of associate professor without tenure.  

Professor  

A professor will normally meet the following requirements:   

1. Possess an appropriate earned doctorate from a graduate institution of recognized standing or accomplishments that are considered equivalent.  
2. Have a minimum of twelve years of full-time ranked teaching in an accredited college, university, or school of theology or a minimum of six years of full-time teaching at the rank of associate professor.  
3. Give evidence of consistently filling the criteria of faculty evaluation as described in section VIII at a level of high professional competence.