Terminal Degree. Hiring of a faculty member without ABD status, a terminal degree, or without a master’s degree plus professional certification appropriate to the discipline should be a rare occurrence. A timeline for completion of the terminal degree for ABD faculty or faculty who still need to complete their master’s degree plus professional certification shall be agreed upon by the VPAA and the faculty member upon negotiation of the initial contract. Faculty who do not meet the terminal degree requirements in their discipline or related field are not eligible to apply for tenured faculty status. It is recognized, however, that the criteria for a terminal degree vary by discipline and that, in some instances, equivalent professional achievement is regarded as a qualification for tenure. The determination of what constitutes a terminal degree in each discipline is made by the Administration and normally will be the degree deemed appropriate for teaching at the college/university level by a recognized accrediting body in that discipline.
Terminal Degree a. In the case of any person first appointed to a position as a member of the bargaining unit at a State College (now State University) prior to September 1, 1988, “terminal degree” shall mean the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.
Terminal Degree. “Terminal degree” shall mean the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), the degree of Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), the degree of Doctor of Social Work (D.S.W.), the degree of Doctor of Nursing Science (D.N.S.), the degree of Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) , the degree of Doctor of Library Science (D.L.S.) or an equivalent doctoral degree, including the degree of Doctor of Library Science and Information Science (D.L.S.I.S.), accredited by the American Library Association, or such other doctoral degree (doctorate), other than the degree of Juris Doctor (X.X.), as is granted in and with reference to any specialized discipline or field of learning; provided, however, that a degree other than a doctorate may, at any University, be deemed to be a terminal degree for the purposes of this Agreement whenever the Board of Trustees of such University recognizes any such degree as one customarily regarded by members of any learned profession or field of learning as the final degree qualifying any person for the practice of such profession or for recognition within such field of learning, but only to the extent that the holder of any such degree other than a doctorate is employed as a member of the bargaining unit to teach within the scope of such profession or such field of learning. For those faculty whose area of teaching is primarily in creative and performing arts courses (as distinguished from such courses as art history and musicology) the degree of Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) shall be deemed to be a terminal degree when a bargaining unit member who holds such degree has earned not fewer than sixty (60) hours of graduate credit, including the hours of credit for which such degree was awarded, in the creative or performing discipline in which he or she holds such degree; provided that such credits shall have been earned at an institution or institutions accredited at least to the level of such degree in the discipline in question. For faculty in the Engineering Department at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) shall be deemed to be a terminal degree when a bargaining unit member who holds such a degree also holds a Professional Engineering License.
