Types and Levels

At UHM, the graduate faculty is composed of scholars who have a record of professional and scholarly achievements and who have agreed to work with and advise graduate students. All members of the graduate faculty are affiliated with one or more graduate programs, and are listed in the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa Catalog (referred to hereafter as the Catalog). The faculty in a given graduate program may be composed of regular, cooperating and affiliate members at two levels — full or associate

Types of Appointment

1. Regular Graduate Faculty
These are members of the faculty whose academic appointment is in the same department that houses the graduate program with which they are affiliated. In the case of interdisciplinary graduate programs (e.g., EECB, MB, PhD in Education, and CIS), regular graduate faculty may include faculty from a number of graduate programs. The regular faculty members of each graduate program administer the various aspects of their program, including student admissions, curriculum structure and academic policies, etc. In addition, they determine the rights (including voting rights) and responsibilities of cooperating and affiliate members of their graduate faculty, as it pertains to the governance of their graduate program. Faculty who change graduate programs within the university lose their regular graduate faculty status in the former graduate program and may be appointed as regular graduate faculty in the second program.

2. Cooperating Graduate Faculty
In addition to serving as regular faculty in graduate programs housed in their home academic departments, faculty members may serve as cooperating faculty in graduate programs housed in other academic departments. However, faculty members must first serve as regular faculty in their home graduate programs, if such exist, before serving as cooperating faculty in other graduate programs.

3. Affiliate Graduate Faculty
These are individuals who are not faculty members of UH but who are both qualified and willing to serve as graduate faculty and to help advise graduate students. Graduate faculty who have resigned from UH may be reappointed as affiliate graduate faculty, if appropriate. Affiliate graduate faculty appointments must be processed as non-compensated appointees using the Payroll Notification Form (PNF) and renewed as appropriate.

Levels of Appointment

1. Full Graduate Faculty
Full Members of the graduate faculty are productive scholars in their academic field, as evidenced by ongoing independent professional, scholarly or artistic achievements. Full members may chair thesis/dissertation committees in their home graduate programs, and serve as committee members in any other graduate program. They may also prepare and grade qualifying, comprehensive and final exams. Full members who are regular or cooperating faculty may chair graduate programs, serve on the Graduate Council and serve as outside members on thesis/dissertation committees.

2. Associate Graduate Faculty
Associate members of the graduate faculty are usually new faculty who are in the process of establishing a scholarly record, individuals in administrative positions that do not allow an opportunity to continue scholarly activities, faculty with heavy teaching loads in departments that offer only a master's program, or senior faculty who have not been productive recently, but whose expertise is of benefit to graduate students. Associate members may chair thesis committees in their home graduate program and serve as members of thesis/dissertation committees in any other program. Except in special circumstances, they may not serve as the outside member. They may prepare and grade qualifying, comprehensive and final exams. They may also participate in the general administration of their home program.