INITIAL PLACEMENT & STATEMENT OF ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Each campus will determine appropriate procedures for the preparation of the formal statement. The campus awards credit for a maximum of ten years' college experience or its equivalent. Additional credit is awarded only on a case-by-case basis if the College warrants the exception.

ACADEMIC DEGREES: DEFINITIONS APPLIED

The Bachelor's Degree is usually awarded upon successful completion of 120-plus undergraduate credits, 30 to 45 of which are in a specific field of concentration.

The Master's Degree is awarded upon presentation of evidence of (1) comprehensive orientation in a broad field of knowledge, (2) mastery in some depth of a specialty within that field and understanding of its goals, methods, and problems, and (3) the accomplishment of the above through the completion of a minimum of 30 graduate credits in a formal program.

Master's Degree Plus 30 Credits is defined as the degree plus 30 graduate credits related directly to the holder's field of responsibility. The "plus 30" may include graduate credits taken before, during, or after the Master's Degree program.

The Doctoral Degree, the highest degree awarded in a discipline, ideally is awarded upon presentation of substantial evidence of (1) comprehensive orientation in a broad field of knowledge, (2) mastery in depth of a specialty in that field, (3) capacity to contribute and the actual contribution to the exploration or development of the field, and (4) completing, in pursuit of the above, a minimum of 72 graduate credits with dissertation.

EXPERIENCE CRITERIA FOR FACULTY IN TRADITIONAL FIELDS

1. Experience in Higher Education
   College experience will be equated on a one-to-one basis if that experience is judged by the appropriate Dean to be of the same nature as the position to be filled.
   
   Credit is granted on a two to one basis if the experience is indirectly related and is judged to be meaningful in preparation for the position.
   
   Thirty credits of part-time teaching experience, including graduate assistantship, will be considered equivalent to one year of teaching experience. Under no circumstances may an applicant be awarded more than one year of experience for any twelve-month period.
   
2. Experience in Elementary or Secondary Education
   Elementary and secondary experience will be equated on a one-to-one basis if that experience is judged by the appropriate Dean to be of the same nature as the position to be filled.
   
   Credit will be granted on a two to one basis if that experience is judged to be directly related but not of the same nature.
   
3. Work Experience Outside of Education
   
   Credit will be awarded on a one-to-one basis if the experience is judged to be of the same nature as the position to be filled or if the level of responsibility is especially significant. Credit will be awarded on a two to one basis if the experience is indirectly related and is judged to be meaningful in preparation for the position. No credit will be awarded for experience, which is judged to be unrelated to the position to be filled.

 RANK CRITERIA FOR FACULTY IN NON-TRADITIONAL FIELDS

In some instances, the College will be employing faculty in disciplines in which traditional academic credentials are not appropriate. In those cases, the guidelines for substituting professional work experience will be used for the purpose of initial placement in rank only. Ten years of relevant experience will be used to earn placement at the assistant professor rank. Less than ten years of relevant experience will earn placement at the instructor rank.

The amount of work experience equated to rank shall not also be equated to college teaching experience for determination of initial salary. Years of experience used to determine rank will be deducted in determining salary. Once the years of experience used to determine rank have been deducted, salary will be determined by the following formula: 

Salary = Minimum salary in rank + [(maximum salary – minimum salary) / 10 x (years of experience)]

In extraordinary cases, particularly for career programs, the President of the campus may recommend that an appointment be an exception to the criteria for initial placement. Before a final job offer is made, Human Resources personnel will coordinate with the hiring agent the salary to be offered.

See Steps Used to Determine Initial Placement chart.

PAC Approved 2/24/03