(Based on HLC Assumed Practices and Washburn existing practices)
Faculty must possess an academic degree relevant to the discipline/field they are teaching and must be at least one level of education above the level of education they teach, except in programs for terminal degrees or when equivalent experience is established. Additional qualifications may be required and will be determined as appropriate by academic discipline or unit. In terminal degree programs, faculty members possess the same level of degree. If a faculty member holds a master’s degree or higher in a related discipline or subfield other than that in which he or she is teaching, that faculty member should have completed a minimum of 18 graduate credit hours in the discipline or subfield in which they teach.

Qualified faculty members are identified primarily by credentials, but other factors, including but not limited to equivalent experience, may be considered in determining whether a faculty member is qualified. For accredited programs, when faculty members are employed based on equivalent experience, professional experience (work/clinical experience) is defined by the specialized accreditation organization. For programs without specialized accreditation, professional experience is defined by the individual college or school but can be no less than a minimum of three years full-time work or employment in the field directly related to the area of instruction. In some specialized courses, a specialty license may be substituted for the experience requirement. Justification submitted for professional experience equivalence must include how the course instructor meets or exceeds the academic requirements for the course(s) to be taught. Exceptions to the academic credential must always be approved in writing by the academic dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs before the individual will be allowed to teach at Washburn University.