Course Equivalencies

Tenured graduate Faculty who are actively involved in research/thesis/dissertation supervision and who serve on thesis and dissertation committees qualify for one or two course equivalencies depending on their level of activity. (NOTE:  Untenured Faculty automatically qualify for a 6 CH equivalency for the student supervision category to give them time to begin supervising students.  Tenured, associate professors qualify for a 4 pt. credit for 3 years after attaining the rank of Associate Professor (to be added to points earned for the activities listed below).  The purpose of this credit is to allow time for their student supervision to reach a continuing, stable level of activity.

Course equivalencies are determined by the average points earned over the prior 3-year period according to the following scale:

An average of 4-7 pts. earns a 1-course (3 CH) equivalency.

An average minimum of 8 pts. earns a two-course (6 CH) equivalency.

Points are awarded in the student supervision category for the following activities:

• Dissertation Oral Defense Advisor or Co-advisor (3 pts./student)
• Dissertation Oral Defense Committee Member, including Graduate Faculty Representative (2 pts./student)
• Dissertation Prospectus Oral Advisor or Co-advisor (3 pts./student)
• Dissertation Prospectus Oral Defense Committee Member (2 pts./student)
• Candidacy Exam Committee Member (2 pts./student)
• Thesis Oral Defense Advisor (4 pts./student)
• Thesis Oral Defense Committee Member (2 pts./student)
• Supervision of Graduate Research (1 pt./ student for a maximum of 2 pts./year)
• Senior Honors Thesis Oral Defense Advisor (3 pts./student)
• Senior Honors Thesis Oral Defense Committee Members (1 pt./student)
• Supervision of Undergraduate Research in PSYC 3/41498, or honor’s theses (1 pt./year)

Points are tallied from annual productivity reports submitted by each Faculty member and checked against Departmental records. 

Course Equivalencies for Research. Tenured graduate Faculty who have active, ongoing research programs and are active in their profession qualify for one or two course equivalencies depending on their level of activity. (NOTE:  Untenured Faculty automatically qualify for a 6 CH equivalency in research to give them time to establish a program of research).

Course equivalencies for research are determined by the average points earned over the prior 3 year period according to the following scale:

An average of 10-19 pts. earns a one-course (3 CH) equivalency

An average minimum of 20 pts. earns a two-course (6 CH) equivalency

Points are awarded in the research category for the following activities

• Book, authored (30 pts.)
• Research monograph, refereed (20 pts.)
• Book, edited (15 pts.)
• Journal article, refereed, in which the first author is the Faculty member or a primary advisee of the Faculty member (15 pts).
• Journal article, refereed, in which the first author is someone other than the Faculty member or a primary advisee of the Faculty member (10 pts.)
• Book chapter (5 pts.)
• Assessment instrument, copyrighted (5 pts.)
• Journal article, non-refereed (3 pts.)
• Comment, scholarly (3 pts.)
• Encyclopedia entry (3 pts.)
• Technical report (3 pts.)
• Editor’s Introduction (3 pts.)
• Book or test review (2 pts.)
• Letter to the editor, scholarly (1 pt.)
• Presentations at regional or national meetings, invited colloquia (2 pt./presentation for a maximum of  4 pts./year)
• Editorial Board membership (4 pts./journal)
• Editor/Associate Editor (15 pts./journal)
• Grant Panel membership (3 pts./per meeting)
• Ad hoc journal/grant reviews or conference abstract reviews (1 pt./ review for a maximum of 4 pts./year)
• Editing a special issue of journal (6 pts.)
• Other professional contribution (Faculty member should propose pts. associated with activity; final determination to be made by FAC)

Funded grants and grant proposals on which the Faculty member serves as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator are assigned the following points.  Co-Investigators receive half the points indicated.  Consultants do not receive any credit.

• Extramural grant applications (total budgets at or greater than $100,000)
  • Initial submission (15 pts.)
  • Revised submission (7.5 pts.)
  • Funded (20 pts. each year for the period of the grant)

• Grant applications (total budget from $10,000 to $100,000)
  • Initial submission (5 pts.)
  • Revised submission (2.5 pts.)
  • Funded (10 pts. each year for the period of the grant)

Points are tallied from annual productivity reports submitted by each Faculty member and checked against departmental records.

The combined student supervision and research workload equivalencies will not reduce a Faculty member’s course instruction workload below six (6) load hours per year except under unusual circumstances.  Any exceptions must be approved by the Chair and the Dean.

New Faculty qualify for a one-course (3 CH) equivalency during their first academic year on the faculty to enable them to begin a research program and to develop courses.

There are several time-consuming administrative positions in the Department to which Faculty are assigned.  These duties all require more than the normally expected service work and carry varying course equivalencies with a minimum of a 3-credit course equivalency (Undergraduate Coordinator, Graduate Coordinator, Associate Chair, PSTC Director, CTC Director, Admissions Coordinator) depending on the extent of the duties involved.

The Chair shall evaluate the Faculty member’s performance of previously-assigned workload equivalencies in making determinations about future workload equivalencies (see section M below) The Chair is responsible for determining the applicability of any workload equivalency. 

Faculty members could qualify for course equivalencies to the extent that their time is purchased by external sources (e.g., research grant).

Situations may arise in which course equivalencies are appropriate.  When such special circumstances arise, the Chair may assign an equivalency after consultation with the FAC.