Graduate Faculty Status

Graduate Faculty Status

What is Graduate Faculty Status? 

Graduate Faculty Status is a position reserved for those who are significantly engaged in academic and research activity as assessed by their program/department, Dean, and the Office of the Provost. Certain members of graduate students’ thesis/dissertation committees must have Graduate Faculty Status in order to be eligible to serve. See AP.6.10.5 for further information.

Graduate Faculty Policy

Information on Graduate Faculty Status policy can be found under Graduate Policies - AP.6.12 (Updated in Catalog 2020-2021).

How to Apply for Graduate Faculty Status

Applicants not employed by George Mason University and who do not have a Mason ID must first become Affiliate Faculty. Once the Affiliate Faculty status has been granted, a Mason ID will be assigned and the process described below can be started.

Mason tenured and tenure-track faculty are automatically granted Graduate Faculty Status.

Anyone, who is not Mason tenured or tenure-line faculty, that wishes to apply for Graduate Faculty Status must:

  • Be sponsored by a Mason graduate-degree granting local academic unit (LAU);
  • Have the sponsoring LAU submit an application, that includes a justification statement for the applicant’s appointment and the applicant’s updated curriculum vitae.

All applications are submitted to the Mason graduate-degree granting LAU, approved by the head of the LAU, and forwarded to the Dean’s Office of the College/School for the next level of approval. The Office of the Provost will then receive the College/School’s approved applications for final review and approval by the Associate Provost for Graduate Education (APGE). The APGE review process is intended to affirm standardization and compliance across the units. Grounds for denying an application are generally limited to a finding of insufficient documentation or justification presented on behalf of the applicant. The decision will be communicated to the applicant and all relevant personnel once a decision is reached.

Graduate Faculty Status training guide: please click here to download.