Minimum Requirements for Appointment to Faculty

Administrative Procedure 5.103

Elgin Community College general hiring standards for all full-time and part-time faculty align to the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) Faculty Qualifications Guidelines published in March 2016 and are outlined below. Qualifications will be reviewed collaboratively according to the administrative procedure review cycle. Additional requirements may apply to individual courses as indicated in the curriculum database. In exigent circumstances, minimum requirements may be temporarily waived by the Vice President of Teaching, Learning, and Student Development. Requirements are subject to changes mandated by the Higher Learning Commission and the Illinois Community College Board.

Faculty Teaching Baccalaureate Transfer Level Courses (includes GSD & COL courses):

  • a master's degree in the discipline; or
  • a master's degree in a related discipline with at least 18 graduate hours in the discipline

Faculty Teaching Career & Technical Education Courses (minimum qualifications vary by course and program – see the curriculum database for specific information):

  • 2,000 hours of related work experience and a bachelor’s degree in the discipline; or
  • 2,000 hours of related work experience and a master's degree in the discipline or related discipline with at least 18 graduate hours in the discipline as indicated in the curriculum database

Faculty Teaching Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Secondary Education (ASE), and English as a Second Language (ESL) Courses:

  • a bachelor’s degree in the discipline or related discipline, and one year of teaching experience in the discipline or related discipline

Faculty Teaching Pre-college Courses:

  • a bachelor’s degree in the discipline or related field

Library Faculty:

  • a master's degree in Library Science from an ALA accredited institution

Tested Experience: At the discretion of the hiring manager “tested experience” may be used to determine minimum requirements for appointment to faculty. Tested experience documentation should clearly establish that any faculty meeting the criteria may be credentialed to teach a specific course in the discipline. The sum total of the tested experience is assumed “equivalent” to the academic credentialing it would otherwise require for a faculty position.