For purposes of C6.000 and D4.000, a "qualified" graduate committee member is one satisfying the following standards:

1. They must have a degree which is at least at the level of the degree to be awarded. Programs may petition for exemption from this policy on the grounds that a prospective member possesses specialized experience and expertise relevant to the student's thesis, professional paper, or dissertation. All such petitions must be submitted to and approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. Faculty who hold an MFA in a field where that is a terminal degree can be certified to sit on Ph.D. committees, including serving as Chair where appropriate. MFA Programs should create protocols, reviewed by the Graduate School and the DIS Oversight Committee, for establishing the criteria by which an MFA degree holder would qualify to serve on Ph.D. committees in this program. These evaluation criteria would include: the number of years of faculty teaching experience, evidence of developed professional practice, reputation (evidence from reviews), and significant research/scholarship output as evidenced by publications, with preference for peer-reviewed journal articles and books. 
2. For UM faculty, they must be involved in ongoing scholarship, creative works, or professional activities relating to their discipline and must continue to receive normal salary increases. At the close of the annual or biennial faculty evaluation process, any faculty member receiving a less-than-normal salary increase due to deficiencies in scholarship, creative works, or professional activities shall lose their eligibility to serve on graduate committees until completion of the next review. The Dean of the Graduate School is responsible for requesting a list of these faculty members from the academic deans and notifying them in writing of their lost eligibility.