Faculty Credentialing

Faculty credentialing is the process of verifying that instructors possess the appropriate academic qualifications and professional experience to teach specific courses, in compliance with institutional and accreditation standards.

Faculty credentialing ensures compliance with SACSCOC accreditation requirements as well as specialized accreditors. It supports the academic integrity of UTRGV programs by confirming that faculty possess the appropriate qualifications to teach assigned courses.

Typically, the following documents are needed:

• Official transcripts from all degrees earned
• Current curriculum vitae (CV)
• Written justification for faculty teaching outside their degree field
• Certifications or licenses (if applicable)

Faculty members are responsible for providing the required documentation. Department chairs or the college dean’s office may assist in collecting and submitting materials to OIA.

Qualifications are based on:

• Academic degrees in the teaching discipline
• Professional experience relevant to the course
• Certifications or licensure (if required)
• Approved justification of qualifications for exceptions

Faculty must hold academic degrees appropriate to the teaching discipline.

OIA recommends that faculty submit documentation for their two highest degrees to provide a comprehensive academic profile. However, this is not limited to only two degrees—faculty are encouraged to include all degrees, especially those relevant to the courses being taught, to fully support their qualifications and meet accreditation standards.

An official transcript is a certified academic record sent directly from the issuing institution to a UTRGV office, either digitally through secure platforms or physically in a sealed envelope.

An official foreign evaluation is a detailed course-by-course credential assessment of international academic records, conducted by a recognized evaluation agency, and must also be sent directly to UTRGV to be considered official.

All instructors of record are required to provide either an official transcript or an official detailed course-by-course foreign transcript evaluation completed by an approved credentials review agency.

Foreign academic records must be evaluated by an agency that is either:

• A member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)
• Or listed on the UTRGV Foreign Credential Evaluation webpage

These are the recommended evaluators. While other agencies may be used, their evaluations are not guaranteed to be accepted and may require additional review or documentation.

An overall summary evaluation provides a general equivalency of a foreign degree (e.g., “equivalent to a U.S. Master’s degree”), without detailing individual coursework. A course-by-course evaluation includes a breakdown of each course taken, with U.S. credit hour equivalencies and grades.

Course-by-course evaluations are required for credentialing to verify that the faculty member has completed coursework relevant to the teaching discipline.

Credentialing is reviewed at hiring, when teaching new courses, and during internal audits or accreditation reviews.

They may not be assigned to teach the course until credentials documentation is submitted and approved. If a faculty member is not approved for a course, they may not teach the course.

Yes, in some cases. A written justification must be submitted demonstrating how the experience aligns with course content and learning outcomes. These requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure compliance with institutional and accreditor standards.

Credentials are reviewed by OIA in collaboration with academic departments/colleges, following SACSCOC guidelines, institutional policy, and the requirements of applicable specialized accreditors. This ensures that faculty qualifications meet both general and discipline-specific standards.

Contact your department’s credentialing initiator or OIA to guide you through the process and ensure all documentation is complete. (SACSCOC Qualifications Portal Initiator Contacts)