Faculty Credentialing - Instruction Policy - 60270

This policy sets standards for verifying that faculty are sufficiently qualified for the courses they are assigned to teach at Germanna. It aligns Germanna’s practice with VCCS Policy and standards of regional accreditation.

Germanna Community College (GCC) ensures all instructors are qualified to teach assigned courses in compliance with VCCS Policy 3.02, and GCC justifies and documents the qualifications of faculty members for each of its educational programs in accordance with SACS-COC Standard 6.2a. GCC thereby adheres to the minimum criteria for credentialing for all its teaching faculty:

• Faculty teaching associate degree courses designed for transfer to a baccalaureate degree: doctoral or master’s degree in the teaching discipline or master’s degree in any discipline with a concentration in the teaching discipline (a minimum of 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline).
• Faculty teaching associate degree courses not designed for transfer to the baccalaureate degree: bachelor’s degree in the teaching discipline, or associate’s degree and demonstrated competencies in the teaching discipline.
• Faculty teaching courses designed for non-associate degree occupational fields: high school diploma or equivalent with demonstrated competencies in the teaching field.
• Faculty teaching developmental courses: bachelor’s degree in a discipline related to the teaching assignment and either teaching/occupational experience related to the teaching assignment or graduate coursework in developmental education.
• Faculty teaching Student Development (SDV) courses: A minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.

Exceptions to the minimum criteria for credentialing may be permitted under the following circumstances, particularly in professional, technical, and technology-dependent fields where alternative credentials may be more appropriate:

• Appropriately related work experiences in the field;
• Professional licensure and certifications related to the teaching
  assignment;
• Honors and awards;
• Continuing professional development;
• Relevant peer-reviewed publications; and/or
• Continuous documented excellence in teaching.

Hiring managers review required credentials according to the VCCS-29 Form and submit to Human Resources (HR) a VCCS-10 Form certifying the faculty member’s qualifications. HR collects and records official transcripts, VCCS-10 forms, and supporting documents as needed for all part-time faculty except in the case of dual enrollment instructors, the transcripts and documentation for which are recorded by the dual enrollment team. Academic Affairs & Workforce Development (Chief Academic Officer or designees: Deans, Associate Deans, Department Chairs, or Program Directors) approve teaching assignments. In those cases where exceptions to the minimum criteria for credentialing are made, the appropriate academic dean will complete a Germanna Community College Alternative Credentialing Form that details and justifies the faculty member’s qualifications within the teaching discipline.

Teaching Discipline: the broad academic field to which a course belongs. NOTE: graduate credit hours or degrees in fields with different disciplinary headings or titles than the course being taught may be counted as within the teaching discipline at the discretion of the hiring manager. For example, credit hours in “Writing Studies” (WRIT) or “Rhetoric and Composition” (RHET) typically qualify an instructor to teach College Composition, a course with the disciplinary heading of “English” (ENG).

SACS-COC Credential Guidelines: Regional accreditation standards providing guidance on faculty qualification criteria.

VCCS-29: Minimum criteria for faculty rank.

Alternative Credentials: Awards, accomplishments, certifications, experience, licensure, continuing professional development, publications, or documented excellence in teaching that suffice to substitute for academic credentials as determined by the academic dean.

Faculty member: the instructor of record assigned to teach a course, whether part-time, full-time, or dual-enrollment, and regardless of teaching mode.

SACSCOC Standard 6.2.a
VCCS-29 Normal Minimum Criteria for Faculty Rank
VCCS-10 Faculty Qualifications Summary Form
VCCS Qualifications of Faculty Hiring and Credentialing (Section 3.02 VCCS Policy Manual)
Germanna Community College Alternative Credentialing Form

Vice President of Academic Affairs & Workforce Development, Academic Deans, Human Resources

Approval: September 17, 2026

College Council – Second Reading/Vote: March 26, 2026

College Council – First Reading: February 26, 2026