Designation of Departments, Schools and Colleges

General Administrative Guidelines for Designation of Departments, Schools, and Colleges

Overarching Principles

1. Designation would enhance the unit's ability to serve all three areas of Auburn's mission. 

2. Units with similar missions in peer institutions are commonly designated as such. 

3. The unit has identified metrics for the assessment of its quality, peer institutions to which it can compare itself on those metrics, and a strategy for improving its performance on those metrics. 

4. There is a clear and compelling need for such designation.  

5. Such designation will provide a clear and compelling benefit to the university and will enhance the performance of the university's mission.

Guidelines to be Used in the Application of Overarching Principle

College

A complex administrative unit comprised of three or more departments and/or schools with similar missions and academic disciplines. A college normally demonstrates a degree of interdependence, providing instruction for a healthy mix of its own majors and majors from other university units.  

1. Ten academic degree programs at the undergraduate/graduate level

2. One thousand majors across all degree programs

3. Forty faculty FTEs at the assistant professor level or above

4. Student credit hour production equivalent to budgeted instructional faculty FTE but no less than 25,000 student credit hours per academic year.

School

A specialized administrative unit organized to deliver instructional programs which contribute to a limited number of specialized baccalaureate, first professional and/or graduate degree programs and to deliver associated research and extension/outreach programs. A school may be free-standing or a unit within a college. A school may or may not be organized into departments. A school normally demonstrates a degree of independence, providing instruction principally for its own majors.

1. One accredited baccalaureate or first professional degree

2. Two hundred majors across all degree programs

3. Twenty faculty FTEs at the assistant professor level or above

4. Student credit hour production equivalent to budgeted instructional faculty FTE but no less than 5000 student credit hours per academic year.

 

Department

A fundamental administrative unit which offers specialized instruction and proprietary degree programs in one of more closely related academic disciplines, with or without associated research and extension/outreach program.

1. One baccalaureate or entry level, or first professional degree program

2. Fifty majors across all degree programs or a number of majors comparable to the average number of majors for similar departments at Auburn's peer institutions

3. Ten faculty FTEs at the assistant professor level or above or a number of FTEs comparable to the average number of FTEs for similar departments at Auburn's peer institutions

4. Student credit hour production equivalent to budgeted instructional faculty FTE but no less than 5000 student credit hours per academic year or a number of student credit hours produced by similar departments at Auburn's peer institutions unless the department's mission is primarily research and outreach.