Tenure and promotion: Technology faculty and the research one university

A significant issue has existed for engineering technology faculty members who aspire to faculty positions at universities who have research as a primary mission element. It is the requirement of a doctoral degree as the entry-level credential for the ET professorate. This concern pervades many professional discussions of faculty status both formal and informal. It has led to TAC/ABET guidelines on the subject in an effort to provide a community-wide solution to the perceived problem. Yet these concerns remain. The purpose of this paper is to provide context and quantifiable evidence from Carnegie Research 1 universities that defines the scope of the conditions that give rise to a major component the ET faculty concerns. The information generated, explains variations in patterns of institutional hiring, tenure criteria, and promotion standards and allays negative faculty feelings.