Degrees in Specific Fields That CUNY Colleges May Accept in Lieu of the Ph.D.
Academic Year 2009-10
Explanation
On November 23, 2009, the CUNY Board of Trustees amended Section 11.8 of the Bylaws, which had set forth the degrees considered to be
equivalent to the Ph.D. degree required for appointment to professorial titles. The former Bylaw section itemized specific credentials that would
be accepted as equivalent to the Ph.D. in various fields. The Bylaw was amended because the list of equivalencies was outdated in that it did not
include new terminal degrees in some fields, as well as professional doctorates which may be equivalent to the Ph.D. degree. It also did not
include the credentials required in some fields, such as journalism, where CUNY has new or expanded programs.
The revised Bylaw 11.8 provides that, in cases where the Ph.D. is not the terminal degree in the field, or is not preferred to a professional
doctorate which may exist in that field, the Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost will prepare and circulate to the colleges a list of
credentials that the University finds are equivalent to the Ph.D. degree. Having this up-to-date list will streamline the hiring process by taking
account of changes in academic and professional credentials over time and will reduce the number of Bylaw waivers needed because there is no
Bylaw equivalency.
The table below specifies the degrees in particular disciplines that CUNY colleges may accept in lieu of the Ph.D. for the Academic Year 200910. The list will be updated each academic year. If candidates are hired in the fields listed below with the degrees that are specified, colleges do
not need to seek Central Office review of the Equivalency.
Fields
Degree
Art (studio)
Master of fine arts (mfa)
Music (performance)
Master of fine arts (mfa)
Theater (performance and production)
Master of fine arts (mfa)
Film, Radio and Television and Other
New Media (production)
Creative Writing
Master of fine arts (mfa)
Master of fine arts (mfa)
Dance
Master of fine arts (mfa)
Other Creative Fields
Master of fine arts (mfa)
Other Requirements
Audiology
au.d
Business Administration
d.b.a
Design
d.des
Education
ed.d
Engineering
d.eng/d.e.sc/d.e.s.
Fine Arts
d.f.a.
Industrial Technology
d.i.t.
Library Science
d.l.s.
Music
d.m.
Musical/Music Arts
d.m.a.
Music Education
d.m.e.
Modern Language
d.m.l.
Nursing Practice
d.n.p.
Fields
Degree
Pharmacy
d.pharm.
Public Administration
d.p.a.
Physical Education
d.p.e.
Psychology
psy.d.
Public Health
d.p.h.
Science
d.sc./sc.d.
Social Work
d.s.w.
Medicine
m.d.
Dental Surgery
d.d.s.
Other Requirements
Dental Medicine
d.m.d.
Chiropractic
d.c.
Physical Therapy
d.p.t.
Veterinary Medicine
d.v.m.
Optometry
o.d.
Jurisprudence
j.d.
Nursing Science
Accounting
Industrial technological programs
(not otherwise listed)
Journalism
Library
Admission to the bar
Appropriate master’s degree and appropriate specialized experience; licensure
as a registered nurse
Appropriate master’s degree and certification as a public accountant
Appropriate master’s degree, experience directly related to the field, and
recognized contributions to the field.
Master’s degree in journalism or in a field relevant to the person’s professional
work, and contributions to the field
Master’s in library science (m.l.s.) together with a second master’s degree in a
subject matter area.