Reviewer Criteria

Doctoral Degree Programs

Academic units with doctoral programs must have two extramural scholars with subject-matter expertise who are employed by institutions of higher education outside of Texas. External reviewers must be part of a program that is nationally recognized for excellence in the discipline and must affirm they have no conflict of interest related to the program under review. The reviewers must be brought to campus for an on-site review. Typically, doctoral degree program reviews should be affiliated with R-1 institutions of higher education.

Master’s Degree Programs

Academic units with a master’s degree as their highest offerings must have one extramural scholar with subject-matter expertise who is employed by an institution of higher education outside of Texas while a second reviewer could be employed by an institution of higher education in or outside of Texas. External reviewers must be part of a program that is nationally recognized for excellence in the discipline and must affirm they have no conflict of interest related to the program under review. The reviewers may be brought to campus for an on-site review or may be asked to conduct a remote desk review as in the case of an accredited program.

Bachelor’s Degree Programs

Academic units with the bachelor’s degree as their highest offering must have one extramural scholar with subject-matter expertise who is employed by an institution of higher education and who can affirm they have no conflict of interest related to the program under review.

Programs Undergoing Accreditation Review in Conjunction with APR

If reviewers from accrediting bodies do not meet the aforementioned criteria, additional reviewer(s) must be added to the review team to address required review team criteria for APR.