Teaching and research faculty of the rank of assistant professor or above shall not become candidates for degree or be awarded graduate degrees from this university. The Provost's Office may be requested to waive this policy for an individual following successful appeal to the Commission on Faculty Affairs.

Staff and administrative/professional faculty may become candidates for graduate degrees with approval from the academic program, the university employer, and the graduate school. To receive approval, candidates must address conflicts of interest, time, and commitment. Supervisors of these candidates should abstain from chairing and/or serving on the candidates' graduate committees to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

The Conflict of Interest Agreement form and guidelines for staff and administrative/professional faculty seeking a graduate degree may be downloaded at https://graduateschool.vt.edu/content/dam/graduateschool_vt_edu/forms/Employee-student_COI_agreement_May2023.docx.

Questions may be directed to Associate Dean Bill Huckle (wrhuckle@vt.edu).

Once completed, the form may be uploaded to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfjrNXTmzLlagnZBctWkEAmYA8b7aRmmRlJmAp1l70G6Bo2SQ/viewform