Attachment I

DEGREE VALIDATION PROCESS

The Degree Validation Process is accomplished through the use of a Rating Committee. The Rating Committee’s role is two fold: (1) investigate the specific job requirements of a position and determine the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that a qualified applicant must possess on the first day of employment and (2) evaluate the KSAs of job applicants against those that they have established for the job. Role (1) must be accomplished before a job posting can be processed.

Rating Committees are composed of not less than two or more than four subject matter specialists experienced and highly skilled in the occupational field of the job being validated. They will follow the Degree Validation Steps noted below and document their meetings and findings.

Degree Validation Steps:

1. Determine the job being validated, conduct a thorough review of the KSAs that have initially been identified as being associated with the job, and based on this review identify the significant KSAs critical to job performance on the first day of employment.

2. Determine if the critical KSAs can only be acquired through obtaining a college degree. This step includes identifying the specific college coursework by subject, including number of hours to be successfully completed, that would be needed to indicate the probability that the required KSA was obtained. The Rating Committee will use the “Degree Requirement Checklist” (Attachment II) to assist in completing this step.

3. Develop a questionnaire to be administered to candidates at time of interview which will provide the candidate an opportunity to describe their education, training, and experience as they relate to the degree or college coursework requirement. This will help to ensure the applicant clearly meets the degree and college coursework requirements of the degree which have been established as a minimum required job qualification.

4. Score the questionnaire responses using a holistic judgment based on the specific details of the degree coursework, along with any additional education, training, and experience related to the degree or coursework. The final score for each applicant should be calculated and used in a rank-ordered fashion. The scores should be reflected in a “Degree” field on the hiring selection matrix.

Human Resources will:

1. Review all job postings that specify a college degree as a required or preferred job qualification.

2. Review the Rating Committee’s documentation for determining the degree requirement including the “Degree Requirement Checklist.”

3. Consult with the Director of Equity and Access if questioning whether a recommended degree requirement is appropriate.

4. Make the final determination if a degree requirement for a job is appropriate.