Substantive Change

**SACSCOC released a revised Substantive Change Policy Effective December 2024. Please review the policy documents below closely as they have been updated in 2024.

Substantive change is a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of an accredited institution.  All substantive changes are required to reported to SACSCOC in advance either as a notice or as a request for approval.  This SACSCOC policy statement can be downloaded from the SACSCOC website: Substantive Change for SACSCOC Accredited Institutions.

Details regarding substantive change reporting responsibilities and information on what constitutes a substantive change can be found in the Florida Tech's Substantive Change Policy. All substantive changes and changes that could be consider a substantive change should be brought to the university's Accreditation Liaison as soon as discussion of the change begins.

SACSCOC provides significant resources to understand what is a substantive change on their Substantive Change Website.  

In some cases, you may need to create a prospectus.  The Institutional Accreditation Liaison can guide you through this process and will coordinate the submission.  

For questions about substantive change, please contact accreditation@fit.edu.

Faculty Credentials

The Associate Provost for Accreditation collects faculty credentials and monitors institutional compliance with SACSCOC requirements for faculty credentials.  Please refer to the university policy on Standards for Faculty Credentials and Records.

If a faculty member does not meet the Faculty Credentials Guidelines as articulated by SACSCOC the academic unit will need to provide a Statement of Alternative Qualifications (SOAQ) specific to each course being taught by that faculty member.  

As per the policy, if a Statement of Alternative Qualifications is needed to qualify a faculty to teach a course, it can be completed and submitted.

Any faculty member for whom appropriate credentials or qualifications have not been submitted to the Associate Provost for Accreditation may not teach the relevant course(s).

If you have any questions or concerns about faculty qualification documents, please email accreditation@fit.edu.