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Academic Affairs Policies

Hurley Administration BuildingAcademic affairs policies serve as the foundation of shared governance between the faculty and administration at the University of North Texas, ensuring transparency, consistency, and accountability in academic decision-making. These policies provide a framework for faculty, administrators, and governance bodies to collaborate in shaping institutional priorities and maintaining excellence.

Faculty Governance and Policy Oversight

Shared governance is a critical aspect of UNT’s commitment to faculty engagement in policy development and decision-making. The Faculty Senate plays a key role in reviewing and recommending policy changes. Faculty members can participate in governance by communicating with their Senators and representatives on committees such as the Faculty Policy Oversight Committee.

Recently Updated Policies

This section provides information on academic affairs policies that have been updated recently. Faculty members are encouraged to review these changes to stay informed about key developments affecting teaching, research, tenure, promotion, and other academic matters. The Office of the Provost at UNT issues policy memos to communicate changes and provide additional context for recently updated policies. 

Policy Memos

Access recent memos related to academic affairs policy changes here:


Promotion and Tenure at UNT 

UNT's success and progress depend on the exceptional work of our tenure-system faculty members who set high academic standards and carry out their work at a premier level. The culmination of this hard work is the awarding of tenure and promotion for achieving excellence in teaching, research, and service. As one embarks on the journey toward tenure and/or promotion, we encourage faculty members and those administrators and staff professionals who support them to attend one of our periodic P&T workshops moderated by senior academic administrators.

Of course, it is also important to review carefully the promotion and tenure process, guidelines, and deadlines as provided on this website and within one's college or school. Please contact the applicable college, school and department for specific guidelines related to the promotion and tenure process, application and resources. 

Tenure and Promotion Resources

Faculty Development Leave

UNT campus Bronze Eagle sculptureFaculty development leave is authorized for the general purpose of increasing the value of the recipient's sustained contribution to the university by providing the individual an opportunity for professional growth. Development leave may be granted, upon application, for study, research, writing, field observations, or other suitable purposes. Developmental leave provides opportunities for additional training and improving skills. The Faculty Development Leave Policy is explained fully in UNT Policy 06.010.

The Faculty Development Leave application process is facilitated through the FIS Workflow.

  • The process is initiated by emailing Academic Resources (academic.resources@unt.edu) with your EMPLID and EUID.
  • It's important to complete the entire application process in the FIS Workflow by September.
  • Applicants will receive notification of the outcome following the Board of Regents meeting in February of the subsequent year.
  • All faculty submitting FDL along with a Fulbright application should notify UNT's Fulbright Scholar Liaison at Fulbright@unt.edu.

FDL Resources:

For further inquiries or assistance with academic affairs policies or need a consultation, faculty members may contact Faculty Success.

For access to all current UNT policies see the UNT Policy Manual.