A discipline is a field of academic study defined by the California Community Colleges Disciplines List.

The Disciplines List establishes:

• Minimum Qualifications (MQs) for faculty
• Hiring eligibility standards
• Curriculum development authority
• Academic oversight responsibility

Faculty who meet MQs (or have equivalency) in a discipline are considered discipline faculty for purposes of curriculum and academic oversight.

Discipline authority is grounded in statewide standards—not personal interest, advocacy, or informal designation.

A program is a coordinated set of courses that leads to:

• A degree (AA, AS, AA-T, etc.)
• A certificate
• A defined academic emphasis

Programs are academic constructs and are not administrative units. They exist within disciplines and are overseen by the department holding recognized disciplinary authority.

An academic department is a local academic unit housing one or more disciplines and their courses for the purposes of governance and administration.

Departments:

• Provide leadership and coordination
• Are overseen by a department chair
• Oversee curriculum and programs within their recognized disciplines
• Are created or reorganized through administrative authority pursuant to Education Code §70902

A department may house a single discipline or multiple disciplines. For example:

• The Math Department houses Mathematics.
• The Education Department houses Education and Education Technology.
• The Art and Design Department houses Art History, Ceramics, Photography, Print Making, Painting and Drawing, Computer Graphics and Animation.

Academic departments operate within established governance structures defined by Title 5 and district policy. Outside of CTE programs that are required to maintain industry advisory committees, academic departments do not utilize external advisory bodies for curriculum oversight or discipline authority. Academic governance within a department is carried out by discipline-qualified faculty consistent with Title 5 and the California Community Colleges Disciplines List.

A division is a higher-level administrative grouping of departments.

Divisions:

• Provide operational and budgetary oversight
• Coordinate scheduling and administrative support
• Are established through administrative authority

Division placement does not determine discipline authority or minimum qualifications.

Discipline authority refers to the collective academic responsibility of faculty who meet minimum qualifications (MQs) in a recognized discipline to exercise professional judgment over matters specific to that field of study.

This authority includes responsibility for:

• Developing, revising, and recommending curriculum within the discipline
• Initiating and overseeing academic programs grounded in the discipline
• Establishing and maintaining academic and professional standards
• Ensuring course content reflects current scholarship and accepted disciplinary practices
• Safeguarding the integrity of degrees and certificates tied to the discipline

Faculty who meet MQs (or have equivalency) are the discipline experts and have discipline authority. Discipline authority is not assigned by vote, interest, advocacy, or informal designation.

This distinction ensures that:

• Academic decisions are grounded in subject-matter expertise
• Programs remain aligned with statewide minimum qualifications
• Governance remains consistent with Title 5 §53200 (10+1)
• Institutional integrity and accreditation standards are protected

Under Title 5 §53200, curriculum, educational program development, and minimum qualifications are academic and professional matters under faculty purview through the local Academic Senate. Discipline authority operates within this 10+1 framework.

The Faculty Senate’s role is to ensure that:

• Discipline-qualified faculty are consulted in matters affecting their disciplines
• Curriculum policies align with Title 5 and statewide standards
• Minimum qualifications are upheld in accordance with the California Community Colleges Disciplines List
• Standards and practices concerning academic and professional matters are maintained
• Academic governance structures operate consistently and transparently

The Senate safeguards discipline standards and minimum qualifications and does not—and cannot—reassign disciplinary authority outside the framework established by Title 5 and the California Community Colleges Disciplines List. Faculty primacy means protecting academic standards—not reallocating them.

The Faculty Senate Does Not:

• Create or dissolve departments
• Appoint department chairs
• Assign discipline authority by vote
• Override minimum qualifications

Cerritos College values interdisciplinary collaboration and broad faculty engagement across academic areas. Interdisciplinary dialogue strengthens curriculum, enriches programs, and benefits students. 

Faculty are encouraged to:

• Collaborate across disciplines
• Support program development
• Co-sponsor initiatives and events
• Engage in cross-disciplinary scholarship and research
• Participate in campus-wide academic conversations

However, discipline authority over curriculum and program development remains with discipline-qualified faculty and the department holding recognized disciplinary authority. While collaboration strengthens programs, a clear governance structure protects academic integrity.

While collaboration strengthens programs, discipline authority safeguards them.

A program is an academic construct: a coordinated set of courses leading to a degree, certificate, or defined area of emphasis.

A department is an administrative unit that houses one or more disciplines and oversees curriculum and programs within its recognized disciplinary authority.

Programs and departments are distinct concepts and are not hierarchical stages of one another. Programs do not “evolve” into departments, and departments are not “demoted” into programs. Programs are academic in nature; departments are organizational structures established through administrative authority.

Department creation and organizational structure are administrative decisions pursuant to Education Code §70902 and district policy. The Faculty Senate provides recommendations on academic and professional matters affected by those decisions, but does not create or dissolve departments.

Faculty who meet the minimum qualifications established by the California Community Colleges Disciplines List, or who are granted approved equivalency, are considered discipline faculty for purposes of curriculum and academic governance. Discipline qualification is based on these established statewide standards rather than personal interest or advocacy

No. Discipline authority is grounded in Title 5 and the California Community Colleges Disciplines List. The Senate safeguards these standards and does not allocate or transfer disciplinary authority outside that framework.

No. Faculty governance ensures that academic and professional matters are determined primarily by faculty through the Academic Senate. Within that framework, discipline-qualified faculty exercise authority in matters affecting their respective disciplines.

Yes. Interdisciplinary collaboration is encouraged and strengthens academic programs. However, governance authority over curriculum and program development remains with discipline-qualified faculty and the department holding recognized disciplinary authority.

Academic departments operate within established governance structures consistent with Title 5 and district policy. Outside of CTE programs that require industry advisory committees, academic departments do not utilize external advisory bodies for curriculum or program oversight. Governance authority remains with discipline-qualified faculty and the department holding recognized disciplinary authority.

No. The Faculty Senate does not assign faculty to departments.

Departmental assignment is an administrative matter governed by Education Code §70902. Faculty are hired into positions associated with specific disciplines and departments consistent with established minimum qualifications and institutional structure.

While the Senate safeguards academic standards and minimum qualifications under Title 5 §53200, it does not reassign faculty or allocate disciplinary authority through a vote.

No. A Faculty Service Area (FSA) is primarily relevant for reassignment during reduction-in-force purposes under Education Codes §87743.1–87743.3.

An FSA indicates that a faculty member may be eligible to teach in a designated area. It does not grant governance authority, administrative reassignment, or oversight of a discipline housed in another department.

An FSA does not:

• Automatically transfer a faculty member to another department
• Reassign administrative reporting structure
• Grant oversight authority over a discipline
• Override established departmental organization

Departmental placement, discipline authority, and governance roles operate within established administrative and Title 5 frameworks and are not determined by FSA status.