The two most prominent faculty structures at CMU are the Academic Senate and the CMU Faculty Association.

The Academic Senate's constitution is quite broad in scope, covering many issues in regards to academic life at CMU. These issues are both curricular and non-curricular in nature. The senate’s membership consists of representatives from each academic department, student representatives chosen by the Student Government Association, the academic deans, the provost, and the president. Much of the work of the senate takes place through an elaborate network of committees.

The Central Michigan University Faculty Association (CMUFA) " ...is an organization of educators that represents the economic and professional interests of CMU's faculty in collective bargaining. Established in 1969 by a vote of the full faculty, the CMUFA was the first collective bargaining agency for a four-year public institution of higher education in the country. Membership in the FA currently is open to all regular faculty at CMU, including coaches and librarians..." The CMUFA Constitution describes how this non-profit corporation will conduct business. The most recent contractual agreement between CMUFA and CMU applies until June 30, 2011. The CMUFA-CMU contract makes department bylaws the ultimate criteria in tenure and promotion decisions.