Legitimacy is a concept frequently employed but rarely discussed in more than vague terms (Suchman1995, Hybels 1994). Consequently, this research seeks to develop a clearer understanding of the ways new disciplines become established within a sociological framework of legitimacy. Two theoretical models are used in this study through an approach that melds key aspects of each; the presence of three levels (Suchman 1995) and six sources (Boulding 1971) of legitimacy. Unique to Boulding's model is the purposeful inclusion of internal views of legitimacy as most discussions of legitimacy focus on external views.
A qualitative exploratory approach is employed whereby eight institutions representing four different types of undergraduate offerings in a case discipline - equine studies - were selected (Bump, 2003). Faculty and administrators served as interview subjects. Key findings include: (1) Views of discipline legitimacy are linked to alignment with socially constructed norms at each institution. The extent of familiarity with the discipline as it exists at an institution impacts these views. (2) Tipping Points (Gladwell 2002) exist that shift perceptions of discipline legitimacy; the most persuasive is perceptions of fiscal outcomes of a new discipline. (3) Discipline outcomes are emphasized more than graduate outcomes when considering the ways outcomes ...