Guidelines on Summer Compensation for Academic-Year Faculty

These guidelines provide a consistent framework for summer compensation for academic-year faculty by establishing overall compensation limits and specific provisions governing teaching, administrative assignments, fellowships and institutes, study abroad, and research activities. They are intended to ensure that summer compensation is aligned with actual summer effort and is administered equitably across the University.

Academic year faculty may earn summer compensation through teaching for Baylor, administrative assignments for Baylor, Baylor study abroad, Baylor fellowships and institutes, and research. Summer is defined as May 16 through August 15 of each calendar year.

Any summer compensation must reflect the faculty member's actual effort and services performed during the summer.

• Supported by Internal Funding – up to 2 months: Faculty may earn summer compensation of up to two months (22.2% of Institutional Base Salary (IBS)) through a combination of teaching assignments for Baylor, administrative assignments for Baylor, Baylor study abroad, Baylor fellowships and institutes, and Baylor-funded research. This maximum of 22.2% applies when no portion of the faculty member's summer compensation is supported by external funding. 
  • Summer employment by the University for academic year faculty is typically not contractually guaranteed and is available only as needed by Baylor.
• Supported by External Funding – up to 3 months: Faculty may earn summer compensation of up to three months (33.3% 0f Institutional Base Salary (IBS)) through a combination of sponsored project funding and other approved summer assignments.  

Summer teaching assignments include Baylor courses taught during the May Minimester, Summer I, and/or Summer II. For the purposes of this guideline, a course is defined as a three-credit-hour class.

Compensation and Enrollment

Compensation for summer teaching assignments is calculated on a per-course basis (defined as three credit hours), with compensation prorated based on credit hours and enrollment.

Faculty may earn up to 20% of their academic-year salary (academic year salary is Institutional Base Salary minus any recurring administrative stipends for administrative appointments) through summer teaching. Per-course (defined as three credit hours) compensation is limited to 10% of academic-year salary or $10,000, whichever is lower. Minimum enrollment for undergraduate courses is 10 three-credit-hour students and for graduate courses is 5 students based on enrollment as of the first day of class.

Credit Hours 

• Compensation for courses with fewer than three credit hours is prorated at one-third of the maximum course compensation per credit hour. 
• Courses carrying more than three credit hours are compensated at the maximum course compensation rate.
• Compensation for under or over three credit hours may be further prorated if the course does not meet the applicable enrollment threshold. 

Underenrolled Course Compensation

Underenrolled course (defined as three credit hours) compensation is prorated based on enrollment as of the first day of class in accordance with the compensation limits listed below:

• Undergraduate courses are prorated at 1% of academic-year salary per student, or $1,000 per student, whichever is lower. 
• Graduate courses are prorated at 2% of academic-year salary per student, or $2,000 per student, whichever is lower. 

Co-Teaching Compensation

When a course is co-taught, the course represents 100% instructional effort, which shall be allocated among the instructors based on their respective percentages of work performed. Compensation for each instructor shall be calculated using their assigned percentage of effort and their individual academic-year salary and shall be subject to the compensation limits and the credit hours and enrollment-based provisions outlined above. The total compensation paid to all instructors teaching the course shall not exceed the amount permitted for the course based on enrollment and credit hours and, in no case, shall exceed $10,000 per course.

Unit Guidelines

Academic units may establish higher minimum enrollment requirements but may not establish lower minimum enrollment requirements. While the Office of the Provost will verify compliance with the minimum enrollment requirements listed in this guideline, units are responsible for ensuring that their own guidelines are met. 

Units with trimester or quarter course schedules or applied lessons may establish unit guidelines for compensation accordingly.

Faculty may earn summer compensation of up to two months (22.2% of Institutional Base Salary (IBS)) through approved administrative assignments for Baylor. By definition, IBS is inclusive of any recurring administrative stipend. Please note that an internal administrative appointment contract may be assigned for less than two months of administrative duties. For example, a department chair may be assigned one month (11.1% of IBS) of administrative duties in the summer. 

Eligible administrative assignments for Baylor may include assignments identified in the Faculty Handbook. For purposes of compensation and appointment, administrative assignments are inclusive of endowed chair, endowed professor, and other academic leadership roles.

Faculty may earn summer compensation of up to two months (22.2% of Institutional Base Salary (IBS)) through approved internally funded fellowships and institutes, such as the Baylor Libraries’ Special Collections Teaching Fellowships or the Academy for Teaching and Learning’s Faculty Institutes. Faculty are responsible for applying to these opportunities and must be selected through the applicable review process.

Compensation for study abroad is calculated based on a flat fee per course (defined as three credit hours).

Baylor study abroad courses offered during the May Minimester, Summer I, and/or Summer II are governed by BU-PP 745 Short-Term Abroad Compensation and are subject to the compensation and enrollment provisions described below:

• $7,500 per course up to a maximum of two courses for the entire summer.
• Minimum enrollment for study abroad courses is 10 students based on enrollment as of the first day of class.
• Underenrolled courses, regardless of level, are prorated at $750 per student. 
  • In the case of two study abroad courses assigned to the same faculty member, the enrollment of these study abroad courses may be averaged to meet the minimum enrollment of 10. 
• Co-instructors will split the course compensation evenly. 

Study Abroad program directors leading programs that are governed by BU-PP 745 Short-Term Abroad Compensation may earn additional compensation as listed below:

• $1,875 if fewer than 30 students are enrolled
• $3,750 if 31 to 59 students are enrolled
• $7,500 if 60 students or more are enrolled

Program co-directors will split the program director compensation evenly. 

All study abroad courses and program director compensation are included in calculating the maximum summer compensation. 

Wintermester study abroad enrollment and compensation must conform to this guideline and are governed by BU-PP 745 Short-Term Abroad Compensation.

Baylor-funded Research

Faculty may earn summer compensation of up to two months (22.2% of Institutional Base Salary (IBS)) through internal Baylor-funded research for approved projects, and/or by faculty contract terms, and/or with dean approval, and are subject to any unit guidelines. 

Sponsored Projects

Faculty may earn up to summer compensation of up to three months (33.3% of Institutional Base Salary (IBS)) when supported by a combination of sponsored projects and approved Baylor summer assignments, or entirely by sponsored projects.

Salary charged directly to externally sponsored projects is limited to 11.1% of IBS per month of effort.  Summer compensation charged to sponsored projects must reflect the faculty member’s actual effort on the project and comply with sponsor requirements, award terms and conditions, and University policy.

Two Ways to Earn Summer Compensation on Sponsored Projects

• A combination of sponsored projects and Baylor assignments: Faculty may earn up to three months of summer compensation through a combination of sponsored project work and approved Baylor assignments, such as teaching or administrative responsibilities. For example, a faculty member might spend one or two months working on sponsored projects and earn the remainder through an approved Baylor summer assignment.
• Entirely through sponsored projects: Faculty may earn up to three months of summer compensation while working entirely on sponsored projects. Please note, no more than 2.85 months may be charged directly to sponsored projects, with the remaining 0.15 month covered by a non-sponsored funding source(s), consistent with unit guidelines.  

Salary Savings

When sponsored project funds support a portion of a faculty member’s effort during the academic year, the unit funds that would otherwise have supported that effort are freed up. These funds may be used to support additional, approved summer work for the faculty member, subject to the overall three-month summer compensation limit as allowed by the unit and in accordance with unit guidelines. 

Related Policy

Summer compensation supported by sponsored projects is subject to OVPR-11 Policy for Externally Sponsored Labor Distribution and all applicable sponsor and University requirements. Faculty and administrators should consult the current policy for additional guidance. If this guideline conflicts with OVPR-11, the policy governs.