Teaching Load
Faculty Teaching Load and Overload Pay
At VCSU, a faculty position is designated as 80% teaching, 10% professional/scholarly activity, and 10% service to the University and the profession. These percentages are subject to negotiation with the VPAA, and may change for individuals with administrative release time or grant-related obligations. These percentages are noted on the faculty contract. Full-time faculty are expected to keep regular office hours, participate in assigned University committee work, contribute to the academic and professional climate of the campus, and assist in campus recruitment efforts.
The 80% teaching load is 24 load credits annually, or 12 load credits per semester. A special appointment faculty with no service or scholarly expectations would teach 100% or 15 credits per semester. Load credit may be assigned for actual classroom instruction, online course delivery, administrative work, equipment maintenance, or other assigned duties.
Adjuncts and overloads (teaching duties beyond the contracted amount) are paid on a per credit basis, currently (as of August 2023) $800/credit hour. Graduate courses are paid at 1.33 x $800/credit hour. This increase in pay for graduate courses recognizes the additional research and advising responsibilities of graduate faculty. Additional stipends are paid for membership on graduate student committees.
Calculating Teaching Load
Typically, 1 load credit is assigned for each credit hour of the assigned course, i.e. teaching a 3-credit course assigns 3 load credits to the faculty instructor. For some courses where the number of contact hours are disproportionate to the number of credit hours (such as a 1-credit performance-based course that meets for 3 hours each week) load credit may be assigned based on the number of scheduled contact hours. Additionally, certain courses may be assigned greater or fewer load credits if there is an expectation of additional course duties, such as equipment maintenance and inventory, or excessive course development and administration duties. Check with your department chair to find out exactly how many load credits you will be assigned for each of your courses.
If more than one section of the same course is taught during a semester, additional load credit will be given for each section taught, equal to the amount assigned for one section times the number of sections being taught. (For example, teaching three sections of a 3- credit course would equal 9 load credits).
Variations in Load Credit/Payments
Music and Art: Studio courses (such as drawing, painting, applied lessons, class piano) are calculated @ 3:2 (3 faculty contact hours=2 load credits). Ensemble load credits vary depending upon rehearsal time and the nature of the ensemble.
Education: Supervision of 1 student teacher = .66 load credits.
Internships: Campus Supervisor receives $100 per student when paperwork is completed at the end of the internship.
Science Labs: Load for science courses with labs is figured at 1:1 for lecture hours, plus 1:2 for each hour of lab. A biology course that meets three times weekly for lecture plus a two hour lab would therefore be 4 load credits.
Online courses are calculated as: 20 students = 1 section; 21 or more students are paid @ additional $60 per credit per student each.
Online + F2F combination courses: combined total up to 15 = 1 section; 16+ (both groups having 6+) = 2 sections; if one group is -‐6, the group is paid @ $100/student x # credits.
Summer and intercession online courses are paid at the following rate: 1-5 students @ $100/credit/student; 6-‐20 students @ $800/credit; 21 or more students @ an additional $60/student/credit. (Rates reflect updated 2024 pay).