Course Buyout Guidelines

If Departments conclude that it is in the best interest of the College in advancing research/scholarship or in fulfilling major service roles to assign a lower number of courses than is the norm in the College, the chair makes a recommendation to the dean, and the latter has the discretion to approve or not approve the reduced course load.

Faculty who wish to obtain a course release that is not determined by the chair and dean may do so at a cost of 1/6 of their nine-month salary, up to a maximum of $15,000, as stated in the MSP contract.

These guidelines serve as a guide for determining appropriate course buy-out costs to be written into grants and for delineating the management of course release funds that are received through successful grants.

The course buyout amount per three-credit course is 1/6 of the faculty member’s nine-month academic salary, up to a maximum of $15,000.

In the event of a successful proposal (internal or external) in which a course buyout has been budgeted and approved, the faculty member’s personnel action form for the semester of the buyout should be modified to charge 1/3 of the semester time (1/6 of the academic year) to the speedtype established for the new award, up to a maximum of $15,000. This will result in a surplus in the university salary account. This surplus will be transferred to the College overhead account and can be used to pay the replacement instructor and any other expenses at the dean’s discretion, such as costs of visiting or adjunct faculty or enhancing operational support of faculty development and student learning.

In the case of buyouts being paid from PI overhead accounts, an amount equal to 1/3 of the semester time (1/6 of the academic year), up to a maximum of $15,000, will be transferred from the PI overhead account into the College overhead account. These funds will then be used to pay the replacement instructor and any other expenses at the dean’s discretion as described above.

Professor John Doe has a nine-month academic salary of $90,000. Professor Doe received a grant in which a course buyout was budgeted and awarded for the Spring semester for $15,000 (1/6 of $90,000).

For the period January 1 through June 30 (spring semester), Professor Doe’s personnel action form should be changed

100% charged to university salary account ($90,000/12 months = $7,500 per month; Jan 1 through June 30 = $45,000)

2/3 charged to university salary account ($90,000/12 months = $7,500 per month; Jan 1 through June 30 = $45,000; 2/3 = $30,000)

1/3 charged to new grant award ($90,000/12 months = $7,500 per month; Jan 1 through June 30 = $45,000; 1/3 = $15,000)

This will correctly charge the grant $15,000 for the spring semester and leave a balance of $15,000 in the university salary account which will be made available to the College to be used to pay the replacement instructor and other expenses at the discretion of the dean.