Courseload Reductions - Tenured/Tenure-Track Faculty
COE courseload
Per COE: Workload Policies, the expected courseload for tenure-track and tenured faculty is two organized courses per long (fall or spring) semester (2/2), for a total of at least 12 semester credit hours (SCH) across the two long semesters of the same academic year. Exceptions to this require prior approval via the appropriate process, described on this page.
With the permission of the department chair, a faculty member may request an adjusted (“unbalanced”) courseload across the two long semesters of a single academic year so that one semester is light and the other heavier, e.g. teach one course in fall and three in spring for a total of four (12 SCH). Changing the distribution but not the number of courses per semester across a single academic year (e.g. fall 2026 and spring 2027) is at the discretion of the department chair and does not require additional approval but should be clearly documented in departmental records.
The courseload for nine-month faculty during the summer term May 16-August 15 is zero or one: they are not required to teach any courses, or may teach one summer course without need for approvals. Nine-month faculty teaching more than one course during the summer session require prior approvals via different and processes than for the long sessions. See more information at COE: Summer Employment - Faculty.
Which process?
Courseload > 12 SCH: If the individual courseload of a greater than 12 SCH (typically more than four courses) across both long semesters of the same academic year is proposed, the department must obtain prior approval through the Instructional Overload process. Follow instructions at COE: Additional Jobs > Instructional Overload.
Courseload < 12 SCH: If an individual courseload less than 12 SCH (typically fewer than four courses) across both long semesters of the same academic year is proposed, follow the guidance on this page. Prior approval and/or documentation is required, depending on the reason for the request.
How to use this page
Start with Flowchart A below to determine the appropriate administrative process. (Click on the image to enlarge.)
If appropriate, you will be directed by Flowchart A to Flowchart B. (Click on the image to enlarge.)
Follow specific process guidance in the appropriate tab on this page.
Flowchart A
Flowchart B
Buyout
Deadlines - Submit buyout requests by the following dates:
Fall semester buyout: May 31
Spring semester buyout: October 31
What are buyouts?
Faculty with external funding administered by the University (i.e., in a UT account) may request to “buy out” a portion of their expected courseload in order to devote more time to another faculty activity, i.e. research or service. A Course Buyout using funds from a sponsored project (typically a 26-account) to replace instructional funds may be referred to as a “Research Buyout.” Course Buyouts are also referred to as “Release from the Instructional Budget” or “Release Time.”
Note: Faculty replacing a UT-administered salary funding source with a source not administered by UT should be handled as Leave of Absence or External Appointment as appropriate (see Flowcharts A and B above).
During the period of approved buyout, the faculty member’s courseload is reduced but their FTE is unaffected; only the source of their salary funding is changed. The portion of their appointment that would have come from the department’s instructional budget for teaching a course (or courses) is replaced via Workday ad-hoc costing allocation change by a different source still administered by UT, and the monthly amount of their paycheck from UT remains unchanged. A percentage of their effort normally dedicated to course instruction is reallocated to the research or service activity funded by the external source.
The maximum leave that can be approved at any one time is one academic year, i.e., through the end of the academic year in which the leave begins.
University policy does not limit the release time (percent time or frequency) that may be approved for a faculty member, but that amount may be limited by a department chair or dean.
Buyouts require prior approval obtained via the process described on this tab.
Important information for tenure-track faculty
A period during which a tenure-track faculty member holds a full-time appointment in the University for both the fall and spring semesters of an academic year while on buyout (i.e., is appointed full-time from any combination of funding sources administered by the University) is counted as part of the probationary period related to the acquisition of tenure. The faculty member should consult with their chair to ensure a sufficiently robust teaching record and course evaluation record for their tenure case.
Policies
UT: HOP 2-2210: Faculty Leaves and Special Academic Assignments
Related: COE: Workload Policies > tab Tenured & Tenure-Track Faculty > Teaching
Guidelines
The College of Education requires each full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member to teach two organized courses per long semester. A tenured/tenure-track faculty member who remains in residence and active in their department may buy out up to three courses per academic year from the instructional budget. Buyouts are at the discretion of the department chair based on departmental needs. Faculty who generate substantial indirect costs for The University, as well as those who hold large endowments, should be accorded all due consideration in Buyouts. Buyout from personal funds is not allowed.
For the research/service time portion of their appointment, COE policy allows faculty to reallocate up to 20% (8 SWH) without the approval of the department chair. The prior approval of the department chair is required for the release of research/service time hours above 8 SWH per semester. At least 2 SWH (5% FTE) must remain on internal funds at all times - see Guidelines: Charging Faculty Summer Salary to Sponsored Projects.
Any proposed course or research buyout requires submission and approval of a Release Time Request form, following the Buyout request process described below on this tab.
What is the FTE of a buyout?
In COE, a buyout is typically calculated as follows:
Buyout of one course: 13.33 SWH (33.33% FTE)
Buyout of two courses: 26.67 SWH (66.67% FTE)
A buyout calculation different from the amounts above should be discussed between research administrator, AM, and accountant, and clearly documented on the buyout request form and in the associated ad-hoc costing allocation change BP.
Joint-appointed faculty
Materials are available to help calculate Release Time for joint-appointed faculty at Box: Release Times - joint-appointed faculty (access restricted).
Contact COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu to request file access.
Buyout request process
Responsible party | Step | Action |
|---|---|---|
Faculty member | 1 | Discuss proposed buyout with department chair, including teaching coverage for course(s) to be bought out. |
2 | If chair supports request, complete Section I of the COE Release Time Request form and send to department Administrative Manager (AM). No signatures are needed at this stage - COE Faculty Affairs will collect all signatures via DocuSign. | |
Department AM | 3 | Review form with course scheduler, cost center manager, and chair to ensure alignment with course planning and costing details from research administration. Joint-appointed faculty: Primary department AM shares form with administrative manager in secondary unit(s) and asks them to share with their respective cost center managers and course schedulers. |
4 | Email completed but unsigned form to COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu | |
COE Faculty Affairs | 5 | Review form and route for all needed signatures in DocuSign. |
6 | Upon receiving fully-signed form, complete all of the following:
Final approver is the Senior Associate Dean. The form is not routed to APS. | |
Department AM | 7 | Share approved form with cost center manager and ask them to process associated costing allocation change. |
Cost Center Manager | 8 | Process ad-hoc costing allocation change in Workday. Upload to the BP:
|
Revisions
If there are costing or percentage changes to a buyout already approved, department AM should initiate a new buyout form following steps 3-8 above. Indicate in the form that the request is superseding and summarize the requested changes. The Cost Center Manager should upload the approved superseding request and any additional relevant documentation to the new ad-hoc costing allocation BP in Workday.
Course Release
A course release temporarily reduces a faculty member’s courseload without any associated change in FTE nor costing change in Workday. A faculty member with a course release remains on the department’s instructional budget. Although there is no routing business process associated with course releases, they do have significant departmental budgetary and instructional implications and should be carefully and consistently documented by the department.
Course releases are offered to faculty at the discretion of the department chair, and are typically given for one of the two following reasons:
Included in offer letters for new hires or retention/counteroffer letters for existing faculty
Offered to offset increased service responsibilities associated with certain roles such as graduate advisor or department chair
Course release processes
There is no routing business process associated with a course release. However, because a course release has significant budgetary and instructional implications, it is vitally important that departments record all course releases both offered and used carefully, consistently, and accurately within their unit. Departments should incorporate the guidance below into their internal course-release tracking practices:
Modified Instructional Duties (MID)
Related resource: EVPP: Guide for Faculty Who Are Expecting a Child
Where justified, a tenure-track faculty member requesting MID may make a separate request for an extension of the probationary period.
What is Modified Instructional Duties?
See:
Faculty appointed full-time on the instructional budget may request modified instructional duties (MID) for one long-session semester (i.e. fall or spring) when certain personal circumstances prevent them from being able to perform their classroom teaching duties, and when such modifications are found to be in the interest of the University's instructional programs. MID allows the faculty member to substitute other pre-approved workload (research, service) for their classroom teaching duties. MID may be requested by any member of the faculty appointed full-time on the instructional budget in a long session semester.
MID is not a leave, and does not automatically stop the probationary clock. Instead, MID is a temporary restructuring of the faculty member's workload so that the faculty member's normal classroom teaching duties are replaced with non-instructional work as outlined in HOP 2-2240 Modified Instructional Duties.
Faculty who are approved for MID are not removed from the instructional budget, and are expected to continue to fulfill all of their other duties as members of the faculty during the period of modification. MID does not require an adjustment of FTE or costing in Workday.
When can Modified Instructional Duties be requested?
Note: As detailed in the HOP 2-2240, eligible faculty are those who are a principal caregiver of a healthy pre-school child (or children), or who are required to care for or assist a member or members of their immediate family, who although not ill or disabled, needs the help and attention of the faculty member.
Modified Instructional Duties should not be used where use of sick leave and/or Family Medical Leave is applicable. For example, a faculty member out for the birth of a child should use sick leave and/or FML while under a doctor's care, but approved Modified Instructional Duties would cover the remainder of the semester. (See COE: Sick Leave and Family Medical Leave - Faculty for guidance on the use of sick leave and FML.)
What work is performed during Modified Instructional Duties?
In place of regular classroom responsibility, a faculty member on MID may do work involving significant scholarly research, new course development, curriculum development, or other work done in the best interest of the University's and department's instructional program. An MID request should describe the work in detail, define a work product, and include a method for evaluation of the work by the department chair or dean during the semester.
Modified Instructional Duties request process
Responsible party | Step | Action |
|---|---|---|
Faculty member | 1 | Complete COE Modified Instructional Duties Request following instructions on the form, and sends completed form to Department AM. |
Department | 2 | Review COE MID Request form and routes for signatures. |
3 | Complete form "Modified Instructional Duties" at Faculty Affairs/APS ServiceNow: Complete Forms. For guidance, see COE: ServiceNow Forms a) Upload the completed and signed COE Modified Instructional Duties Request to the ServiceNow form as an attachment b) Complete all fields using information submitted by faculty member on COE MID Request:
c) In section Required Approval Routing," add the following:
| |
APS | 4 | If APS approves MID request, department will receive an automated email notification |
Department | 5 | Upon receipt of approval notification, department should: a) Notify faculty member of the following in writing: Use of available sick leave should be entered as an Absence in Workday. View the eLearning guide for Faculty to Request Sick Leave in Workday. Family Medical Leave may be used in conjunction with sick leave and should be recorded when applicable. NOTE: In accordance with HOP 5-4210, Sick leave may not be used in conjunction with Parental Leave or Family and Medical Leave once an employee has recovered from the temporary incapacity related to pregnancy. More information can be found at Handbook of Operating Procedures 5-4210. Additional resources:
b) Notify department chair and course scheduler as needed c) Print approval notification to PDF and add to faculty member's personnel file. d) Requests for tenured/tenure-track faculty only: Forward a copy of approval notification PDF to COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu for Dean's Office records. |
Special Faculty Assignments (SFA)
See HOP 2-2210: Faculty Leaves and Special Faculty Assignments, section II.A.
A Special Faculty Assignment (SFA) may be requested for an eligible faculty member in an Academic A&P position who is returning to full-time faculty responsibilities. A request for a Special Faculty Assignment is initiated by the department chair or Dean, and must be approved by the department chair, Dean, and Provost's Office. Each request must include a full description of the duties of the faculty member while on Special Faculty Assignment.
Special Faculty Assignments do not require submission of a Faculty Request for Leave form. The faculty member remains on the instructional budget during their special assignment period.
Periods during which a faculty member with the academic rank of Instructor or Assistant Professor receives one of these assignments will count as part of the probationary period related to the acquisition of tenure.
Request process
Department chair and Dean discuss the proposed Special Faculty Assignment.
If chair and Dean support the SFA, department Administrative Manager completes EVPP’s Special Faculty Assignment request form in ServiceNow.
Include all of the following in routing:
Department chair (required in COE)
Dean’s Staff (required in COE): Karla Steffen
Dean or Dean Delegate: Beth Maloch
Upload the following to the request:
Faculty member’s current CV
Offer letters for Academic A&P position(s) held, detailing terms and eligibility for SFA
Draft offer letter for SFA
Please send suggested additions to this page and notifications about broken links to COE-FacultyAffairs@austin.utexas.edu.