COLA Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Workload Policy

Purpose: The College of Liberal Arts (“College”) is required to establish and maintain a faculty workload policy consistent with HOP 2-2170 and Regent’s Rules 31006 and 31001.

Updated: December 2021

Effective: Starting academic year 2022-23

Click the link to download a PDF of the COLA Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Workload Policy

Scope

This policy applies to tenured and tenure-track faculty (“Faculty”) who hold primary or joint appointments within the College.

Principles

The College endeavors to hire, promote, and retain faculty who produce meaningful and impactful scholarship and/or creative work, who provide effective and innovative instruction, and who strengthen the programs and services of the University and beyond. Faculty play a fundamental role in advancing an institution of higher education and in fostering student success. The quality and value of a university education are in large part defined by the faculty. The curricula the faculty design, the programs they offer, the learning environment they create, the instructional methods they employ, the research they conduct, the creative works they produce, the service they provide, and their professional engagement with students inside and outside of the classroom, including advising, are important components of the educational experience.

Implementation

The revised policy will go into effect September 1, 2022 and supersedes the Fall 2016 policy.

Expectations and Workload Standards

General

• All Faculty have workload expectations in the areas of teaching and advising; research, scholarship, and/or creative work; and service. Individual efforts within each broad area of teaching, research, and service may vary over time. Departments are expected to monitor and balance Faculty workloads such that Faculty meet individual goals as well as accomplish department and program objectives.

• Sustained and productive scholarly engagement, along with a strong teaching record and service contributions, serve as the basis for promotion and tenure.

• Faculty who achieve tenure are expected to actively engage in scholarly activities to establish a record commensurate with promotion to Professor and to contribute to the leadership and enhanced reputation of the University and to their disciplines at large.

  • Associate Professors are expected to establish a promotable record within twelve years in-rank as Associate Professor.

  • Professors are expected to continue the scholarly trajectory which served as a basis for their promotion, and to mentor and develop the next generation of senior faculty.

Research

• As an R1-designated research university, The University of Texas at Austin (“UT”) expects all tenured and tenure-track faculty to devote a substantial effort to research and scholarly productivity, referred to hereafter as “research-intensive.”

• For faculty in all ranks, research-intensive means demonstrating significant research productivity consistent with the norms and expectations of their discipline, including the regular publication of peer-reviewed articles, book manuscripts, chapters, essays, translations, reviews, and edited pieces and collections, as well as the preparation and presentation of conference papers, public and academic presentations and talks.

Service

• UT expects all faculty to participate in essential university service work, including departmental, college, and university committee service, undergraduate and graduate student supervision, and participation in commencement ceremonies.

• Some faculty hold administrative positions that carry a higher service obligation, referred to hereafter as “service-intensive.” Service-intensive positions include those held by all individuals paid in their administrative titles (e.g., vice provost, dean, associate dean), department chairs, academic program directors, or, with prior approval of the Dean, other college- or university-level administrative positions.*

Teaching

• Faculty are expected to teach and advise students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, to deliver effective classroom instruction, and to help to meet curricular requirements. Faculty are encouraged to offer additional educational enrichment, such as providing opportunities for students to participate in research activities.

• Faculty should obtain peer observations of their teaching on a regular basis. The College recommends at least one per year for Assistant Professors, one every two years for Associate Professors, and one every six years for Professors. Best practice is to have longitudinal observation of teaching so that changes and responses to prior observations can be observed and noted.

Teaching Load Standards

• Faculty who are research-intensive generally carry a 2-2 teaching load (equivalent to a minimum average of 6 contact hours per semester and a maximum average of 9 contact hours per semester).

• Faculty who hold a service-intensive position carry a variable teaching load dependent upon the breadth of their responsibilities in their administrative position.

• Faculty who do not meet department expectations for research-intensive and who do not hold a service-intensive position are expected to adjust their workload duties so as to continue providing additional contributions to the University in their role as a faculty member. Adjusted duties may include, but are not limited to:

  • Increased teaching load of 3-3 (equivalent to a minimum average of 9 contact hours per semester and a maximum average of 12 contact hours per semester)

  • Increased mentorship and supervision of undergraduate and/or graduate students

  • Substantially increased service contributions

Workload Review Procedures

Associate Professors

• Associate Professors are expected to meet the expectations of research-intensive faculty. Associate Professors should collaborate with their department chairs and faculty mentors to plan for their successful promotion to Professor before their twelfth year in rank.

• The first Comprehensive Periodic Review (“CPR”) in-rank, conducted six years after tenure, must include an assessment of the faculty member’s progress toward promotion to Professor:

  • The department shall offer written suggestions and/or mentorship guidance that supports the faculty member’s progress toward successful promotion.

  • If, according to the Department Governing Body and Chair (following department governance and review practices), the Associate Professor does not appear to be on-track for a timely promotion to Professor prior to the next CPR, the department shall offer additional guidance to improve the faculty member’s trajectory toward successful promotion.

  • Promotion plans represent an agreement between the Department Governing Body and Chair and the faculty member, and will include at minimum:

    • A candid assessment of progress toward promotion;

    • Helpful feedback on the faculty member’s strengths;

    • Suggested areas of improvement; and

    • Department support mechanisms and mentorship opportunities, including regular meetings between the faculty member and Chair.

    • Promotion plans may not coerce or otherwise inhibit the academic freedom of the faculty member, dictate specific requirements, nor offer guarantees that following the plan will result in a faculty member’s successful promotion.

  • If a faculty member is rated as “meets expectations” (overall) on their CPR but is not considered on-track for timely promotion, the department must articulate the rationale as it related to the norms and expectations of their discipline.

• The second Comprehensive Periodic Review in-rank, conducted twelve years after tenure, will serve as a decision point governing the faculty member’s workload duties:

  • The CPR shall assess the consistency with which a faculty member has demonstrated an ability to publish and the viability of any current research projects leading to promotion.

    • If the faculty member is not ready for promotion in the upcoming Fall semester, the CPR shall either recommend an adjusted workload (specified in the report) or propose an action plan, effective September 1 of the upcoming academic year.**

    • If the faculty member is expected to go up for promotion in the upcoming Fall semester, the CPR shall state this. If the case does not go up, an action plan will be submitted by February 1 in the current academic year, effective September 1 of the subsequent academic year.

    • If the faculty member goes up for promotion but is denied, an action plan will be submitted by February 1 in the subsequent academic year, effective September 1 of the following academic year.

  • Action plans represent an agreement between the Department Governing Body and Chair and the faculty member, and must be submitted to the Dean’s Office for final review and approval. Action plans will include at minimum:

    • Specific and reasonable goals from the faculty member that would strengthen their case for promotion to Professor;

    • Specific commitments from the Department as to how it can support those goals;

    • Description of adjusted workload duties if the faculty member is not promoted;

    • Specific date by which the faculty member will assume adjusted workload duties if they have not successfully been promoted to Professor; and

    • A statement, endorsed by the Department Governing Body and Chair, explaining the department’s assessment of the action plan’s viability.

• An Associate Professor with adjusted workload duties must be successfully promoted to Professor before resuming a research-intensive workload.

Professors

• Professors are expected to meet the expectations of research-intensive faculty.

• Each Comprehensive Periodic Review (CPR), conducted every six years after promotion, must include an assessment of the Professor’s scholarly trajectory and whether it meets the expectations of research-intensive faculty. Assessments should be holistic, factoring in service, advising, mentoring, and other contributions to the University and profession. These assessment factors must be articulated in the CPR report. Holders of endowed chairs or professorships will be assessed according to the expectations set forth in COLA’s Endowment Policy.

  • If, at the time of the first CPR in-rank, a Professor does not meet the expectations of research intensive faculty, the Department shall work with the Professor to determine how to foster a return to greater productivity. The Department may also consider adjusted workload duties if deemed appropriate and/or requested by the Professor.

  • If, at the time of the second CPR in-rank (or any subsequent CPR), a Professor does not meet the expectations of research-intensive faculty, the Department shall recommend an adjusted workload (specified in the report) or proposed action plan effective September 1 of the upcoming academic year.**

  • Action plans represent an agreement between the Department Governing Body and Chair and the faculty member, and must be submitted to the Dean’s Office for final review and approval. Action plans will include at minimum:

    • Specific and reasonable goals from the faculty member that would encourage greater productivity that meets expectations of research-intensive faculty;

    • Specific commitments from the Department as to how it can support those goals;

    • Description of adjusted workload duties;

    • Specific date by which the faculty member will assume adjusted workload duties; and

    • A statement, endorsed by the Department Governing Body and Chair, explaining the department’s assessment of the action plan’s viability.

• Professors with adjusted workload duties may request reassignment to a research-intensive teaching load at any time, but must have demonstrated significant research productivity consistent with the norms and expectations of their discipline. Requests will be reviewed by the Department Governing Body and Chair and must be submitted to the Dean’s Office for final review and approval.

Procedural Notes

• Tenured faculty undergoing CPRs are meant to be reviewed in the context of their assigned responsibilities during the period in question. Nothing in this policy is meant to conflict with the UT policy and guidelines for Comprehensive Periodic Review of Tenured Faculty (HOP 2-2150).

• Associate Professors who have already served twelve or more years in-rank as of September 1, 2022 and have established workload plans or timelines to promotion under the previous version of this policy shall proceed according to previous agreement unless or until they reach another CPR in-rank as Associate. At that time, the department should proceed as for a “2nd CPR” above.

• Requests for exceptions to this policy or disputes regarding workload duties should be referred to the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.

• Faculty performance issues outside of the scope of this policy should be referred to the Associate Dean for Academic & Faculty Affairs.

*Per HOP 2-2120 and HOP 2-2140, UT recommends that, unless unavoidable, department chairs and center directors should hold the rank of Professor. Tenure-track faculty are not eligible to hold a service intensive position.

** If the tenured faculty member holds, or has recently held, a service-intensive position, this can affect the implementation timeline for adjusted workload duties. Departments should consult with the Dean’s Office prior to finalizing or communicating workload decisions.

Previous policy: COLA Faculty Workload Policy 2016-Aug. 31, 2022 (PDF)

COLA Professional-Track Faculty Workload Policy

Purpose: The College of Liberal Arts (“College”) is required to establish and maintain a faculty workload policy consistent with HOP 2-2170 and Regent’s Rules 31006 and 31001.

Updated: December 2023

Effective: Starting January 1, 2024.

Click the link to download a PDF of the COLA Professional-Track Faculty Workload Policy

Scope

This policy applies to Professional-Track (non-tenure track) Faculty (“PTF”) who hold primary or joint appointments within the College. This policy is primarily focused on benefits-eligible employees in instructional roles who are expected to continue, but may be applied more generally where appropriate.

Principles

The quality and value of a university education are in large part defined by the faculty. The curricula the faculty design, the programs they offer, the learning environment they create, the instructional methods they employ, and their professional engagement with students and colleagues inside and outside of the classroom, including advising and mentoring, are important components of the educational experience.

The College endeavors to hire, promote, and retain Professional-Track Faculty who provide effective and innovative instruction, and who strengthen the programs and services of the University and beyond. PTF should be included in regular faculty-related affairs within departments and regarded as full and equal participants in the faculty’s mission to the University.

Implementation

This revised policy goes into effect January 1, 2024 and supersedes the Spring 2011 and Fall 2012 policies.

Expectations and Workload Standards*

General

• The primary responsibility of Professional-Track Faculty is to enhance instruction. Their teaching is essential to the success of the University’s educational mission, providing continuity and stability in required curriculum, and offering expertise to our students that complements the strength of the tenured and tenure-track faculty. Primary duties for all faculty are specified in Regents’ Rule 31004 (sec. 4).

• Departments and academic units (“departments”) are expected to provide ongoing communication and support to PTF to foster instructional excellence and professional development. PTF should be included on all applicable faculty communications, invited to faculty events, and be eligible for other faculty opportunities when possible, such as travel grants and teaching awards.

• Departments are responsible for communicating with PTF regarding their eligibility for promotion and providing resources to support those interested in pursuing promotion.

• PTF interested in pursuing promotion must have a strong and sustained teaching record along with an established record of contributions to the academic enterprise, including research, mentoring and/or service. PTF who are promoted are expected to continue the trajectory that served as a basis for that promotion, as well as to provide mentorship and leadership and thereby develop the next generation of faculty (see Promotion and Tenure Review Guidelines for Professional-Track Faculty for details).

• PTF may engage in service, research, and other academic activities; however, they fulfill their minimum workload expectations through classroom instruction.

• For PTF who are jointly appointed in more than one department, those departments are all responsible for coordinating appropriate workloads across units to determine reasonable teaching assignments and other departmental duties.

Teaching

• Professional-Track Faculty are expected to teach and advise students at the undergraduate level and deliver effective classroom instruction, and to help meet curricular requirements.

• PTF generally carry a 3-3 teaching load based on a 100% full-time academic year appointment (equivalent to a minimum average of 9 instructional hours per semester and a maximum average of 12 instructional hours per semester over an academic year). This distribution assumes no less than one course in any given semester.

• PTF are eligible for departmental course reductions based on additional academic duties. Eligibility is determined by departmental policies on Faculty Workload and College policies on departmental teaching loads. Any course reduction assumes a teaching load of no less than one course in any given semester.

• Departments are required to provide PTF with adequate teaching support, including assigning Teaching Assistants (TA’s) based on enrollment needs, providing equal opportunity to express preference in course selection and instructional days, and should regulate the distribution of higher-workload courses when determining teaching assignments and other departmental duties.

• PTF who are asked to teach an overload beyond their standard teaching load should receive appropriate compensation, typically defined as 1/6 of a faculty member’s 9-month academic rate per course. Exceptions require Dean’s approval.

• Departments should conduct peer teaching observations for PTF on a regular basis. The College recommends at least one per year for Assistant Professors of Instruction, one every two years for Associate Professors of Instruction, and one every six years for Professors of Instruction (or equivalent ranks). Best practice is to have longitudinal observation of teaching so that changes and responses to prior observations can be observed and noted.

Service, Research, and Additional Contributions to the Academic Enterprise

• Departments should provide PTF with access to service and research opportunities to facilitate professional development, allow for fuller participation in university life, and provide means for PTF to advance their careers over the long term.

• Activities may include serving on department-, college-, and university-level committees, undergraduate thesis supervision, and participation in commencement ceremonies; publishing peer-reviewed articles, book manuscripts, chapters, essays, translations, reviews, and edited pieces and collections; preparing and presenting conference papers; student mentorship, advising, and recruitment; promoting growth or innovation in curriculum and/or program development; community or public outreach; and other services to the profession.

• PTF may be appointed to service-intensive positions including academic program directors, assistant or associate deans, or other college- or university-level administrative positions. PTF in these positions may have a lower teaching load dependent upon the breadth of their responsibilities, as determined by the Dean. The College recommends that unless unavoidable, service-intensive positions be restricted to PTF who hold the equivalent rank of Associate Professor of Instruction or Professor of Instruction.

Workload Review Procedures

Faculty Reviews

• PTF are required to participate in faculty annual reviews conducted by their department or academic unit unless they qualify for an exception under University guidelines (sec. 3.b.). These reviews are not only mandatory under university policy but also inform the faculty merit process.

• Per University guidelines (sec. 3.d.), annual reviews shall focus on individual merit relative to assigned responsibilities, and the basis of the review is the record of teaching, scholarship, and service consistent with workload expectations outlined above.

• Departments are responsible for establishing a faculty merit process that includes PTF as well as tenured and tenure-track faculty, and for communicating merit review procedures and eligibility requirements to their faculty. Annual reviews should be used as the basis for the merit review process.

• PTF and departments should use the annual review process as an opportunity to discuss current teaching load and course assignments, possible adjustments if needed, interest in or progress toward promotion, participation in service or research activities, and other opportunities for professional engagement.

• Departments are encouraged to offer written suggestions and/or mentorship guidance that supports the faculty member’s success in their position. Feedback may include:

  • a candid assessment of progress toward promotion, if desired;

  • helpful feedback on the faculty member’s strengths;

  • suggested areas of improvement;

  • department support mechanisms and mentorship opportunities; and/or

  • access to resources for professional development (e.g., faculty meetings, support for conferences or workshops, departmental/college travel grant access, etc.)

• The Faculty Ombuds Office is available for all UT Austin faculty, including PTF, to assist with any work-related difficulty, including interpersonal conflict or misunderstandings, as well as academic or administrative concerns.

*Workload standards for Research PTF should be consistent with established University guidelines; College-specific expectations may be detailed more explicitly in a future version of this policy, but there is an expectation that Research Faculty contribute to the academic mission of their department, even if they do not teach organized courses.

Previous policy: COLA Non-Tenure Teaching Load Policy (Fall 2013-Fall 2023)

Principles Guiding Faculty Time / Effort

Purpose: This policy establishes baseline teaching loads for faculty, outlines conditions for adjustments, and sets guidelines for course buyouts and releases to ensure departments meet instructional obligations while supporting faculty responsibilities.

Updated: April 19, 2022

Effective: Current

Click the link to download a PDF of the Principles Guiding Faculty Time/Effort_updated 2022-23

Departmental Teaching Loads

1. The baseline teaching load for research-active tenured and tenure-track faculty will continue to be 2-2. However, COLA will allow departments, in special circumstances, to propose deviations from this baseline load that are based on specific circumstances. Such allowances must not undermine overall semester credit hours (SCH) or the average SCH for tenure-track faculty. They must also meet the college expectation that faculty in the department regularly teach at least two classes per year and further limit other kinds of course releases (e.g., chair releases, service releases, buyouts).

   • Examples of circumstances that might justify a reduced teaching load include a rate of SCH per tenure-track faculty consistently above 350 per year that is clearly sustainable on a reduced load and/or substantial grant funding associated with research team management duties for most faculty. These are minimum requirements, meeting one or more of these listed circumstances does not guarantee a reduced baseline teaching load will be granted.

2. Tenured faculty who are not research active may have, in accordance with the revised Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty Workload Policy (https://wikis.utexas.edu/display/larc/Faculty+Policies) and its associated steps of review and planning, a higher baseline teaching load.

3. Across departments, one course release per year for a faculty member can be provided to associate chairs, graduate advisors, and one other service role without COLA approval. For departments maintaining the baseline 2-2 teaching load, additional course releases (1 per person) of no more than 12% of the tenure-track faculty per year can be granted without approval. Departmental systems for allocating such releases must be endorsed by the department’s executive committee. Any service related or other course releases beyond these limits require special application to COLA.

4. A full teaching load for professional-track (non-tenure track) faculty members (excluding Visiting Professors) is equivalent to a minimum average of 9 contact hours per semester and a maximum average of 12 contact hours per semester over an academic year. Although the averaging allows for flexibility in terms of the load per semester, it also assumes no less than one course in any given semester. This teaching load is based on a 100% full-time academic year appointment (spring and fall). As necessary, hours and averages are proportionally adjusted based on the percent appointment.

5. In the event that a professional-track faculty member is assigned additional academic duties (supervision, coordination, etc.), teaching load reductions will be determined at the departmental (or center) level with annual prior written approval from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. This again assumes a teaching load of no less than one course in any given semester.

6. At the close of each academic year, departments will fill out a form—provided by COLA—to summarize reasons that any faculty member is not teaching the established teaching load for the department. COLA will review this information to ensure that departments stay within the agreed upon terms.

External Grant-Funded Course Buyouts

1. COLA’s goal is to ensure an exchange of resources for teaching releases supported by external and internal funding, shifting to a lower cost per faculty member for using such funds to “buy out” to ensure more consistent compensation to the college for teaching releases and establishing a return of funds to departments to support their teaching mission in the face of teaching releases. The purpose is not to create one-to-one compensation for every class that is bought out, as not all classes will need to be replaced, but instead to incrementally increase a department’s soft money budget to allow more flexibility about course offerings. The newly established rates and policies (see below) will be reviewed every two years to determine their financial feasibility and effectiveness, and they are subject to future revision. Note: External funding should be administered to UT Austin on behalf of the faculty member.

2. Buying out one course will require either a flat rate of $18,000 or equivalent to 1/6th of the 9-month salary, plus the proportional cost of fringe for the faculty member. $7,000 will be allocated to the department’s soft money account for each approved course buyout.

3. The flat buyout rate cannot be used to go below a minimum teaching load of two courses per year unless otherwise negotiated with COLA. Even when teaching below two courses per year is approved, the expectation is that this approval will not cover more than two consecutive years.

4. Departments must stipulate that the course buyout will not affect SCH. If it will, departments must submit a SCH mitigation plan that does not require extra funding from COLA. Departments are encouraged to set internal deadlines for notification of intent to use the buyout rate in order to allow adequate planning.

Center Directors and Internal Buyouts

1. All currently existing agreements for Center and Institute Directors will be honored as written. Moving forward, the baseline expectation for center directors in COLA will be one course release per year and one summer month’s salary (or set stipend level), with the acknowledgment that a small number of large centers with graduate or undergraduate academic programs and/or significant grant funding streams may justify more commitment.

2. The expectation is that COLA departments will honor course releases for COLA center, program, and institute directors. For directors of centers, programs, and institutes, the dean’s office will increment the home department’s soft-money budget by $7,000 for each course release granted (typically one per year). There should not be an expectation of similar course release support from COLA for the appointment of associate/assistant directors or other center-related positions. These positions should be viewed as a normal part of faculty service obligations or else appropriately compensated by the center or institute budgets or draw on department's discretionary service releases. COLA will consider proposals for other arrangements if such a process causes undue burden to departments.

COLA Professional-Track Faculty Length of Contract Policy

Purpose: To provide processes, policies, and guidelines for professional track faculty contract lengths. 

Updated: May 2025.

Effective: Starting Academic Year 2025-26.

Click the link to download a PDF of the COLA Professional-Track Faculty Length of Contract Policy.

Overview

The mission of The University of Texas at Austin is to achieve excellence in the interrelated areas of undergraduate education, graduate education, research and public service. The primary responsibility of professional-track faculty (PTF) is to enhance instruction. Their teaching is essential to the success of the University’s educational mission, providing continuity and stability in required curriculum, and offering expertise to our students that complements the strength of tenured and tenure-track faculty. Primary duties for all faculty are specified in Regents’ Rule 31004. 

In keeping with the College’s goal to develop and support our professional track faculty, wherever possible, departments are encouraged to reduce reliance on one-year contracts for PTF with mid-or highest-level ranks. In some circumstances, one-year contracts may be appropriate such as, but not limited to, initial hires, strategic academic priorities, or meeting short-term needs.

Types of Contract Terms

UT Austin uses the following contract terms for professional-track faculty.

Short-term:

• Generally, 1 year or less. Also used for an assignment beginning in the summer and ending not later than 8/15 of the following summer. 

Fixed:

• 2-year – 2 years or less, but more than 1 year 

• 3-year – 3 years or less, but more than 2 years

Rolling:

• 2-year – a 2-year contract term extended one year each year rather than the assignment of a new contract term after the previous term has ended. 

• 3-year – a 3-year contract term extended one year each year rather than the assignment of a new contract term after the previous term has ended. 

I. Contract Type

a. In keeping with the Provost’s Office expectations, departments should align standard contract type with faculty rank. At minimum, departments are expected to follow the guidance below for minimum contract type when promoting a professional track faculty member to the mid-level or highest level rank. Any other deviation from the guidance below should be consistent with the unit’s approved criteria (See Section II below), or, if ad hoc, be approved by the Associate Dean for Academic & Faculty Affairs. 

II. Criteria

Departments/Hiring Units must specify criteria for contract types and a process for approving and modifying the criteria.

a. These will either be incorporated into department governance documents or developed separately.

b. These will be reviewed at time of governance renewal and modifications may be requested as needed. 

III. Renewal and Re-Appointment

a. Annual reviews are encouraged to comment on eligibility for 2-or 3-year fixed or rolling term contracts, as defined in department/hiring unit criteria. 

b. Requests to offer a multi-year contract: 

i. Must include articulation of how the faculty member meets criteria; 

ii. Are subject to budgetary review and alignment with instructional need; and 

iii. Approved by Associate Dean for Academic and Faculty Affairs. 

IV. Appointment Letters

The various contract term types have different requirements regarding the frequency that a signed appointment letter is required. Appointment letters should be written more frequently when necessary (e.g., appointment details change, or a fixed contract is renewed during the period of the initial fixed contract period). 

Guidance / Best Practices

• This policy makes explicit the College’s desire to provide pathways for moving established professional track faculty onto multi-year contracts. As part of the effort, the College expects measured decision-making, and particular prudence, when considering contracts for faculty without established teaching records at the university. Taking multiple factors into consideration, for stability and retention, and in our effort to increasingly professionalize our non-tenure track instructional faculty, the College has set short-term and 1-year fixed terms as the default for new and entry-level professional track faculty, and 2-or 3-year fixed terms as the default for mid-and highest-rank professional track faculty, and anticipates 3-year rolling contracts being reserved for exceptional cases where longterm continuity is critical and clearly supported by performance, programmatic need, and financial capacity. This approach ensures flexibility while remaining aligned with College and institutional norms.

• The College recommends departments/hiring units refer to the Provost’s Office Guidelines for Managing the Employment of Professional-Track Faculty for additional guidance and practices.

• Provost’s Office guidelines recommend six semesters of teaching prior to extending multi-year contracts.

• The department/hiring unit must have sufficient funding to commit to the multi-year contracts and should consult with Finance to confirm.

• When possible, contract renewals are initiated 3 to 6 months in advance of current contracts’ expiration date.

• Eligibility to be considered for a multi-year or rolling contract does not guarantee reappointment. 

Previous policy: COLA Non-Tenure Term of Appointment Policy (Fall 2011-Fall 2023)

COLA Professional-Track Faculty Titles Policy

Purpose: To establish guidelines for the use and classification of professional-track faculty titles within the College of Liberal Arts, ensuring consistency with Regent’s Rule 31001 and alignment with university standards while supporting transparency and consistency in faculty appointments.

Updated: July 2021

Effective: Current

Click the link to download a PDF of the 2021 COLA Professional-Track Faculty Titles Policy

Background

In fall 2018, UT Austin began using new titles for Professional Track (Non-Tenure Track) Faculty
in accordance with Regent’s Rule 31001, Faculty Appointments and Titles. Specifically, this
made available the following titles:

• Assistant Professor of Instruction

• Assistant Professor of Practice

• Associate Professor of Instruction

• Associate Professor of Practice

• Professor of Instruction

• Professor of Practice

Under the new Regent’s Rule, professional track faculty may be reclassified from one title series
to another in accordance with established college and department criteria. These
reclassifications may only be within the faculty member’s current rank level. Any
advancement in rank may only be the result of a review for promotion during the normal
university promotion schedule.

At the time, the College of Liberal Arts determined that the Instruction Series, in particular, might be of interest to professional track faculty currently in the Lecturer Series. The college piloted the use of the Instruction Series titles with a small number of departments, to general satisfaction of both chairs and professional track faculty. Based on the success of that pilot program, the College of Liberal Arts is now making the Instruction Series titles available to other professional track faculty.

Reclassification Policy

Professional track (non-tenure track) faculty who are employed in the College of Liberal Arts may choose to have their job title reclassified. Title reclassification will occur when a faculty member is making a lateral move into a similar position: for example, a Lecturer being reclassified as an Assistant Professor of Instruction. Reclassifications can only be within the faculty member’s current rank, and should not be used to bypass the promotion process: for example, faculty cannot be reclassified from a Lecturer or Assistant Professor of Instruction to an Associate Professor of Instruction.

If a professional track faculty member holds multiple faculty appointments in multiple units, all of the appointments will need to be reclassified, since faculty cannot hold two different faculty titles simultaneously. All units must be consulted prior to reclassification. Reclassification of titles does not entail a salary increase. That is achieved through the merit review process and with the advancement of rank through promotion.

Guidelines and Eligibility

• It is preferred that all current professional track faculty in the Lecturer Series who are
  eligible for reclassification move to the Instruction Series titles; academic units should
  remain consistent in assigning titles based on these guidelines.

• Professional track instructional faculty with continuing assignments of 50% time (or
  more) are eligible for reclassification into the Instruction Series titles.

• Professional track faculty with part-time assignments of less than 50%, or short-term
  assignments intended to last one year or less [without possibility of continuation], will
  continue to be assigned in the Lecturer Series titles, unless they hold an active faculty
  assignment in one or more UT units that, in combination, qualify the faculty member for
  reclassification under these guidelines and eligibility criteria. All units must be consulted
  prior to reclassification and coordinate simultaneous reclassification requests.

• University staff employed in a classified or A&P position but working as professional
  track faculty on a regular or sporadic basis [as part of, or in addition to, their regular job
  duties] will remain in Lecturer Series titles.

Current Professional-Track Faculty (academic year 2021-22)

• For faculty who choose reclassification effective September 1, 2021: academic units must submit required materials by August 1, 2021.

• Faculty who would like more time to consider these title changes may do so; these faculty will be eligible for reclassification effective September 1, 2022: academic units must submit required materials by August 1, 2022.

New Professional Track Faculty

• Beginning in AY 2022-2023, new professional track instructional faculty will be hired in
  the Instruction Series titles consistent with these guidelines.

Multi-Year Contracts

• For eligible professional-track faculty, multi-year contracts may be extended concurrent with reclassification.

• Per Provost’s Office guidelines, professional track faculty are eligible for multi-year contracts after six semesters or more in rank at UT Austin. Multi-year contracts must align with departmental budgets and instructional planning. Units are encouraged to develop internal guidelines for appointing faculty to 2- or 3-year fixed contracts, considering factors such as longevity. Multi-year contracts should continue to include language noting that the continuing appointment is conditional upon continuation of sufficient student demand for enrollments in the specified area of instruction.

• Professional-track faculty should consult with their chair/director if interested in a 2- or
  3-year fixed contract.

Mentoring Policies

The College of Liberal Arts adheres to the following policies on mentoring for faculty. Information related to faculty mentoring programs and awards can also be found on this page: COLA Policy on Faculty Mentorship.

COLA Unbalanced Teaching Load Policy

Purpose: To ensure clear communication and shared expectations when approving unbalanced teaching loads.

Updated: October 21, 2025

Effective: starting Academic Year 2025-26

Department chairs may wish to support faculty research by approving unbalanced workloads, reducing faculty teaching responsibilities in one long semester, with increased teaching responsibilities in the other long semester. Unbalanced teaching loads resulting in a faculty member teaching no organized courses in a given semester require the Dean’s prior approval.

If approval is granted, the department chair and faculty member must acknowledge that:

• a reduced course load for a Fall or Spring semester is not considered a research leave, and,

• therefore, in no way releases the faculty member from their other obligations as a university faculty member, including, but not limited to, service assignments and student advising, and

• the reduced teaching load should not be represented to colleagues or the public as a research leave.