Contract Information

Kennesaw State University has separate policies and procedures for limited-term, part-time and full-time faculty. Make sure you are familiar with our hiring timeline and compensation policies to ensure a smooth transition to the university!

Faculty Contracts

  • Full-time faculty are issued either a fiscal year (12-month) or academic year (9-month) employment contract annually, usually in June preceding the start of a new fiscal year on July 1. These are 鈥渢erm鈥� contracts for a period of only one year. A faculty member will not be reemployed in a subsequent year unless there is a new and separate contract issued for that year. (See the  for further information in this regard). Contracts for 12 month faculty begin at the first of the month and usually begin on July 1 of the contract year.
  • In order to prevent pro-rating of salaries, it is best to make administrative changes effective at the beginning of the new fiscal year. If a mid-year administrative change cannot be avoided, the change should be effective on the first day of the next month if the appropriate forms have been submitted and approved before the payroll lockout period.
  • This information is available on the faculty contract dates table.

Hiring Faculty 

  • Once a completed hiring proposal is submitted to Faculty Affairs, the hiring process, including background checks, is typically completed in 2-4 weeks.

Limited Term Faculty

  • The appointment letter for this individual states explicitly at the time of employment that there is no official institutional commitment of continuing employment beyond the single term of the limited-term assignment. Such a limited term appointment can be made without a formal search and screening process, but it requires administrative recommendation and approval at all levels between the position鈥檚 department and the president. ()

    Per Board of Regents Policy, 鈥淩egular Faculty who are not hired through a competitive search will typically be given a 鈥渢erm鈥� appointment for one academic or fiscal year, and may be reappointed for one (1) additional year, not to exceed a total duration of 2 years.鈥� ()

  • Limited term faculty members receive appointment letters, not contracts.
  • Limited Term faculty members are not eligible for additional compensation in the form of an overload because they do not receive contracts. 
  • Limited Term faculty members are typically appointed on an academic year or per semester basis. Limited Term faculty members will remain in a full-time 色色啦 during the summer semester. Compensation for instructional assignments is at a rate of 10% of the faculty member鈥檚 immediately preceding academic year salary for a three semester hour course. ()

Part-Time Faculty

  • A part-time faculty member can remain active in the part-time faculty pool for up to 12 months. If a part-time faculty member has not received a paycheck within 18 months, the faculty member is automatically made inactive in all systems and must be rehired through the online faculty search system.
  • Part-time faculty members are employed as-needed, on a per-course, per semester limited term basis, based on standard work hours, at the discretion of the institution without a contract and will receive no compensation unless a part-time assignment is given and are required to sign a letter of agreement for each appointment period. ()
  • Part-time faculty are not eligible for overload. Any work or services performed by a part-time faculty member must count toward their workload (standard hours worked as defined in the ).

Summer Compensation

  • Compensation for instructional assignments is at the rate of 10% of the faculty member鈥檚 immediately preceding academic year salary for a three semester hour course. Summer compensation for field supervision and individualized course instruction will be based upon the approved equivalents of such activity per semester hour or per 3-hour semester course. Compensation for non-instructional assignments will vary with the assignment and should be based on the percentage of time devoted to the project. For example, if a faculty member devotes approximately half a full-time summer commitment to the non-instructional assignment, they would be paid 15% of their academic salary. ()
  • You cannot be paid for any additional assignments once your 12-month contract begins (which is typically July 1). You can earn up to 16.67% of your immediately preceding academic year salary during Maymester and/or in June.
  • You cannot be paid for any additional assignments in the summer until your 12-month contract ends (which is typically June 30). You can earn up to 16.67% of your immediately preceding academic year salary during Session II to be paid in July.

Transcripts and SACSCOC Compliance

  • An official transcript is a document issued by the institution attended by the applicant, and the document lists all courses taken and any degrees conferred. The official transcript is issued in a sealed envelope or via secure electronic delivery (i.e., e-script) and is delivered to an official officer of the hiring institution (the hiring manager or the hiring institution鈥檚 Academic Affairs Office) in the sealed envelope or directly via the secure electronic delivery. If the seal is broken by any person other than an official officer of the institution, the transcript is considered to be unofficial.
  • All full-time and part-time faculty who do not meet the minimum degree requirements as outlined in the table below MUST have an approved SACS Faculty Credentials Compliance Form on file before the Provost/VP for Academic Affairs will make an offer of employment.
  • Applicants that have degrees from outside of the United States must request a course-by-course credential evaluation of their transcript. The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services () lists members who may be contacted for assistance in evaluating foreign credentials (Kennesaw State University Office of Institutional Effectiveness Faculty Credentials Guide)
  • Dr. Ed Rugg, USG Accreditation Consultant & Reports Editor, created a document entitled 鈥�Faculty Roster Compliance Do鈥檚 and Don鈥檛s鈥� to assist KSU during consolidation when writing justifications for faculty listed on the course roster. This document is being released with Dr. Rugg鈥檚 written permission.