MLA Recommendation on Minimum Per-Course Compensation for Part-Time Faculty Members
Recognizing that many variables enter into determinations of salary, the MLA believes that part-time faculty members should be compensated pro rata to salaries for full-time faculty members performing similar duties, whether by a per-course, per-credit-hour, or full-time-equivalent percentage. The following factors should be considered in determining compensation increases above annual minimums, as reflected in an appropriate salary schedule:
- Instructional workload: number of contact hours, class size, advising, and method for evaluating student work and assigning grades (e.g., labor-intensive reading and commenting on student papers)
- Ancillary duties, including but not limited to: recruitment; supervisory role and responsibilities; research, publication, other forms of professional development, and curriculum development
- Length of academic term (i.e., semester, quarter, trimester, or other system)
- Years of experience and professional degrees or other qualifications
- Health and retirement benefits: If benefits are not available to the instructor, an equivalent add-on premium or stipend should be added to the base salary to compensate for lack of benefits.
- Contracts or appointments: Higher than minimum rates of compensation should apply in cases where contracts or appointments are for one year or less and not renewable, have no provision for a career path consisting of a sequence of appointments leading to longer-term contracts, or (after a reasonable probationary period) provide no rights to due process procedures prior to termination.
Following a review of best practices in various institutions, the Executive Council of the MLA recommends minimum compensation of $12,900 for a standard 3-credit-hour semester course or $8,600 for a standard 3-credit-hour quarter or trimester course. These recommendations are based on the assumption of a full-time load of 3 courses per semester (6 per year) or 3 courses per quarter or trimester (9 per year); annual full-time equivalent is thus in the range of the MLA’s recommended full-time salary for entry-level instructors.
MLA salary recommendations represent a national average and do not take into account regional differences in the cost of living.
January 2024