Adjunct Contract Information
Contract Process
Each semester, the Office of the Associate Dean receives the class schedule for each program within the school. Adjunct assignments are created from this data.
Contracts are currently created in the Faculty Database and electronically approved by the Associate Dean, the Dean, and the Provost. When the electronic data reaches HR, it is verified, approved, and added to the HR system. It is at the end of this electronic approval process that adjuncts can begin getting paid for their teaching assignment.
Hard copies are printed out and submitted for signature to the Associate Dean, the Dean and the Provost's office. Once signed by all parties, the contracts are returned to the Office of the Associate Dean for mailing out to faculty.
When adjuncts receive the contract in the mail, they review the details and sign each copy, returning one to the Associate Dean's office. At this time faculty are asked to submit the class syllabi and an updated copy of their resume for our records, along with electronically approving the Labor Code Notice (available on Wavenet).
While the electronic signature required to set up your pay only takes a couple of weeks, the hard copy of your contract is typically ready to be mailed to you about six weeks after contract creation. It is key that all adjuncts confirm enrollment of students during the 4th week of the term so that the Associate Dean's Office can adjust your contract for pro-rating changes.
All matters related to contracts and compensation are communicated to you via your official Pepperdine email. It is a requirement that you check this email account. If you prefer to forward your Pepperdine email to email to another account, click here: Email Forwarding
Independent Study and Dissertations
Because Independent Study contracts are dependent on the number of students assigned to the class, waiting until add/drop and the normal hold period has passed allows the contracts to be as accurate as possible. For this reason, Independent Study contracts are created the second week of the term.
Dissertations contracts are created the 7th week of the term. This is because the contracts are based on the number of students in each class, and this information does not become final until around the 6th week of the term. Such reasons for delays include financial holds, students graduating or withdrawing, students postponing their dissertation until another semester, or students searching for dissertation chairs.
Other Teaching Assignments
For assignments such as Comprehensive Exam Reviewers, PACT Scorers or Guest Speakers, the contracts are created when the information is submitted to the Associate Dean's Office and are processed during the next available pay period.
University Field Supervisors are hired by our Directors of Clinical Experience. The Directors and the MAE Chair will offer guidance as you visit with your students and school sites. For more information on this role, including questions about TaskStream and reporting hours (Kronos) please visit our FAQ page.
Enrollment's Impact on Contracts
During week four of each term, the enrollment figures are downloaded and reviewed, and all adjuncts whose enrollment is under 9 or over 24 are then superseded to reflect this new data
Pro-Rating Policy
Salaries for standard classes are established at either the Masters or Doctorate rate per unit for a minimum enrollment of 9 students. This amount is pro-rated based on the enrollment figure at the close of business on the last day of the add/drop period of each semester. If a class has less than 9 students enrolled, the contract is pro-rated proportional to enrollment.
When a class has enrollment of 3 or less, the Academic Chairs and the Dean may make the determination that the class would be better as an Independent Study.
Classes with more than 24 students
While not uncommon, it is rare that an adjunct class will have more than the maximum students enrolled. If this happens, and at the end of add/drop, the data is reviewed and any adjunct assignments which fall into this category are submitted to the Dean's Office for review.
Once approved, the contracts are adjusted according to how many students over 24 are enrolled. These superseded contracts are then reprinted and submitted for signature before being mailed out to the faculty.
For information regarding Education Division adjunct faculty contracts, please contact the Office of the Associate Dean of Education.