University+ Course and Compensation Administration Policy

The purpose of this document is to guide administrators and staff members in the UMass Amherst College of Engineering (CoE) in administering University+ (U+) courses and associated compensation. 

1. Course Information 

Select U+ courses are available to students during all four (Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer) terms and are typically offered in an online modality. During the fall and spring terms, U+ courses are not distinguished from in-person courses and may be assigned as on-load courses with no additional compensation in accordance with the 2024-2027 MSP CBA; instructors may teach U+ courses on overload for additional compensation with prior approval from their Department Head. During the two summer sessions and the winter session, all UMass courses, including independent study courses, are considered U+ courses. Instructors who teach U+ courses in the summer and winter sessions may do so for additional compensation, with the exception of calendar-year faculty. See Section 2 for more information related to compensation practices relating to each of these permutations. At the campus level, U+ courses are administered by the Flexible Education division.  

2. Faculty Compensation 

Compensation levels are determined through bargaining with the Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP) for faculty and the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) for graduate students. Adjunct faculty and staff may also teach courses for compensation. Please see the appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreement for full details regarding current compensation rates.  

By default, faculty are compensated for U+ courses by Flex at the standard approved rates outlined by the CBA if their course includes ≥7 undergraduate students or ≥5 graduate students. This compensation does not count against the 33% additional compensation (e.g., summer salary) limit that faculty are allowed to take each year to support their research efforts and outreach. For courses that have <7 undergraduates or <5 graduates, faculty may negotiate a separate compensation arrangement with their Department Head and the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Planning and Operations using the following process: 

1. The instructor and Department Head will agree on the proposed compensation amount. The faculty member will email the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Planning and Operations with a cc to the Department Head making this request.
2. If tentatively approved by the Associate Dean, he will forward the request to MSP (msp [at] umass [dot] edu (msp[at]umass[dot]edu)) with his endorsement with a cc to the instructor and Department Head.
3. If MSP approves the exception by reply email, the Department Chair or Program Director will communicate the compensation amount to the Flex Ed administration, and the class will be confirmed.
4. If MSP denies the request, the Department Head will either run the class and pay the instructor the minimum of $8,195 regardless of final enrollment or cancel the class. In both cases the deadline to communicate to Flex Ed about the decision and the compensation amount will remain 7 workdays prior to the start of classes. 

In extremely limited and exceptional circumstances, faculty may waive compensation through U+ entirely and request an alternative arrangement internally within the College. Such requests should be sent to both the Department Head and Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Planning and Operations for review. 

3. U+ Revenue Disbursement 

Currently, CoE U+ courses are priced at the following rates: 

• ECE Microwave Certificate graduate courses - $850 per credit
• MIE Master of Science in Engineering Management - $750 per credit
• All other graduate courses - $700 per credit
• All undergraduate courses - $550 per credit 

Revenue is disbursed as follows: 

1. UMass Central takes 29.4% of the gross as of FY26.
2. If the instructor does not waive compensation, their salary is charged directly against course revenues in Flexible Education.
3. The balance of the funds after the deductions listed above is split 50/50 between the Dean and the associated department. 

Departments are encouraged to utilize the University+ Revenue Estimate calculator tool to project course revenues and expenditures for U+ offerings, as the tool is regularly updated to reflect the most current tuition and fringe rates, campus assessments, and any other centrally mandated adjustment. Current versions of the tool can be requested from academicprograms [at] uww [dot] umass [dot] edu (academicprograms[at]uww[dot]umass[dot]edu). 

4. Summer Pre-College Revenue Distribution and Payroll Processing 

Summer Pre-College (SPC), as part of the Interdisciplinary Programs unit of UWW, offers 2-6 week research intensive programs for high-achieving high school students. SPC charges a unique residential program fee, separate from the standard U+ rates, which is updated annually by the SPC administration. For the purposes of revenue distribution and compensation, the following guidelines will be observed: 

1. Gross revenue is collected via Summer Pre-College and assessed at 41.4% in FY26 (29.4% central assessment + 12% SPC manual assessment). In rare circumstances, program-related expenses, if approved by the Assistant Dean of Administration and Finance, may be incurred on this fund and reduce the available balance.
2. The net revenue gets transferred to the College within 90 days of the term ending.
3. Compensation to the faculty member is processed by the College’s HR team at a rate of $83 per credit per student, mirroring the rate of independent study compensation for undergraduate-level courses.
4. Any surplus of net revenue after faculty compensation gets split 50/50 between the department and the Dean’s Office, with the exception of SENGI, for which 100% of the revenue is returned to the program. 

5. Other Considerations 

A few other items: 

• Departmental compensation for cross-listed courses (e.g., CEE 241/MIE 211) is usually provided to the department that is home to the faculty instructor.
• A decision to cancel low enrollment U+ courses should be made no later than one week before the start of the class. If the instructor or department do not respond by this deadline, the course in question will be automatically cancelled.