MET Overbase Policy

BU Staff

In general, staff at Boston University who seek to teach, facilitate, or grade a course for extra compensation must first receive formal approval from their supervisor and from the Dean of the college offering the course since the payment is considered an overbase. The college will then seek Provost’s approval for the overbase. Overbase payment approvals are not automatic; they are granted occasionally for exceptional cases, and no more than one overbase is allowed for staff each year. If the overbase payment exceeds 10% of the employee’s base salary the overbase also needs additional approval.

Specifically for courses in Metropolitan College, Boston University staff may only receive one overbase per academic year to teach, facilitate, or grade a MET course.

• Staff members seeking an instructional overbase at MET must provide the home department of the course and the Dean’s Office at MET a signed memo of support and approval from their direct supervisor. The memo should state that the course does not interfere with work duties and schedule, that the supervisor supports the additional work, and where appropriate, why the extra work is beneficial. It should also state that the overbase does not exceed 10% of the staff member’s base salary, or the percentage by which it does.
• The department that is staffing the BU employee to work must also submit a memo to the Dean of MET explaining why the staff member should be hired over others and justify the request based on the qualifications of the individual.
• Both memos must be received in the Office of the Dean at least three months prior to the start of the semester in which the course is being offered. The Office of the Dean will then forward the request to the Office of the Provost for final approval.
• No overbases will be approved for courses that are not essential or required in a program’s curriculum. Overbase requests are considered on a case by case basis. The final decision is made by the Provost, and the employee is notified of the outcome at least two months before the start of the semester. Until that approval is granted, the staff member should be told that overbase payment for teaching should not be assumed.

Full-Time Faculty Overloads

Full-time faculty at Boston University are allowed to teach at most one overload course each semester during the fall and spring and their total overbase payments for the academic year should not exceed 1/3 of their base salary. If payment exceeds 1/3 of the faculty member’s base salary they will need to seek Provost approval through their home school. These overbases cover any additional assignment (e.g., online course development, teaching, etc.). If a full-time faculty member hopes to earn a second overload within one semester their home department must seek approval from the Dean of their school in advance. If a full-time faculty member plans to teach both overloads at Metropolitan College, the Dean of Metropolitan College must also approve the second overload to verify that MET is making an appropriate demand on the faculty member. MET’s policy is to discourage persistent faculty overbases since this diverts the individual from other important commitments and pursuits.

The payroll and staffing coordinators in any school where an overload occurs must receive a copy of the approval at least three months before the start of the semester in order to verify that the overload is approved and a replacement instructor is not necessary.

MET faculty are limited to two overbases per summer unless an exception is approved in advance.

Questions about the MET overload policies can be directed to the MET Office of the Dean at 617-358-2197 or cgriff@bu.edu.