Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

[Faculty Handbook Category #4]

For the purposes of the college’s benefits program, all employees are assigned an FTE (full-time equivalent). Full-time employment corresponds to 1.00 FTE; part-time employment is expressed as a fractional FTE. However, the definition of full-time employment used for faculty employees differs significantly from the definition used for administrative staff employees.

The FTE of a faculty appointment is based on the number of courses (or responsibilities with pre-determined course-equivalents) assigned during an academic year; FTE is not allocated for teaching or other institutional duties carried out during the summer. In contrast, the FTE of an administrative staff position reflects duties over a twelve-month period. As a result, administrative staff FTE and faculty FTE are not directly commensurable.

If an administrative staff employee also has a faculty appointment, the employee’s total FTE is the sum of their administrative staff FTE and five-sixths of their faculty FTE. (The conversion factor is necessary because the duration of the academic year is less than twelve months.)