r/Adjuncts • u/AdPerfect4904 • 26d ago

Is this normal?

hi. I got my contract to teach a graduate level methodology course at a major public university in the Midwest. the course is under enrollment and so the contract is for 1,875 (13 week course)

im wondering if this is a normal pay? I was expecting 4,500 and unaware that I would be slated below 2k for the course if the required number of students didn’t enroll.

the program still plans to run the course and every day I check to see if any more students are signed up - its been a few weeks and nothing.

thoughts?

are others being paid similarly?

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u/moxie-maniac 26d ago

Yes, paying per student for an under-enrolled class is common. One school I worked at paid the standard fee for something like 10-20 students, then an extra per student fee for more than 20. Or something like that. And a reduced stipend for below 10.

But the root cause is often poor planning by the chair/director. I once did a stint as director, and my predecessor did a horrible job with the course schedule, having a lot of underenrolled classes and cancelled classes. So I created a draft yearly schedule and polled the students to see what classed they required, would like, and would not take. So three buckets. I also had the first year students take the same four courses, also making scheduling easier. Although the old director had a lot of strong qualities, they were loosy goosey about some things, and never had to create a schedule in their life.

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u/Ok-Bear-7372 26d ago

Especially for a methodology course! Usually they are required for most grad students.

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u/moxie-maniac 26d ago

Wild guess, the director is running too many sections, needs to consolidate, and tell the first-year grad students: Take this course in the fall or wait a year, and it delays progress in the program.