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Master of Public Health

MPH Instructor Payment

Compensation

MPH course instructors are compensated by the program according to the following formula:

($4,000 per course credit hour) + ($100 per registered student, per course credit hour)

In addition, a course instructor may receive a bonus:

  • New Course Bonus – the instructor will receive this bonus for a new course being taught for the first time
    $1,000 X number of course credit hours
  • Enrollment Bonus – the instructor will receive this bonus if more than 30 MPH students are registered in the course
    $1,000 X number of course credit hours

The payment will be transferred by journal entry from the Vanderbilt MPH Program to a VU or VUMC cost center provided by the instructor. MPH course instructors must be a faculty members and current employees of either VU or VUMC in order to receive payment from the MPH Program.

The payment cannot be issued by check or other means. The MPH Program cannot process payments for adjunct faculty members, special visitors affiliated with VU/VUMC, or those with without an active VU or VUMC employment record.

Compensation for Multiple Instructors

If a course has two co-instructors who contribute equally to the class, each instructor will receive 50% if the total course instructor payment. Both instructors must be faculty members and current employees of either VU or VUMC.

Compensation for TAs

An instructor who uses teaching assistants (TAs) in the course may choose to designate a portion of the total instructor payment to one or more TAs. This may be a lump sum or a percentage of the total payment. It is the course instructor’s responsibility to determine the amount of the TA’s compensation depending on his or her level of expertise, degree of involvement in the course, or other factors. The MPH Program does not provide suggested compensation rates for TAs.

Payment Process

Course instructors will receive a letter from the Vanderbilt MPH Program before the start of the academic year after the incoming MPH class roster has been finalized. This usually occurs in July or August.

The letter will provide the faculty member an estimated amount of the instructor payment he or she will receive for all courses taught during the upcoming academic year, based on the projected number of students expected to register for the course. The projected number of students is determined using the number of current students in the MPH Program and the previous year’s number of non-degree seeking students and students from other degree programs. We also take into account any unique situations that might contribute to the number of registrants, such as a student’s leave of absence or modified course of study.

This letter asks the faculty member to confirm the cost center to which the payment should be transferred after the course has taken place. We also ask for the name of the administrator for the cost center.

At the end of the course, the amount of the payment will be calculated using the final number of students registered in the course in YES.

If a course is cross-listed in YES (that is, the course has some students registered under a PUBH course code and other students registered under a different course code), it is important that the instructor download both course rosters (“Class Rolls”) from YES and send them to the MPH Program.

The MPH Program will send the instructor and the cost center administrator a letter confirming the amount of the payment. The payment will be transferred by journal entry to the cost center previously provided by the instructor.