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The purpose of this Agreement is to ensure a balance between research and teaching tasks, so that the Faculty can always offer research-based teaching and conduct research as well as knowledge exchange and talent development, cf. the provisions of the Danish University Act. The agreement will help to ensure academic staff at SDU-HUM uniform conditions and transparency in relation to the work carried out at the individual departments and courses of study. In addition, the agreement contains standard working hours for academic staff with teaching and administrative duties, but no obligation to carry on research.
Finally, the agreement seeks to establish simple guidelines, allowing managers and employees – in dialogue with each other – to agree on the optimal distribution of tasks at the departments as a whole.
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This Agreement lays down standards for
- Teaching and preparation, including feedback, guidance and examination.
- Administrative tasks, including tasks specifically related to teaching and research.
The other working hours of academic staff are expected to be spent on research, research dissemination and other research related activities.
The set of standards is made on the following grounds:
- to establish hourly compensation that clarifies the expected average number of hours spent on performing the various tasks.
- to establish hourly compensation for teaching and preparation, including feedback, supervision and examination activities, in a transparent manner.
- to establish hourly compensation for administrative tasks in a transparent manner.
With the conclusion of this working hours agreement, no local agreements can be introduced at departmental level beyond what this agreement specifically provides for. If local changes in the specifications of standard working hours are needed due to conditions of an unusual, lasting nature, any changes shall be agreed with the dean and convener, and SU is informed.
The FTE for academic staff (when taking five weeks of annual leave and one week of special holidays) is calculated as 1,642 hours per year, corresponding to 821 hours per semester. One teaching lesson is equivalent to a scheduled hour of 45 minutes. The compensations are calculated in working hours.
It is the responsibility of the departments to keep an account of the employees’ hourly status and to send out a current balance statement to each employee once every semester. Any excess or deficit of hours must be discussed at least once a year, e.g. in connection with the performance and development review, with a view to ensuring balance over a period of time. It is the duty of the head of department to ensure that the account of hours of each employee are in balance (0 hours), however, allowing for the fluctuations mentioned below.
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Each lecturer’s account of hours is a tool that allows them to shift the weighting between teaching and research, so that a deficit of hours is seen as deferred teaching commitment, and an excess of hours is seen as deferred obligation to carry on research. Thus, the employee cannot receive reimbursement for an excess of hours in the statement and any deficit cannot be recovered by the institution. In the event of an excess/deficit of hours, the head of department and the employee must enter into an agreement that in the long term ensures balance. Among other things, the agreement must seek to ensure that there is no systematic accumulation of hours.
An individualised temporary agreement may be entered into on a different distribution of working hours than that which is mentioned below. This may be done in connection with the transition to employment on senior terms or in other situations where a different distribution of hours for research and teaching/administrative tasks may be appropriate. The possibility of such an agreement can, for example, be discussed during the performance and development review. For associate professors, an agreement must be entered into with the involvement of the union representative. Professors may enter into agreement themselves, but are encouraged to involve their union representative.
Savings schemes may be introduced at a department to ensure the possibility of systematic saving for semesters with no teaching. The savings scheme is voluntary for the individual employee. Agreements about the placement of semesters with no teaching are negotiated with the head of department, taking into account the department’s overall task portfolio.
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For associate professors and full professors, the allocation of hours for tasks related to research and knowledge exchange is initially set at 45 percent of the total working hours (742 hours per year), while tasks related to teaching, including supervision, talent development, and other teaching-related and administrative tasks, including assessment work and research management tasks (see section 5.1 below), are initially set at 55 percent of the total working hours (900 hours per year).
An excess of teaching hours can be advantageous, for example, for saving up for periods with partial or complete teaching-free time. However, the excess must not exceed 900 hours, and similarly, the deficit must not be greater than 450.
Externally and internally funded buyouts for research and/or development tasks affect the distribution of working hours between teaching and research. How the buyout impacts the employee's other research or teaching tasks is agreed with the head of the department once the application has been approved, with the aim of accommodating the employee's overall task portfolio, the project's requirements, and the department's tasks. The head of department informs the union representative annually about the allocation of buyouts.It is possible to agree on entire teaching-free semesters, but exemption from teaching for more than one year must be presented to the dean. Buyouts for research management will always be buyouts during teaching time.
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For fixed-term lecturers, the same work obligations apply as for professors and lecturers. Since it is not always possible to meet the teaching obligation exactly, a deviation of 60 working hours in either positive or negative favour at the end of the employment period for a fixed-term lectureship is acceptable.
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For assistant professors, the allocation of hours for tasks related to research and knowledge exchange is initially set at 63 percent of the total working hours (1,042 hours per year), while tasks related to teaching and, to a limited extent, administration constitute 37 percent of the total working hours (600 hours per year). There is no separate compensation for participation in university pedagogy courses.
An excess of teaching hours can be advantageous, for example, for saving up for a teaching-free semester. However, the surplus must not exceed 400 hours, and the deficit must not exceed 300 hours during the employment period. The overall teaching schedule for an assistant professorship should aim to provide the assistant professor with a teaching-free semester, ideally placed in the middle of the period.
Since it is not always possible to meet the teaching obligation exactly, a deviation of 60 working hours in either positive or negative favour at the end of the employment period for a fixed-term assistant professorship is acceptable.
When transitioning from a tenure track assistant professorship to a lectureship, any surplus or deficit in teaching hours will be carried over. -
A PhD student is required to undertake tasks for the employing institution amounting to 840 working hours over three years. No more than 660 of these hours can be allocated to departmental tasks (teaching, examination, and assessment). The remaining part of the work obligation can consist of dissemination, research, library work, or other academic tasks (excluding administrative tasks), which are planned in collaboration with the supervisor and the PhD school director and included in the PhD plan.
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Research assistants and postdocs who teach only to a limited extent/do not teach regularly do not receive basic compensation, as they are not expected to take part in routine administrative duties.
For research assistants and postdocs who teach to a limited extent/for a limited period, compensation for teaching is provided in accordance with the provisions set out in section 1.1 of the Norm Agreement for Part‑time Academic Staff (DVIP) at the Faculty of Humanities.
Compensation for feedback, supervision, examinations, and other tasks follows the provisions in sections 6 and 7 of the present agreement.
Changes apply as of spring semester 2027.
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For teaching assistant professors and teaching associate professors without obligation to carry on research, the total working hours amount to 1642 hours per year. Of the total working hours, 15 percent (corresponding to 246 hours per year) is allocated to professional development (e.g. professional and social meetings, intro meetings about new IT systems, updating of teaching portfolio, pedagogical and didactic competence development) and administrative work related to teaching which goes beyond the general organisation of courses (the tasks may include, but are not limited to, coordination of subjects with several lecturers, sparring with and supervision of academic part-time staff, study start activities or the like). The remaining working time per semester amounts to 698 working hours.
The head of department must ensure that the full-time lecturer’s remaining work obligation of 698 hours per semester is fulfilled, but if this is not possible the work obligation will be considered fulfilled if the hourly load in a semester is between 650 and 698 hours. If the hourly load in a single semester is more than 698, the surplus is transferred to the next semester. A deficit below 650 hours will be transferred to the next semester. In exceptional cases, the head of department may approve that a work obligation has been fulfilled even if the hourly load is less than 650 hours. It is the responsibility of the head of department to ensure that the working hours are in balance with the individual employee. Since it is not always possible to meet the teaching obligation exactly, a fluctuation of 100 hours, either in positive or negative terms, is acceptable for teaching associate professors and teaching assistant professors.
The above rules for working hours also apply to research assistants. If the research assistant is employed part-time, the teaching load is calculated as a fraction corresponding to part-time employment.
Teaching assistant professors are compensated for the completion of higher education pedagogy with 270 hours spread over two semesters.
Any excess or deficit of teaching hours is transferred in the transition from teaching assistant professor to teaching associate professor.
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A special compensation pool (departmental pool) is established to compensate for significant operational and development tasks that fall outside the compensations set in the standard agreement. Tasks that can be compensated may include, but are not limited to, subject coordination, other coordination tasks, research management, editorial work, committees established at the departmental level, major revisions of study programmes, activities to improve the study environment, project applications, competence development, and initiatives related to the department's strategy.
It is not possible to compensate tasks from the departmental pool that are already standardised in this agreement.
The guidelines and principles for the distribution of the pool are determined by the head of the department in consultation with the departmental council and the department's union representative. The pool is managed and distributed by the head of the department. It must be possible for employees to apply for the pool themselves and to nominate colleagues. Likewise, agreements on shares of the pool can be made with the head of the department in advance.
For each professor and lecturer in the department, 30 hours per semester are allocated to the pool, and for each assistant professor, 15 hours. The pool's hours are primarily distributed to employees with research obligations but can be allocated to other job categories for specific tasks.
The pool is distributed once per semester. All hours in the pool should, in principle, be distributed at each allocation, but a surplus or deficit of 15 percent is acceptable.
The head of the department must ensure that an overview of the pool's distribution is prepared annually. This overview must be available to the department's employees and presented to the departmental council and the cooperation committee to evaluate whether the pool is functioning as intended.The department pool has been changed from 25 hours to 30 hours. Changes apply as of autumn semester 2026.
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Basic compensation is granted to staff with research obligations. A basic compensation corresponding to 6.6% of the teaching obligation for the relevant staff category is allocated in advance, corresponding to the following number of working hours per semester:
- Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor: 30 hours
- PhD student: 12 hours
For staff without research obligations, see section 4.
The basic pool covers administrative duties, including departmental meetings, academic collegial meetings, committee meetings, coordination of courses with multiple lecturers, study‑start activities, and mentoring or guidance of part‑time lecturers (DVIP) in relation to disciplinary responsibilities.
The number of hours should be understood as an average workload calculated over several years.
All research‑based courses offered by the faculty have an appointed discipline coordinator. The discipline coordinator, together with the programme chair and committee, is responsible for the course description in the curriculum and must be consulted if the committee wishes to amend the wording. The discipline coordinator is likewise the contact person for part‑time lecturers (DVIP) teaching the course.
For senior arrangements and part‑time employment, the basic compensation is set at 6.6% of the teaching obligation in accordance with the employment fraction stated in the employment contract. If this creates challenges in relation to expectations regarding workplace duties, the matter must be discussed with the line manager and, where relevant, the union representative.
Example: For an associate professor employed at 50% with a teaching obligation of 410.5 hours per year, the basic compensation amounts to 6.6% of 410.5 hours/2 = 13.5 hours per semester.
In cases of full (100%) buy‑out for externally funded projects for an entire semester, the basic pool is suspended. During the application phase, expectations must be aligned regarding the staff member’s contribution to the academic environment. The head of department must involve the programme chair/research leader.
Changes apply as of spring semester 2027.
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The following provisions apply to all forms of teaching at bachelor's, master's, and PhD levels.
Teaching time is defined as the number of contact hours of 45 minutes each. Each contact hour of 45 minutes is compensated with 1 working hour. As a general rule, the instructor is compensated with 2.5 hours of preparation per contact hour, i.e., 3.5 hours in total. PhD students are compensated with 3 hours of preparation per contact hour, amounting to a total of 4 hours.
For parallel teaching, the first group is compensated with 2.5 hours of preparation, and subsequent groups are compensated with 0.75 hours of preparation per contact hour, i.e., 1.75 hours in total. For PhD students, the first group is compensated with 3 hours of preparation per contact hour, while subsequent groups are compensated with 1 hour of preparation per contact hour, amounting to a total of 2 hours.
A contact hour designated as a VIP exercise hour is compensated with 0.25 working hours for preparation, i.e., 1.25 hours in total. The number of contact hours compensated as VIP exercise hours is indicated in the "Internal Information" field in the course description.Working hours related to ph.d.-students apply as of spring semester 2027.
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Feedback activities are set at 25 minutes multiplied by the number of students enrolled in the course. Compensation is only given if it is stated in the course description that feedback is included in the course.
The number of students enrolled in the course is recorded on 1st October and 1st March. -
The following standards for supervision and assessment have been determined in relation to
Bachelor project1st examination attempt
Subsequent examination attempts
1 sudent
10 working hours
1 working hour
2 students
15 working hours
1 working hour
3 students
20 working hours
1 working hour
Master’s project
1st examination attempt
Subsequent examination attempts
1 student
12 working hours
1 working hour
2 students
18 working hours
1 working hour
3 students
24 working hours
1 working hour
Master’s thesis
1st examination attempt
Subsequent examination attempts - no show
Subsequent examination attempts - not passed Subsequent examination attempts - change of supervisor or subject 1 student
20 working hours
5 working hours
10 working hours 20 working hours 2 students
30 working hours
5 working hours
10 working hours 30 working hours 3 students
40 working hours
5 working hours
10 working hours 40 working hours In relation to theses and master’s projects with oral defence, the oral defense is included in the stated working hours.
The above stated is the standard working hours. However, in connection with allocating supervision for subsequent examination attempts extra working hours beyond the above stated can be allocated on the basis of an individual academic assessment of the need for supervision for the student.
The changes apply as of the spring semester 2027
Project-oriented course
The Contact Committee for the Norm Agreement, at their meeting on 1st July, negotiated an amendment to the norm for the project-oriented course. The following clarifications are made regarding the project-oriented course:
The supervisor’s role in connection with the project-oriented course is defined as follows:- The supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the supervision agreement complies with the rules for the project-oriented course.
- The supervisor should provide limited guidance to the student in connection with the project-oriented course.
- The supervisor acts as the examiner for the student’s report.
- The supervisor must facilitate contact with the programme leader in case of issues between the student and the internship site.
The programme leader’s role in connection with the project-oriented course is defined as follows:
- The programme leader refers students to RIO if they have trouble finding a company.
- The programme leader is the person students should contact in case of conflicts with the internship site. The programme leader is supported by U&K, with possible involvement of the Student Guidance.
The Study Board’s role in connection with the project-oriented course is defined as follows:
- The Study Board is responsible for evaluating the project-oriented course.
The norm for the project-oriented course is set as follows:
Project-oriented courses
1st examination attempt
Subsequent examination attempts
5 ECTS credits
4 working hours
No further compensation
10 ECTS credits
4 working hours
No further compensation
15 ECTS credits
5 working hours
No further compensation
20 ECTS credits
6 working hours
No further compensation
30 ECTS credits
7 working hours
No further compensation
The amendment will take effect from 1st September 2024.
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The standardisation of work related to examinations is determined based on the following norms multiplied by the number of students enrolled in the course.
ECTS credits scope
Compensation per student enrolled on the course
Courses with a scope of up to and including 7 ECTS
30 minutes
Courses with a scope of between 7.5 ECTS up to and including 10.5 ECTS
50 minutes
Courses with a scope of between 11 ECTS up to and including 15 ECTS
60 minutes
Courses with a scope of between 15.5 ECTS up to and including 20 ECTS
70 minutes
The compensation for examinations includes tasks related to the preparation of exam questions, handling of exam complaints, reporting plagiarism, and re-examinations.
For courses where the final assessment is based on class participation, the compensation is set at 15 minutes multiplied by the number of students enrolled in the course.
Compensation for self-study subjects follows the above norm in relation to ECTS weight. If the self-study subject is worth less than 7.5 ECTS, the norm for "Courses up to and including 7 ECTS" is applied. There is no supervision associated with self-study subjects.
The number of students enrolled in the course is recorded on 1st October and 1st March.
In the case of exam complaint decisions where the student is granted either a re-examination or a re-assessment, compensation is awarded to the appointed assessors according to the above compensation based on the course's scope.
For oral defences related to theses and master's projects, see section 6.3. -
In cases where the course description specifies that an internal examiner participates in oral exams, the internal examiner is compensated for the actual time spent on the oral exam multiplied by the number of students enrolled in the course.
In cases where the course description specifies that an internal examiner participates in:
- an oral exam with a preceding written product, or
- exceptionally, a written exam,
the internal examiner is compensated as follows:
The compensation for examinations includes handling exam complaints and re-examinations.ECTS credits scope
Compensation per student enrolled on the course
Courses with a scope of up to and including 7 ECTS
30 minutes
Courses with a scope of between 7.5 ECTS up to and including 10.5 ECTS
50 minutes
Courses with a scope of between 11 ECTS up to and including 15 ECTS
60 minutes
Courses with a scope of between 15.5 ECTS up to and including 20 ECTS
70 minutes
The number of students enrolled in the course is recorded on 1st October and 1st March.
Addendum: Internal Examination with Part-Time Lecturers
Agreed between Parties A and B on 8th February 2022
It has been agreed that compensation for internal examination is not automatically granted in cases where the exam is conducted by a part-time lecturer (DVIP) who is not yet independent or requires mentoring in connection with exam assessment.
There is consensus that it may be beneficial for a full-time academic (VIP), whether the subject coordinator or another, to mentor a part-time lecturer without grading experience regarding the grading standards for a given course.
There is also agreement that full internal examination compensation cannot be granted for all tasks in the aforementioned cases, but a model where the VIP reviews some "sample" tasks from the top and bottom of a batch of tasks would be acceptable.
It is possible for department heads to allocate individually decided compensations for this ad hoc mentoring of part-time lecturers without grading experience. In this context, it should be noted that teaching assistants must be granted separate examination rights to conduct exams. Examination rights are granted in connection with the academic assessment during the application for the position. -
If multiple instructors are responsible for the teaching, the compensation is divided among them.
Addendum agreed between Parties A and B on 20th December 2022:
Instructors who act as guest lecturers internally within the faculty's programmes are compensated according to section 6.1 of the standard agreement for each teaching session (3.5 hours for teaching and preparation). The regular instructor's compensation is reduced by the number of hours the guest lecturer covers. It is assumed that the regular instructor is not present during the guest lecturer's sessions. If the regular instructor participates in the lecture, they receive 1.25 hours for teaching and preparation.
For external guest lecturers, the above principle also applies, but it is assumed that the instructor has some preparation for the teaching when an external guest lecturer is involved. -
As a general rule, class splitting occurs when there are 61 enrolled students. However, the head of the department may determine a different number for class splitting (both higher and lower). The final decision on the size, merging, and duplication of classes is made by the head of the department in dialogue with the Head of Studies and the study board. In assessing whether class duplication is necessary, consideration is given to the nature of the academic discipline, the ECTS frequency, and other relevant factors.
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For teaching conducted outside normal teaching hours (after 6 pm on weekdays, and on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays), instructors are compensated with 4 working hours for preparation and teaching time for each contact hour.
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Compensation for teaching and preparation in courses with teaching methods that differ significantly from typical methods (such as lectures and class teaching) is negotiated individually with the head of the department, involving the union representative.
Compensation for examination formats that differ significantly in scope from the set compensations for ECTS is negotiated individually with the head of the department, involving the union representative.
Addendum agreed between Parties A and B on 8th February 2022:
Compensation for subjects where supervision constitutes the majority of the teaching must be negotiated with the head of the department, involving the Head of Studies and the union representative. -
Teaching or examinations conducted at a different educational site from where one is primarily employed are assigned a norm according to the following key:
- Kolding – Odense: 2 hours per teaching session
- Kolding – Sønderborg: 2 hours per teaching session
- Sønderborg – Odense: 4 hours per teaching session
- Slagelse – Odense: 2 hours per teaching session
For travel to multiple educational sites, the highest norm applies.
Compensation can also be granted for travel related to supervision, such as for BA projects and theses, but supervision of students at campuses other than the employee's main campus should, as far as possible, be conducted virtually.
No compensation is given for travel to staff meetings with the expectation of physical attendance at other campuses, as travel expenses are reimbursed. -
Agreed between Parties A and B on 8th February 2022
It has been agreed that compensation is not automatically granted if an academic staff member has subject responsibility for many courses.
It is possible for the head of the department – after specific assessment – to allocate individually decided compensations to academic staff who have subject responsibility for courses taught by a part-time lecturer (DVIP) who is not yet independent or requires mentoring in connection with course planning and execution. Compensation is given for ad hoc mentoring of less experienced part-time lecturers.
Such individually allocated compensations are financed from the department's normal operations. The rationale is that the use of part-time lecturers (especially teaching assistants) represents a significant cost saving for a course, and it is reasonable to consider that the necessary colleague mentoring is currently a hidden cost of using part-time lecturers, which should be accounted for and covered by the department receiving the ECTS. -
A distinction must be made between full teaching courses, which are compensated according to the standard agreement's general rules for compensation, and individual teaching hours, which should be compensated by agreement with the head of the department.
When determining individual teaching hours, the head of the department must consider the actual expectations from the requester regarding the teaching course, participation in meetings, etc. -
For the coordination of ATU activities, 10 working hours are allocated.
For conducting activities related to ATU (e.g., in-depth seminars, workshops, introductory seminars, etc.), 3.5 working hours are allocated for the first hour and 1.25 working hours for each subsequent hour.
For conducting other recruitment activities (e.g., masterclasses for advanced subjects, workshops for high school classes, or similar), 3.5 working hours are allocated for the first hour and 1.25 working hours for each subsequent hour.
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