Tenured faculty members are eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave of absence of one academic year (i.e., the sabbatical year) at half-salary, or one academic semester at full-salary after 12 semesters of full-time service at Boston College. A sabbatical year at half-salary counts as one semester of service, and faculty fellowships, leaves of absence, and semesters at reduced pay, including 80 percent sabbaticals, do not qualify as full-time service. However, there are two exceptions to this rule
- approved medical leaves of a temporary duration, including maternity leaves
- partial or full externally funded buyouts of a semester's salary, or a prestigious national award that pays salary.
Although sabbatical leaves are restricted to tenured faculty members, an assistant professor who has completed ten semesters of full-time service at the University, and who applies for promotion to the rank of associate professor with tenure, may also apply for sabbatical leave. In such cases the award of sabbatical leave will be contingent on the faculty member’s promotion.
Applications of tenured faculty members for sabbaticals are to be submitted by October 15, prior to the academic year for which the sabbatical is requested. Applications are submitted to department chairpersons in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Carroll School of Management, and to deans in the other schools, both for initial and subsequent sabbaticals. Faculty members applying for sabbaticals subsequent to their first BC sabbatical must append an updated report* of their previous sabbatical accomplishment to the application. The University reserves the right to enter into a special agreement concerning the time of the first sabbatical leave for a faculty member who comes to BC from another institution or organization. Any special agreement should be made in writing at the time of the faculty member’s appointment. Evaluations and recommendations of applications are made at the departmental level by the chairperson in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Carroll School of Management, subject to review and further evaluation by the dean of the respective school. In other schools the evaluations and recommendations are made by the dean. Evaluations and recommendations are forwarded to The Provost and Dean of Faculties for a final decision.
Faculty members on sabbatical leave may not accept gainful employment without the express written permission of the Provost. Since a sabbatical leave is considered part of the faculty member’s regular employment, all benefits are continued by the University during the leave. However, during a full-year sabbatical, retirement plan contributions, which are a percentage of salary received, will be reduced to an amount proportional to the actual salary paid.
*Within six weeks of the start of the next semester, faculty members should submit electronically to their deans and the Provost's Office a report on the work they accomplished during the sabbatical leave.
Description of Eighty Percent Sabbatical