Research Leave, Sabbatical, and Other Types of Leave
Research leaves provide faculty with semesters free from teaching and service responsibilities to focus exclusively on research. The following types of research leaves are supported by Georgetown:
Non-competitive: Sabbaticals and Junior Faculty Research Fellowships (JFRF)
Competitive: External Fellowship Leave (EFL) available with the support of a significant external research fellowship, the Georgetown University Research Leave (GURL), awarded through the Provost’s internal grants program, and the Magis Prize for early-stage Associate Professors of exceptional creativity.
Details of each program can be found in the pages linked above. No other research leaves are permitted without explicit approval from the Office of the Provost.
All types of research leave are subject to the “3-in-4” rule: A maximum of three semesters of research leave can be taken in any four-year period, as well as the Faculty Handbook limit on leaves (Section III.C.10).
Leave requests are managed by each individual school and are available only to full-time tenure line faculty. Faculty requests for periods of leave need the approval of the Chair of their department, their Dean and the Provost. These leaves are processed on a rolling basis. For instructions on how to apply for these leaves in GMS, review the Application Process.
Notes: All of these approved research leaves count towards sabbatical credit. Faculty are permitted, and encouraged, to apply for other internal or external funding to cover complementary research costs incurred during periods of research leave. Similarly, multiple leaves (e.g., one JFRF plus one GURL), can be combined, subject to eligibility.
Chair’s Leave (typically granted after a faculty member has completed a term in an administrative role) and other contractually agreed leaves are not included in this 3-in-4 rule.
Faculty are guaranteed full continuation of salary and benefits during periods of research leave, except in the case when they elect to take a one-year sabbatical on half pay.
Policies Approved by Main Campus Executive Faculty, December, 2019, and endorsed by the Council of Deans, February, 2020.
The purpose of a sabbatical and other research leave is to promote research. Sabbatical leaves are usually devoted exclusively to carrying out a research project, but also may consist of a course of study designed to learn new research skills essential for future projects.
In addition to sabbatical other types of leave are available, including other research leave and personal leave. Applications for periods of sabbatical and other research leave should be submitted through GMS , in accordance with eligibility requirements. Requests for personal and other non-research leave should be made directly to the faculty member’s chair and dean.
Credit towards sabbatical leave accrues for semesters of teaching as well as semesters of research leave. Further, leaves received for performing substantial administrative service (e.g., “Chair’s leave”) also count towards sabbatical credit. Unpaid leaves, sabbatical leaves, medical leaves, and personal leaves (e.g., new parent leave) do not count towards sabbatical credit.
Requesting a leave:
A leave of any type should be discussed first with your department chair or program head and as soon as possible. Faculty members are urged to share information about their proposed research or personal leave plans to facilitate administrative planning for their time away from campus. However, it is understood that in some situations, such as a medical emergency, advanced planning is impossible.
Assistance and information also can be provided by the designated academic administrators in the School’s dean’s offices listed on the sabbatical leave page. A faculty member, department chairs and program heads may consult as needed with these administrators. In addition, the Office of Faculty Affairs, is available to provide assistance at viceprovostforfaculty@georgetown.edu .