Information for FSU Postdoctoral Administrators and PIs

• The appointee was awarded a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate (e.g., Sc.D., M.D.) in an appropriate field within 5 years prior to appointment. Exceptions can be made on an individual basis when justifiable and accompanied by supporting documents with prior approval from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
• The appointment is a temporary traineeship; with a maximum total tenure of 4 years at FSU. Under special circumstances as approved in advance by the provost, postdoc appointments may be renewed for an additional year for a maximum of five years total. At the end of the training period, it is expected that the postdoc will move into a non-postdoctoral position either at FSU or elsewhere.
• The appointment is viewed as preparatory for the trainee's career.
• The appointment involves substantial mentored training in a field relevant to the trainee's career path, including research, scholarship, or teaching.
• The appointee works under the mentorship of a faculty member.
• When appropriate and with the approval of the advisor the appointee is encouraged to publish research or scholarship results during the period of the appointment.
• All appointments will be classified as a postdoc under the employee class in OMNI.

Hiring Procedures and Coding Recommendation

There are two classifications for Postdoctoral Scholars on campus.

• Postdoctoral Scholar (hired under job code M9189 - domestic or job code M9189N - international)- This classification is for an OPS appointee who is a regular FSU employee working more than 30 hours/week and who is covered by the Affordable Care Act. This type of scholar is typically paid by FSU or a grant administered by FSU. The scholar has access to faculty insurance plan options, Bencor Retirement plan, Seminole Savings, and Florida prepaid tuition plans.

• Postdoctoral Courtesy Appointment (hired under job code H9189)- This classification is for an OPS appointee who is a non-faculty visitor at FSU. This type of scholar is not paid by FSU but rather the scholar's home country, institution, or other program. This classification also comprises scholars appointed on NIH training grants. The scholar may have access to the wellness center student insurance plans depending upon funding source for position, if and as required by the state of Florida. All Postdoctoral Courtesy Appointments should also be guided by important policies referenced in the "Unpaid Visiting-Scholar Researcher Policy" that pertain to their classification as postdocs.

Hiring Letter Templates

All Postdoctoral offer letter templates can be found at hr.fsu.edu

• Sample Postdoctoral Scholar Offer Letter Template (Updated February, 2024)
• Sample Continuation Letter for Postdoctoral Scholars beyond year 1 (Updated October, 2022)
• Sample Courtesy Postdoctoral Scholar Offer Letter Template (Updated August, 2014)
• Appointment Paperwork Matrix (See page 6 for OPS appointments)

Inviting an Unpaid-visiting Scholar?

If you are hosting an unpaid-visiting scholar, there are specific documents and policies that pertain to this special class of investigators when performing research at Florida State University. Generally the paperwork demand requires a minimum of 6 months prior to anticipated date of arrival. Typically these scholars are faculty when hosted on sabbatical, but can also be postdoctoral in classification.  Postdocs that are hired under the Postdoctoral Courtesy Appointment should also be guided by policies governing the broad classification of unpaid-visiting scholar.

Click here to be transferred to the Unpaid-visiting Scholar website and the policies that govern this classification.

Minimum Salary Requirements

(Effective 18 November 2016)

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Postdoctoral Advisory Board, in conjunction with the Provost’s Office, require a minimum annual compensation level for all postdoctoral scholars of $47,658.  

On May 18, 2016, President Obama and the Department of Labor updated the regulations of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) in which the threshold salary for exempt status changed from $455 to $913 a week.  In order for an employee to be exempt from overtime pay for all work performed over 40 hours per week, they must now earn $913 per week.  In light of these legal changes, the University set a new minimum salary in 2016 for full-time postdocs in all departments at the new FLSA salary minimum, $913 per week/$47,658.60 annually.  

• FAQ from NSF Holders regarding new FLSA salary minimum.
• FAQ from NIH Holders regarding new FLSA salary minimum.
• Further guidance regarding new FSU postdoctoral salary policies can be found at the FSU Human Resources FLSA website .

(New Update - 3 July 2024)

In the Fall of 2023, the Postdoctoral Advisory Board in conjunction with the Postdoctoral Association completed a salary analysis that demonstrated that the mean postdoctoral stipend at FSU was $52,000 independent of discipline, gender, or years of experience.  President Biden and the Department of Labor have implemented new updates to the FLSA that are being rolled out in two stages - one that started on July 1, 2024, that is focused on changes that affect university staff and not postdocs, and a second one that will start on January 1, 2025, that would affect postdoctoral scholars.  The salary threshold for exempt status is scheduled to change to $58,881.60 annually.  If the FLSA is withheld in court (it is currently being challenged), then FSU administration will accept this new level as the new minimum postdoctoral stipend.

All extramural proposals submitted from FSU are directed to continue to use the 2016 base rate or higher, commensurate with discipline specialty.  We understand that different specialty fields in private and federal programs will have different salary standards, but all postdocs at FSU must continue to minimally start at the 2016 base of $47,658.60.  If your postdoctoral scholar is currently supported by your NIH grant, their own NIH grant, or an institutional training grant, the NIH rates for FY 2024 are listed below and should be used when submitting NIH proposals.  Please budget for your postdoctoral scholar when preparing NIH proposals according to their year of experience as well as progressive raises.  PIs are encouraged to use the 2024 NIH table as a guide for suggested salaries when preparing applications to other sponsors.  

As January 1, 2025 approaches, we will provide guidance in transitioning postdoctoral salaries to any change in base rate as a new minimum salary at FSU.  As in previous times of salary adjustments, the Office of Research will inform us of potential bridge awards that will assist in gaping the funding of current awards that may be at a lower salary rate than any proposed new rate.

Please address questions you might have concerning the FLSA or minimum postdoctoral salaries at FSU when establishing hiring contracts to Debi Fadool, Director of the OPDA.

The new adjustment of 2024 rates for NRSAs (F32) and institutional training grants are listed below as posted on April 23, 2024.  

- See more at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-24-104.html

Postdoctoral Scholars with Teaching Responsibilities

(Effective August 1, 2016)

Postdoctoral Scholars who have teaching duties as part of their job description at either the undergraduate or graduate level must have the following  –

A.  Appointment Qualifications

1. They must have a doctorate in a field of specialty commensurate with the teaching assignment.
2. Their position as instructor of record must be approved by the department chair.
3. They must have a named supervisor for their teaching assignment that can be their research or other faculty advisor.
4. They must attend the two-day Program for Instructional Excellence (PIE) Conference or have individualized and approved departmental training in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Discrimination-Sexual Harassment-Retaliation, Canvas and Technology Use, FSU Academic Honor Policy, and Syllabus Formulation. To register for the next scheduled PIE Conference, please click here.
5. The Scholar must have the same proficiency for English as required by a graduate teaching assistant at FSU.  Specifically, if the Scholar did not receive their doctorate at an American University or where English was the main language, they must score a 50 on the Speaking Proficiency English Assessment Kit (SPEAK) test ($60 fee) OR earn a 90% or better in the semester-long course EAP 4831 (Advanced Spoken English for ITAs)($2,163 tuition) OR score a minimum of 80 or greater on the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) including a minimum of 26 on the Speaking portion of the exam OR complete the 7 week summer Center for Intensive English Study (CIES) Program ($2,100 tuition).  The language standard must be met before the Scholar enters the classroom and is appointed as the Instructor of Record.

B.  Sustained Evaluation Qualifications

1. A performance evaluation as the Instructor of Record must be completed no later than three weeks after the close of each semester.  Please consult, as needed, the FSU Policy on Evaluation of Instructors of Record (http://policies.fsu.edu/ ).  Evidence of performance to be considered includes, for example, data from SPCI responses or supervisory classroom visitations. 
2. Reappointment at an Instructor of Record is contingent upon the results of the performance evaluation (form for such, can be found here http://fda.fsu.edu/).  

More information concerning the Postdoctoral Teaching Scholar Program in the College of Arts & Science, can be found here .