An Overview of Dual-Career Assistance Programs at Four-Year Higher Learning Institutions

An obstacle to hiring faculty is the inability to offer a spouse or partner an appropriate faculty position or other employment. The development of clear dual-career faculty hiring policies can be a significant step forward in establishing a consistent approach to securing employment for spouses or partners of intended faculty hires. Dual-career programs at a variety of universities were analyzed to determine if any common features existed that could be adapted by a university seeking to implement such a program. This paper presents the results of that study, including recommendations for universities to consider as they develop dual-career hiring programs.