Building an academic career: the case of part-time faculty

Abstract

This article offers an analytical examination of the strategies employed by part-time faculty (PTF) who simultaneously belong to the National System of Researchers (snii) as they seek to construct an academic career, drawing on the concept of Academic Investment Practices (PIA). The study focuses on the case of the University of Guadalajara (udeg) in Mexico. The participating faculty members are affiliated with two different university centers within the same institution. This is a qualitative case study based on semistructured interviews used for data collection; the data were systematized and interpreted through selective coding. The findings reveal how the identified practices operate—across both formal and informal arenas—particularly insofar as they are oriented toward each faculty member’s individual and professional objectives. The article concludes with a set of reflections and final considerations regarding this group of actors and the ways in which they enter and remain within the academic profession.