What Is the Average Pay of a College Professor?
College professors teach a variety of academic courses in various settings such as laboratories, classrooms and lecture halls. Some college professors conduct additional research in their field of study. A successful college professor has the ability to multitask and communicate with students of all backgrounds. Professors earn salaries based on several factors such as academic rank, institution type and region.
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Salary by Region and Academic Rank
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According to the American Association for University Professors survey, New England professors earned $128,032 per year, followed by professors employed in the Middle Atlantic area, who earned $123,652. Professors in the Pacific region earned $116,452 in the 2010-2011 academic year. South Atlantic region professors brought in $107,588, while East North Central professors received $107,039. West South Central professors earned $101,134. Professors in the East South Central, West North Central and Mountain regions earned $95,183, $95,677 and $99,148, respectively.
Salary by Gender
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Male professors employed in public institutions earned $109,451. Female professors working in a public institution earned $96,156. The association reports that private-independent universities paid male professors $136,283, while female professors received $17,365 less with an annual salary of $118,918. The association reports that male and female professors teaching at religiously affiliated universities earned the lowest salaries of $98,251 and $87,925, respectively.
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School Type and Compensation
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Compensation refers to the average salary and benefit contributions made by the institution. The association survey reports that professors in public institutions received compensation of $135,122. Professors employed by private-independent universities received an annual compensation of $166,074, while religiously affiliated universities paid an overall compensation of $121,537. Salaries without benefit contributions were $105,780 for professors employed in public colleges, $131,589 for professors of private-independent colleges and $95,163 for professors employed by religiously affiliated colleges.
Benefits
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Professors teaching in public colleges receive $23,103 in benefits, or 29.5 percent in addition to annual salary, according to the American Association of University Professors. A professor employed by a private-independent university receives $26,211 in benefits, which averages out to 27.7 percent of overall compensation. Religiously affiliated universities pay $20,899 in benefits, which computes to 28.7 percent of total compensation.
Salary by Academic Discipline
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According to The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, professors specializing in legal professions and studies earned $134,162. Engineering professors followed with an annual salary of $114,365. Business professors received an annual compensation of $111,621, while neurobiology and neurosciences professors earned $110,892. Computer professors received $101,985 in the 2010-2011 academic year.
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