University campuses carry a heavy load right now, with facility costs, swelling student debt and new disruptions from online learning challenging how colleges do business. Have you ever wondered which institutions still manage to pay their faculty most generously? We now have an idea—StateUniversity.com has published a list ranking universities by the average salary for full-time faculty members.
Education Dive looked at the list's top 10 entries and did what we could to find some background info. Here they are:
1. THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS M.D. ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
Average full-time faculty salary: $232,396
Despite the fact that the average full-time faculty salary at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center was the highest in the country in 2012, only 9.81% of their faculty actually teach. Perhaps that explains how the average salary at the #1-ranked cancer care center beats out the second highest school on this list by an incredible $60,000, which is a salary in and of itself.
2. NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL:
Average full-time faculty salary: $172,677
New York Law School is the only school on this list to report a significant drop in average full-time faculty salary, down from $183,550 in 2011. Not incredibly, this year's figure of $172,677 is still high enough for the New York Law School faculty to retain their status as having the second highest average salary in the country. The school's elevated position in the rankings may be explained by the notability of current faculty members, including Nadine Strossen, the longtime former President of the American Civil Liberties Union, and Seth Harris, presently on leave as the Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Labor.
3. MIDDLE TENNESSEE SCHOOL OF ANESTHESIA INC
Average full-time faculty salary: $166,620
Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc, a Seventh-Day Adventist school, offers a 28-month Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) program under the motto, "Reflecting Christ in Anesthesia Education". In the past year, the school has made an unbelievable leap up in the rankings — the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc had an average salary of $87,098 last year, which was good for 251st in the 2011 rankings. Rather noticeably, full-time faculty salaries at the school have nearly doubled since then.
4. WOLFORD COLLEGE
Average full-time faculty salary: $157,299
Another school offering CRNA accreditation, Wolford College provides students with their choice of a Masters of Science Nurse Anesthesia or a Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. Similar to the Middle Tennessee School of Anesthesia Inc, Wolford College also saw a big bump in average full-time faculty salary — up almost $20,000 from last year.
5. SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE OF LAW
Average full-time faculty salary: $155,098
The Houston-based South Texas College of Law boasts the fifth-highest average salary for full-time faculty members. The school is renowned as one of the country's best trial advocacy programs for law students, tied for fifth in US News & World Report's 2012 rankings.
6. BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL
Average full-time faculty salary: $154,076
Brooklyn Law School has the sixth-highest average salary for full-time faculty. The Brooklyn Law School is ranked 3rd for Part-time Law and 63rd for Law Schools, according to US News & World Report. The school boasts such renowned faculty as Elizabeth Schneider, a women's rights expert, and Susan Herman, the current President of the American Civil Liberties Union.
7. ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
Average full-time faculty salary: $151,358
Rockefeller University, a postgraduate and postdoctoral degree-granting institution, clocks in at seventh on this list. The school specializes primarily in biological and biomedical research. Currently, six members of its faculty are Nobel Laureates.
8. HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Average full-time faculty salary: $151,262
Stereotypically perceived as the most prestigious school in the country, Harvard University pays its professors accordingly. While a survey by the American Association of University Professors portrays a downward trend in compensation for professors, Harvard University remains the highest ranking private university — the average salary for a full professor is $198,400. Similarly, the #1-ranked school on the US News & World Report National Universities Rankings comes third on the list of salaries for full-time assistant professors, paying them an average of $109,800.
9. CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Average full-time faculty salary: $148,763
It comes as no surprise that the California Institute of Technology ranks highly on this list. The faculty at Cal Tech are among the most eminent scientists in the world, including 31 Nobel Laureates.
10. PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Average full-time faculty salary: $148,403
The second Ivy League institution on the list, Princeton University rounds out the top ten. The #1-ranked school on the US News & World Report National Universities Rankings (tied with Harvard) also has the fifth-highest average salary ($193,800) for full professors at private institutions. Current notable faculty members include Jeffrey Eugenides, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, and Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize-winning economist and op-ed writer for The New York Times.
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