Professors at Pittsburgh campus exceed national salary averages

By SUSAN JONES

According to the annual American Association of University Professors’ Faculty Compensation Survey, full-time faculty salaries nationwide are up an average of 2 percent this academic year, but Inside Higher Ed reports that when adjusted for a 1.9 percent inflation rate, salaries were flat.

Professors at Pitt’s Oakland campus met or exceeded the national salary averages for public institutions and for all doctoral-granting colleges. Instructors, though, despite having the largest percentage increase (4.1 percent) at Pitt, were substantially behind the national averages.

At the regional campuses, only Pitt–Johnstown full professors exceeded the average for public baccalaureate-granting colleges, and some of the numbers for associate and assistant professors and instructors were substantially lower than the national average. 

The data includes instructional and research staff from 952 reporting institutions who work full time and whose primary role is instruction. The calculations exclude medical school faculty members, those with faculty status who are primarily administrative officers, and graduate teaching assistants.

It's important to note that the average salaries can reflect changes in personnel, such as when longtime full professors retire.

PITTSBURGH CAMPUS

Full professors

Pitt: $156,700, up 2.4 percent from $153,000 in 2018. Average change for continuing faculty (those who were full professors in 2017-18 and remained in 2018-19) was 3.4 percent.

National average for doctoral-granting universities: $154,983 (up 9.5 percent) overall; $141,314 (up 8.3 percent) for public colleges. 2018: $141,476 and $130,376

Associate professors

Pitt: $103,200, up 2 percent from $101,100. Continuing faculty: Up 3.3 percent

National: $101,296 (up 1.5 percent) overall; $96,650 (up 3 percent) for public colleges. 2018: $99,820 and $93,785

Assistant professors

Pitt: $87,000, up 1.6 percent from $85,600. Continuing faculty: Up 3.3 percent

National: $87,954 (up 1 percent) overall; $84,062 (up 2.9 percent) for public colleges. 2018: $87,043 and $81,626

Instructors

Pitt: $57,900, up 4.1 percent from $55,600. Continuing faculty: Up 4.1 percent

National: $65,961 (up 0.5 percent) overall; $62,659 (up 0.6 percent) for public colleges. 2018: $65,606 and $62,259

REGIONAL CAMPUSES

Three of Pitt’s regional campuses — Johnstown, Greensburg and Bradford — are baccalaureate-granting schools. Titusville falls into category III of the AAUP report — associate’s with ranks.

Full professors

Johnstown: $99,800, up 2.9 percent from $97,000 in 2018. Average change for continuing faculty: Up 2.9 percent

Greensburg: $84,700, up 2.1 percent from $82,900 in 2018. Continuing faculty: Up 2.7 percent

Bradford: $87,400, down 1 percent from $88,300 in 2018. Continuing faculty: Up 3.3 percent.

National: $105,864 (up 16 percent) overall; $93,924 (up 1.5 percent) for public colleges. 2018: $90,879 and $92,458

Associate professors

Johnstown: $73,900, up 2.3 percent from $72,200. Continuing faculty: Up 3 percent

Greensburg: $72,100, up 0.1 percent from $72,000. Continuing faculty: Up 3.2 percent

Bradford: $75,800, up 3.6 percent from $73,100. Continuing faculty: Up 3.7 percent

National: $80,818 (up 10 percent) overall; $77,765 (up 3.7 percent) for public colleges. 2018: $73,387 and $75,007

Assistant professors

Johnstown: $59,500, up 1.5 percent from $58,600. Continuing faculty: Up 5.1 percent

Greensburg: $65,100, up 3.9 percent from $62,600. Continuing faculty: Up 4.4 percent

Bradford: $62,500, up 2.9 percent from $60,700. Continuing faculty: Up 2.7 percent

National: $67,545 (up 6.1 percent) overall; $66,516 (up 3.6 percent) for public colleges. 2018: $63,616 and $64,206

Instructors

Johnstown: $51,000, up 0.6 percent from $50,700. Continuing faculty: Up 3.8 percent

Greensburg: $46,200, up 3.1 percent from $44,800. Continuing faculty: Up 6.6 percent

Bradford: $50,400, up 1.4 percent from $49,700. Continuing faculty: Up 2.4 percent

National: $65,462 (up 14 percent) overall; $58,995 (up 5.1 percent) for public colleges. 2018: $57,222 and $56,100

Titusville

Associate professors: $69,300, up 2.6 percent from $67,500 from 2018. Continuing faculty: Up 2.6 percent. National: $74,444, up 5.7 percent from $70,403

Assistant professors: $63,100, up 2.1 percent from $61,800. Continuing faculty: Up 2.2 percent. National: $63,868, up 5.1 percent from $60,728

Instructors: $49,100, up 2.2 percent from $48,000. Continuing faculty: Up 2.2 percent. National: $65,004, up 16 percent from $56,008

GENDER BREAKDOWN

The average salaries of men and women at the same rank also were analyzed in the AAUP report, which uses the term "Salary Equity" to refer to the ratio between the average salary for women by rank divided by the average men’s salary, times 100.

For example, if an institution had an average woman’s salary for an assistant professor of $100,000 and an average man’s salary for an assistant professor of $100,000, the gender equity ratio would be at 100.0, or parity. A ratio below 100 indicates the cents on the dollar of an average woman’s salary below a man’s average salary at that rank, and a ratio above 100 indicates the average woman’s salary above a man’s average salary at that rank.

Pittsburgh

Full professors: 89.0

Associate professors: 94.6

Assistant professors: 93.8

Instructors: 86.0

Johnstown

Full professors: 100.8

Associate professors: 93.4

Assistant professors: 94.9

Instructors: 88.3

Greensburg

Full professors: 94.0

Associate professors: 102.5

Assistant professors: 94.9

Instructors: 94.9

Bradford

Full professors: 102.7

Associate professors: 94.6

Assistant professors: 96.2

Instructors: 105.4

Titusville

Associate professors: NA

Assistant professors: 72.2

Instructors: 107.1

PRESIDENTIAL SALARIES

The AAUP report also delved into administrator salaries. The preliminary analysis showed that salaries for college and university presidents “continue to outpace those for faculty,” with presidents paid three to four times more than even the most senior faculty members at their institutions, on average, according to Inside Higher Ed.

At public doctoral universities the average presidential salary was $504,927, while the median was $482,125. For 2018, Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher was paid a base salary of $536,813. The Board of Trustees in January awarded Gallagher and five other Pitt administrators a 2.25 percent increase, bringing the chancellor’s salary to $555,000.

TOP-PAYING UNIVERSITIES

For 2018-19, UCLA had the highest average salaries for full professors at $214,000, followed by two other University of California schools — Berkeley ($201,700) and Santa Barbara ($187,500). Two other UC schools — San Diego (No. 7 at $178,900) and Irvine (No. 8 at $178,100) — made the top ten. The other top five schools were New Jersey Institute of Technology ($186,700) and Rutgers ($183,000). Rounding out the list were Virginia (No. 6 at $182,600), Texas at Austin (No. 9 at $175,700) and Michigan at Ann Arbor (No. 10 at $175,000)

The five top-paying private schools were Columbia, Stanford, Princeton, Harvard and University of Chicago, with average full professor salaries ranging from $259,700 to $241,900.

Susan Jones is editor of the University Times. Reach her at suejones@pitt.edu or 412-648-4294.