College Professor Salaries Ranked

Find out how professors in different departments are paid.

If you’ve ever thought about working in higher education, then salary is probably one of the things that you’ve been most curious about.  Because professors perform many different duties, from publishing scholarly articles to conducting research to teaching classes, you would expect them to be compensated appropriately.  While the underlying requirements are about the same, professors are not paid the equally across all disciplines.  Refer to this ranking to see how professors in different departments are paid.

1) Law Professor

• Average: $164,977
• Salary Range: $115,475-$227,830

2) Medical Professor

• Average: $153,692
• Salary Range: $134,275-$210,573

3) Dentistry Professor

• Average: $129,430
• Salary Range: $106,008-$169,039

4) Civil Engineering Professor

• Average: $124,233
• Salary Range: $97,072-$159,844

5) Mechanical Engineering Professor

• Average: $123,932
• Salary Range: $98,440-$168,619

6) Accounting Professor

• Average: $121,338
• Salary Range: $91,537-$195,749

7) Business Professor

• Average: $117,694
• Salary Range: $90,551-$202,691

8) Economics Professor

• Average: $114,747
• Salary Range: $91,987-$198,663

9) Computer Science Professor

• Average: $111,158
• Salary Range: $87,867-$155,612

10) Architecture Professor

• Average: $107,562
• Salary Range: $83,268-$146,240

11) Physics Professor

• Average: $104,044
• Salary Range: $77,680-$168,477

12) Geosciences Professor

• Average: $102,841
• Salary Range: $79,850-$153,046

13) Chemistry Professor

• Average: $99,900
• Salary Range: $78,213-$168,789

14) Mathematics Professor

• Average: $98,212
• Salary Range: $75,863-$150,330

15) Psychology Professor

• Average: $96,923
• Salary Range: $76,873-$182,566

16) Philosophy Professor

• Average: $96,492
• Salary Range: $75,866-$153,280

17) History Professor

• Average: $96,245
• Salary Range: $74,607-$150,292

18) Sociology Professor

• Average: $94,797
• Salary Range: $78,268-$145,829

19) Biology Professor

• Average: $94,762
• Salary Range: $70,878-$153,510

20) Education Professor

• Average: $94,185
• Salary Range: $78,656-$163,075

21) Communications Professor

• Average: $92,715
• Salary Range: $74,700-$145,082

22) Nursing Professor

• Average: $92,590
• Salary Range: $74,591-$135,891

23) Drama Professor

• Average: $89,386
• Salary Range: $71,087-$135,011

24) English Professor

• Average: $88,629
• Salary Range: $71,896-$143,099

25) Music Professor

• Average: $88,288
• Salary Range: $71,641-$137,712

This is a comprehensive ranking of how professors in different departments are paid.  Interested in learning more about salaries in higher education or looking for a consulting firm with experience working in higher education?  Then don’t hesitate to contact the professionals at McKnight Associates, Inc.  We are ready to offer you hands-on human resources consulting for colleges, universities, medical centers, and organizations of all sizes.