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[zupixx]

OK, so the Chronicle has a database of salary range per university, but that doesn't really help if you're in the humanities.

The average salary for an assistant professor in the humanities, so I understand (and please correct me on this if I'm wrong), will always be less than the averages posted there, because those figures reflect the salaries of finance/econ/business/law/engineering etc. professors, who earn much more.

So - is there a way for me to know what would be the salary range for a TT assistant professor in the humanities for a specific university before I get an offer from them? If there's no such database, can anyone contribute from his/her own experience, including differences between public/private/SLAC?

[systeme_d_]

The figure range is going to vary widely, depending on such factors as urban v. rural, and other market factors.

At most public universities, salary information is available to anyone who inquires.  Just get in touch with the library of the university in question, and ask.  Usually a reference librarian will be able to help.  If you know, for example, that Jane Doe is a second year assistant professor in the department, her salary will be a very good benchmark for you.

Some private universities also have this information available through their libraries as well.

Some universities even post this information online.  You may have to search for it, though.  Payroll and Personnel office websites are the first places to look.

[the_honey_badger]

Be careful of some of the "wiki" info---the figure someone estimated (on one linked here this year) says to "expect" is WAY out of line for my university.  I don't know what the formula is that was used but 42-44K not 50-52K is what you are going to get. 

[prytania3]

An actual salary figure is only going to help you if you compare it to the cost of living in the particular area. I'm a full professor and I make in the 6 figures, but in my area, trust me, I'm not living like a queen. I could make a lot less somewhere else and enjoy a much higher standard of living.

[wanna_writemore]

Find an online cost of living calculator as you consider salaries.

[katherineparr]

How about some brass tacks?

I'm in History, and my salary is about 45k. I'm about halfway to tenure.

In my field, salaries vary widely, based mostly on the type of institution (so far as I can tell). For example, an elite private college I know of has a rule that all faculty salaries must be essentially the same, so history faculty make the same as Econ, etc. Thus, the first-year pay there was 57k (and the area was cheap, so that was great).

Keep in mind, too, that salary is only the first part of the equation. There's also: merit pay (our university has a system but never gives any merit pay), permanent salary increases for publishing (usually a book in my field), salary increases at tenure, and available money to cover research and materials.

So I have a friend at another state university like mine, and he started at 40k. But he got a raise every year (COLA plus a raise for merit) and he will get a "book-bump" of about 5k on his base, plus he negotiated a raise after going on the market his third year, plus he'll get a big tenure bump because it's a percentage of his pre-tenure salary. So he's now making 55k, and will likely go to 65 or so at tenure in a couple of years. And he lives someplace cheap. He also received a 15k grant his first year, to cover a computer, materials, and travel for research.

As a final note, some university salaries can be accessed through online sources. For example, in my state the newspaper has a searchable database online for all state employees, including faculty at all public univerisities.

I second Prytania: it's all about where you live. But as she would doubtless point out (being a whiz with money, as she is), you need to look at the big picture, not just the salary.

[prytania3]

Katherineparr is exactly right about the raise situation, though. A very important point.

You may start at a place with a very high salary, but if you aren't getting raises along the way, then in a few years, you will be out of luck. As I said, I'm making well over 6 figures now, but I started at my college 15 years ago with a salary of 29K for an instructor. I work for a state cc with a union, so we have gotten a cola raise almost every year, plus I have gotten raises for promotions and longevity. As you can see, those raises really add up.

[larryc]

Great point about raises, Pry and Katherine. My current school pays assistant profs pretty well, but your salary hardly goes up at all with promotion.

[zharkov]

Also, keep in mind that while some schools pay a premium, say, to business profs, not all schools do that.

So the average starting pay for an assistant prof may apply to business, history, bio, and so on.

Another thing to keep in mind, even if a school pays business profs more, get a sense of how many business profs there are on the faculty.  If there are 100 profs, and only 10 are in business, then that average figure will be closer to what they'd pay a history prof.