A recent study conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education has revealed the highest-paid College professors in America. The study looked at salaries for full-time, tenured professors from over 1,000 colleges and universities; across the country. The top spot went to Stanford University’s Professor Robert M. Price, who made an annual salary of $822,632. Other high earnings included the University of Chicago’s Professor Louis A.
Simpson (annual salary of $769,272) and Columbia University’s Professor Eric S. Maskin (yearly salary of $746,484). While these professors make a sizable salary, they also have a hefty workload. Price, for example, teaches five courses per year and researches game theory and its application to social issues.
The Highest Paid College Professors In America
10. Graeme Rankine: $493,000
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education report, Graeme Rankine, a mathematics professor at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, is the highest-paid college professor in America. Professor Rankine made $493,000 in 2013. Rankine’s salary is more than twice that of the second-highest-paid professor on the list, Lawrence Grafstein of Yeshiva University, who made $225,000.
Other top earners include Leonard Susskind of Stanford University ($425,000), Stuart Firestein of Columbia University ($422,000), and Freeman Dyson of the Institute for Advanced Study ($410,000). The Chronicle’s report is based on federal data from the 2013 calendar year. It includes salaries for full professors only; part-time and adjunct professors are not included.
9. Steven Weinberg: $536,000
In America, the top earners in the field of college professors are those who teach mathematics and physics. Steven Weinberg, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, is the highest paid, with an annual salary of $536,000.
Weinberg’s research on elementary particle theory has won him numerous awards, including the Nobel Prize in 1979. He has also written several popular science books, including The First Three Minutes and Dreams of a Final Theory. Other top-earning math and physics professors include Peter Lax of New York University ($500,000) and Leonard Susskind of Stanford University ($490,000). All three earn more than any other professor in the United States.
8. Andrew Inkpen: $566,000
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s report on the highest-paid college professors in America, Andrew Inkpen of Washington State University earns a salary of $566,000. Coming in second is Marcia McNutt of the California Institute of Technology, who makes just over a half-million dollars at $531,000.
The third spot goes to Harvard’s Lawrence Summers, who brings in $485,000 annually. These figures show that while higher education may be facing budget cuts and tuition hikes, those at the top are still doing very well. And while it is unclear exactly how much value these professors add to their institutions, one thing is for sure: they are making a lot more money than the average professor.
7. Kannan Ramaswamy: $700,000
Kannan Ramaswamy is a college professor who makes more than $700,000 a year. Ramaswamy is a biology professor at the University of California, San Diego. He has been teaching for more than 25 years and has published more than 150 papers.
Ramaswamy’s high salary is partly due to his work on stem cells.
In 2012, he was awarded a $700,000 grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to study how to turn human skin cells into heart cells. Other top-paid professors include Saul Lerman of the University of Michigan, who makes $662,000 a year, and Lawrence Principe of Johns Hopkins University, who makes $629,000 a year.
6. Andrew M. Isaacs: $709,000
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, America’s highest-paid college professors are all from private universities. The top spot goes to Andrew M. Isaacs from Columbia University, who made $709,000 in 2012. Other top earners include Leonard Garment from New York University ($688,000) and Harvey Weinstein from the University of Southern California ($663,000).
While these salaries may seem excessive, it’s important to note that private university professors typically have more research opportunities and earn more money from outside grants and contracts. In addition, many of these professors are also responsible for running large departments or institutes. Still, the high salaries paid to college professors will raise eyebrows and spark debate about whether or not they are worth the cost.
5. Dan J. Laughhunn: $1.03 million
According to a study done by The Chronicle of Higher Education, the highest-paid college professors in America are all from private universities. The top spot goes to Dan J. Laughhunn from Northwestern University, who made $1.03 million in 2013. Coming in second is Gordon E.
Moore from Caltech, who made $908,518, and third is David F. Swensen from Yale, who made $852,564. These professors teach at highly selective private universities that often have large endowments. While it’s not surprising that professors at wealthy schools make more money than their counterparts at public universities, the gap between the highest and lowest earners is enormous. For example, the lowest-paid professor on the list made just $17,000, while the average salary was $272,000.
4. William E. Fruhan Jr.: $1.19 million
The Chronicle of Higher Education released its report on the highest-paid college professors in America. William E. Fruhan Jr., a professor at Harvard University, topped the list with a salary of $1.19 million. Coming in second was Robert J. Zimmer, president of the University of Chicago, who made just over $1 million.
The top 10 earners on the list work at private universities, with seven from Ivy League schools. The public university with the most representatives on the list was the University of California, Los Angeles, where three professors made appearances.
Salaries for college professors have been rising in recent years as universities compete for top talent. However, criticism has been that these salaries are becoming increasingly out of reach for students and families.
3. Dean Takahashi: $2.6 million
It’s no secret that college professors make a lot of money. But, which ones make the most? According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the answer is Dean Takahashi. Takahashi, a mathematics professor at the University of California at Berkeley, made $2.6 million in 2014. That’s more than any other professor in America.
Takahashi’s salary is high because he has patented several mathematical formulas and licensed them to software companies. He also earns royalties from his books.
In addition to his teaching duties, Takahashi spends a lot of time consulting businesses and giving speeches. So while Takahashi is the highest-paid professor in America, he is not the only one making a lot of money.
2. Zev Rosenwaks: $3.3 million
Zev Rosenwaks, a mathematics professor at Columbia University, is America’s highest-paid college professor. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s annual report on faculty salaries, Rosenwaks earned $3.3 million in 2013. That’s more than any other professor at an American university.
Rosenwaks is not alone among Columbia professors at the top of the salary list. Seven of the ten highest-paid professors in America work at Columbia. The university pays its professors well; the average salary for a full professor at Columbia is $216,600.
The high salaries are essentially a result of Columbia’s large endowment; the university has nearly $9 billion in assets. But some say that there is also a culture of competition among professors at elite universities to earn the most money.
1. David N. Silvers: $4.33 million
David N. Silvers, a professor of medicine at Columbia University, is the highest-paid college professor in America, raking in $4.33 million in total compensation during the 2016-2017 academic year. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education data, that’s more than any other professor at an American university.
Silvers’ salary and bonus totalled $3.3 million, while his other pay — such as money from grants and investment income — amounted to another $1 million. That’s more than the presidents of Yale and Brown’s universities made during the same period.
Columbia University defended Silvers’ pay, saying that he has been a leader in developing new treatments for diseases such as hepatitis C and is one of the world’s foremost experts on liver disease.