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Professor Salaries by State and Rank

Oct 14, 2026

Short answer: full professors averaged $163,836 in 2025-26, associate professors $113,427 and assistant professors $97,232 , according to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). Where you teach matters almost as much as your rank: average faculty pay ranges from $68,170 in Arkansas to $126,502 in Massachusetts . Hover over the map to see your state. By the AcademicCareers.com editorial team · Updated October 14,...

What It Costs to Post a Faculty Job

Oct 12, 2026

Short answer: one faculty job posting on the major U.S. higher-education job boards costs $295 to $435 at published list prices checked in October 2026. Because the boards keep ads up for different lengths of time, compare the cost per 30 days instead: about $173 to $218 on the boards that run ads for 60 days, and under $100 on AcademicCareers.com, which runs them for 90. Bundles, annual plans and free channels lower the cost of every...

How to Write a Faculty Cover Letter

Oct 09, 2026

Short answer: a faculty cover letter makes the case, in your own voice, that you are the colleague a particular department needs. In one to two pages for most fields, sometimes three in the humanities and social sciences, it introduces you and the position, summarizes your research and teaching with one concrete example each, explains why this institution, and closes with what you've enclosed. Rewrite the paragraph about fit for every job....

Pay Transparency Laws for Job Ads in 2026

Oct 06, 2026

Short answer: as of October 2026, 14 states and the District of Columbia require a pay range in job ads, and in most of them the rules reach colleges and universities. Connecticut joined on October 1, 2026, and Delaware follows on September 26, 2027 . Nevada and Rhode Island require the range only after an interview or on request. Hover over the map for each state's rules. By the AcademicCareers.com editorial team · Updated October 14,...

How to Write an Academic CV

Oct 01, 2026

Short answer: an academic CV is a complete record of your scholarly work with no page limit: education, appointments, publications, grants, presentations, teaching, mentoring and service, each listed most recent first. Contact details and education come first; after that, order the sections by what the job values most. Research universities want publications and grants up front, teaching-focused colleges want teaching, and adjunct searches...

How to Write a Teaching Philosophy

Sep 24, 2026

Short answer: a teaching philosophy statement is a one- to two-page essay, written in the first person, that shows a search committee what you want students to learn, how you teach and how you know it is working. The statements committees remember are built on specific examples from your own classes and tailored to each institution's students. Below: brainstorming questions, a structure, rewrites from four fields, a sample opening and...

Faculty Interview Questions and Answers

Sep 21, 2026

Short answer: most faculty searches have two interview rounds: a short first-round interview with the search committee, now usually by video, and a campus visit of one or two days for a few finalists. The questions are predictable: your research, your teaching, how you support and mentor students, service and fit, and what you would need to succeed. Practice 30 of them with the flashcards below, then read three sample answers and a campus...

Where to Advertise Faculty Jobs

Sep 16, 2026

Short answer: advertise in several places at once. Post on a general higher-education job board that e-mails your ad to matching job alerts, on your field's association job list, and on your own careers site with job data Google can read. Then spread the word through graduate programs, mailing lists and colleagues. For fall faculty searches, post in August or September, keep the ad up until the position is filled, and ask every applicant...

The Academic Hiring Calendar

Sep 10, 2026

Short answer: most full-time faculty searches for the next academic year open between August and November , interview over the winter and make offers by spring, while staff, adjunct and postdoctoral hiring runs all year. Our own records show the rhythm: 46.5 percent of all job postings bought on AcademicCareers.com since August 2019 were placed between August and November, and October alone brings about three times as many as June. Tap a...

How to Write a Faculty Job Ad That Works

Sep 03, 2026

Short answer: a faculty job ad works when a qualified candidate can tell from the first few lines what the job is, where it is, what it pays and when to apply. Put the rank and field in the title, open with a two-sentence summary, list required and preferred qualifications separately, give a salary range, which 14 states and the District of Columbia now require, and set a review date. Paste your own ad into the checker below to see what it...

A Faculty Search Committee Checklist

Aug 27, 2026

Short answer: agree on the criteria, the rubric and the timeline before the ad goes up, and post in August or September. Score every application against the same rubric with two readers, ask every candidate the same core questions, and keep candidates informed at each stage. Most faculty searches hold first-round interviews from November to January and campus visits from January to March, and make offers between February and April. The...

Adjunct Professor Pay Per Course (2026)

Aug 20, 2026

Short answer: adjunct professors were paid an average of $4,093 for a standard three-credit course in 2024-25, according to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), and CUPA-HR's median was $1,166 per credit hour, or $3,498 a course . The 2026-27 pay scales published by 28 colleges on our map run from $1,485 to $12,201 per course. Hover over the map to see examples from your state. By the AcademicCareers.com editorial...

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