Salaries of Professors
September 20th, 2007
Someone left a comment asking about the pay of university dons. Here’s what I got (based on a thread in Expat Singapore Forum):
Professor S$178,750 – S$270,875
Associate Professor S$108,625 – S$204,875
Assistant Professor S$71,500 – S$121,690
If you think the numbers look high, recall that NTU Professor Bryan Ngoi Kok Ann, who was found guilty of lying to CPIB, could afford to give his mainland Chinese mistress a $7,000-a-month allowance and expensive gifts like a $11,000 Chopard watch. (ST, 26 September 2006)
And remember Chua Choong Tze? He was the youngest assistant professor in Singapore at the time he joined SMU to teach and research in finance. It was said that a person with his credentials can “earn at least US$100,000 at any good American university for a nine-month contract.” And he was just 23. (ST, 20 July 2003)
In comparison, an R&D manager makes only $7,890.
but in 3 or 4 years time, unless space aliens land here on...
looks right Says:
September 22nd, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Your numbers look quite right when compared with the salaries from the Ivy League universities:
http://www.yale.edu/oir/open/pdf_public/W061_Fac_Sal_Ivys.pdf
(the numbers there are in U.S. dollars)
MJ Says:
November 25th, 2007 at 10:10 am
hi,
thanks for the info..
I’m wondering however, if the stated salaries for profs are annual salaries, i.e. you’re comparing annual salaries of profs with the monthly salary of the r&d manager? Because the pdf showing yale salaries do seem like annual ones =)
cheers
admin Says:
November 25th, 2007 at 7:05 pm
MJ, you are spot on. The comparison is perhaps not fair, given that $7,890 x 12 = $94,680 and it does not include performance bonuses. But it’s already the 75th-percentile research manager’s salary. Maybe what I should drive at is that a researcher working as a professor has better opportunities (in salary) than just a research manager.
MJ Says:
November 26th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
thanks for your clarification! =)
I know both professions are not easy, but hmm… maybe an r&d manager is ‘easier’ to become compared to an A/P, Prof, etc., hence the higher pay for the latter, i.e. not all r&d managers may be qualified to be professors.
MK Says:
January 5th, 2008 at 5:09 am
The Assist Prof (AP) salary has a big varation. how about a person joining as AP from top 5 universities in US and has 3+ years post PhD experience?