Art professors are paid to instruct students in theory, composition and art history.
A total of 86,860 individuals were employed as art professors in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau projects that the number of jobs for college professors will grow by 15 percent from 2008 to 2018. The average annual salary and pay scale for art professors varies by location and the type of institution at which they teach.
Pay Scale
The average salary earned by art professors was $70,850 per year in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bureau indicates that the middle 50 percent of all art, drama and music teachers earned between $45,010 and $85,330 per year. The median salary for art professors was $62,040 per year in 2010, while the highest-paid educators in this field made more than $120,800 per year. At the low end of the pay scale were those professors who made less than $33,170 per year.
Employers
The type of institution that the art professor works for plays a role in determining her annual salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 61,460 professors worked in four-year colleges and universities earning an average annual salary of $71,250, as of 2010. A smaller number, 17,320, worked for junior colleges and made an average annual salary of $72,990 per year in 2010. Instructors in trade and technical schools made considerably less at $51,500 per year, according to the bureau.
States
Where an art professor works also plays a role in determining her salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 13,490 art, drama and music professors employed in California in 2010, the most of any state. These professors made an average annual salary of $95,760 per year, according to the bureau. The bureau indicates that the highest average salaries were earned by those in New York, at $99,630 per year in 2010.
Metro Areas
Some cities naturally attract more art students than others and have higher numbers of art professors working in them as a result. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that Los Angeles and New York were the cities with the largest number of professors in art, drama and music. According to the bureau, these professors earned average salaries of $95,050 and $107,970, respectively. The highest paying metro area for art professors was Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at $111,660 per year in 2010.
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