How much does a professor of photography make?

Answer 1

Varies greatly, as does the teaching load and other responsibilities such as committee work or other service. Another major factor is the rank of the Photography professor. For example, an adjunct photography professor might make as little as $1, 500 per class or as much as $7, 000 per class (3 credit hour/semester). Adjuncts receive no benefits. A full professor at a research 1 school might average around $80,000 a year or so for teaching 2-3 classes per semester. The answer overall is it could vary from adjunct teaching 6 classes a year and earning $9,000 a year on the low end and a full professor earning $80,000 a year on the higher end of the spectrum. As you might guess tenure track positions in photography that lead you to become a full professor are difficult to come by. I have heard some equating getting one of these tenure track jobs in photography with winning the lottery, due to their rarity and element of chance (i.e...talent, experience, and hard work do not guarantee you a tenure track teaching position!).