• IPEDS 2003–04
• Focus of This Report
• Selected Findings

Prior to the inception of IPEDS, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collected data from approximately 3,600 institutions of higher education through its Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS) program. HEGIS was conducted from 1966 until 1985, when NCES expanded its collection to include all postsecondary institutions.

Participation in IPEDS was a requirement for the 6,568 institutions that participated in Title IV federal student financial aid programs such as Pell Grants or Stafford Loans during the 2003–04 academic year. Title IV schools include traditional colleges and universities, 2-year institutions, and for-profit degree- and non-degree-granting institutions (such as schools of cosmetology), among others. In addition, the four U.S. service academies are included in the IPEDS universe as if they were Title IV institutions.

As the fall surveys were being conducted, information was received that 11 of these institutions closed or lost their Title IV eligibility after the 2003–04 collection cycle began; thus, 6,557 institutions and 83 administrative offices were expected to participate in the winter 2003–04 collection. In addition, the 83 administrative (central and system) offices were required to participate in only one of the component surveys, Fall Staff; the other two components—Employees by Assigned Position (EAP) and Salaries—were not applicable to them. The EAP component was required of all 6,557 Title IV institutions, and 6,550, or 99.9 percent, responded. The Salaries component was required of all 4-year Title IV institutions and 2-year degree-granting Title IV institutions. However, institutions were not required to respond to the Salaries component if all instructional faculty² were in the military, were part time, contributed their services, or taught clinical or preclinical medicine. As a result, for the winter 2003–04 collection, 4,152 institutions were required to complete the Salaries component. Of these, 4,149, or 99.9 percent, responded. The Fall Staff component was required of all Title IV institutions and administrative offices that employed 15 or more full-time employees.³ Thus, for the winter 2003–04 collection, 4,932 institutions and administrative offices were required to complete the Fall Staff component. Of these, 4,925, or 99.9 percent, responded.

Tabulations in this report present selected data collected during the winter 2003–04 IPEDS collection about faculty and staff employed at Title IV degree-granting institutions⁴ in the United States. Degree-granting institutions are those offering associate's, bachelor's, master's, doctor's, and first-professional degrees.

Employees at Title IV degree-granting institutions⁵

• Title IV degree-granting institutions in the United States employed almost 3.2 million individuals in fall 2003 (table 1). Of those employed, 2.3 million were professional staff (including faculty) and 0.9 million were nonprofessional staff.
• About two-thirds of all staff (65 percent) were employed full time, and over half (53 percent) were women (table 1).
• Over two-thirds of all staff (68 percent) were employed by public institutions, 29 percent were employed by private not-for-profit institutions, and only 3 percent of staff were employed by private for-profit institutions (table 1).
• Faculty⁶ constituted 37 percent of all staff, other professional staff⁷ accounted for 34 percent, and the remaining 29 percent were nonprofessional staff (table 1).⁸

Table 1. Employees at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by control of institution, employment status, gender, and professional status: United States, fall 2003

²Other professional staff include those in executive, administrative, and managerial positions; instruction/research assistants; and others in administrative and professional (support/services) positions.

³Nonprofessional staff include those in technical/paraprofessional, clerical/secretarial, skilled crafts, or service/maintenance positions.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data are for institutions with 15 or more full-time employees.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Winter 2003–04, Fall Staff component.

Faculty at Title IV degree-granting institutions⁹

• About 630,000 full-time faculty were employed at Title IV degree-granting institutions in fall 2003 (table 2).
• More men than women were employed full time as faculty in fall 2003 (61 percent and 39 percent, respectively) (table 3). This proportion varied somewhat by length of contract; men constituted 54 percent of full-time faculty with less-than-9-month contracts, 59 percent of full-time faculty with 9/10-month contracts, and 64 percent of full-time faculty with 11/12-month contracts.
• The majority of full-time faculty at Title IV degree-granting institutions were White, non-Hispanic (about 80 percent), while 15 percent were races other than White, non-Hispanic,¹⁰ 3 percent were nonresident aliens,¹¹ and 1 percent were of unknown race/ethnicity (table 3).
• More than 40,000 full-time faculty were employed by degree-granting institutions in each of the following three states—California, New York, and Texas—while degree-granting institutions in Alaska, Delaware, and Wyoming employed less than 2,000 full-time faculty (table 4).
• Of the full-time faculty employed at Title IV degree-granting institutions in fall 2003, 71 percent were employed under 9/10-month contracts, 29 percent were employed under 11/12-month contracts, and less than 1 percent were employed under less-than-9-month contracts (figure 1).
• About 45 percent of all full-time faculty at Title IV degree-granting institutions were tenured in fall 2003 (table 5). An additional 20 percent were nontenured but in tenure-track positions. Thirty-five percent of all full-time faculty at Title IV degree-granting institutions were not on tenure track or were employed at institutions that do not have a tenure system.
• About 48 percent of full-time faculty at public institutions had tenure, as opposed to 40 percent at private not-for-profit institutions and 3 percent at private for-profit institutions (tables 5 and 6).
• Overall, a greater proportion of full-time faculty at 4-year institutions than at 2-year institutions had tenure (tables 5 and 6). At public 4-year institutions, 50 percent of full-time faculty had tenure, while at public 2-year institutions 43 percent of full-time faculty had tenure (table 5). Likewise, at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions, 41 percent of full-time faculty had tenure, while at private not-for-profit 2-year institutions 10 percent of full-time faculty had tenure. At private for-profit institutions, the percentage of full-time faculty who had tenure was slightly greater at 2-year institutions than at 4-year institutions (3 percent and 2 percent, respectively).
• In fall 2003, a greater proportion of men than women had tenure (table 6). Approximately one-half, 50 percent, of men in full-time faculty positions had tenure, while 36 percent of women in full-time faculty positions had tenure.
• Over 47 percent of full-time White, non-Hispanic faculty members had tenure, while 42 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander full-time faculty members, 41 percent of Hispanic full-time faculty members, and 38 percent of Black, non-Hispanic full-time faculty members had tenure (table 6).

Table 2. Employees at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by employment status, gender, control of institution, and primary occupational activity: United States, fall 2003

¹Faculty include only those staff whose principal activity is instruction, research, or public service; full-time staff who teach one or two courses are not included as faculty, unless this is their primary activity.

NOTE: Data are for institutions with 15 or more full-time employees.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Winter 2003–04, Fall Staff component.

Table 3. Full-time faculty at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by contract length, gender, and race/ethnicity: United States, fall 2003

NOTE: Faculty include only those staff whose principal activity is instruction, research, or public service; full-time staff who teach one or two courses are not included as faculty, unless this is their primary activity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Data are for institutions with 15 or more full-time employees.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Winter 2003–04, Fall Staff component.

Table 4. Full-time faculty at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by race/ethnicity and state: Fall 2003

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Winter 2003–04, Fall Staff component.

New hires at Title IV degree-granting institutions¹²

• Approximately 127,000 new staff were hired by degree-granting institutions for full-time permanent employment between July 1 and October 31, 2003 (table 7). Of these, 36 percent were for faculty positions, 28 percent were for other professional positions including support and service, and 14 percent were for clerical and secretarial positions.
• Public institutions hired more than 73,000 employees between July 1 and October 31, 2003; of these, nearly 29,000, or 39 percent, were in faculty positions. The majority of new hires in private not-for-profit institutions were also for faculty positions (32 percent); however, private for-profit institutions hired a larger percentage of employees for other professional (support/service) positions (45 percent).
• The majority of new hires (55 percent) were women (table 7). Considering race/ethnicity, 68 percent of new hires were White, non-Hispanic, while 11 percent were Black, non-Hispanic. Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders each represented 6 percent of new hires, and less than 1 percent were American Indian/Alaska Native. The remaining were either nonresident aliens (5 percent) or their race/ethnicity was unknown (3 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Winter 2003–04, Fall Staff component.

Employees by place of employment

• Title IV degree-granting institutions had 3.2 million employees in fall 2003, of which 300,000 were employed by medical schools (table 8).
• About 82 percent of the 300,000 medical school employees were employed full time and 18 percent were part time. These proportions were very different among other employees in Title IV institutions (those not employed in medical schools), where about 63 percent were full time and 37 percent were part time.¹³

• During the 2003–04 academic year, full-time instructional faculty on less-than-9-month contracts earned an average salary of about $30,000 (table 9). In general, salaries varied by rank, with faculty holding higher ranks earning higher average salaries. Among full-time instructional faculty on less-than-9-month contracts, professors earned an average salary of just over $50,000 and associate professors earned an average salary of just under $50,000, while assistant professors averaged about $39,000, instructors averaged $27,000, and lecturers earned an average salary of $18,000.
• During the 2003–04 academic year, full-time instructional faculty on 9/10-month contracts earned an average salary of about $63,000 (table 10). Salaries varied by rank, with faculty holding higher ranks earning higher average salaries. Among full-time instructional faculty on 9/10-month contracts, professors earned an average salary of $85,000 and associate professors earned an average salary of $62,000, while assistant professors averaged $52,000, instructors averaged $49,000, and lecturers earned an average salary of $44,000.
• In general, men earned higher average salaries than women (table 10). Male faculty with 9/10-month contracts earned an average salary of $68,000, and female faculty with contracts of the same length earned an average salary of $55,000. Similarly, male professors with 9/10-month contracts earned an average salary of $88,000, and female professors with 9/10-month contracts earned an average salary of $77,000.
• Full-time instructional faculty on 11/12-month contracts earned an average salary of about $71,000 (table 11). Faculty on 11/12-month contracts earned the following average salaries: professors earned an average salary of $101,000, associate professors earned an average salary of $77,000, assistant professors earned an average salary of $68,000, instructors earned an average salary of $46,000, and lecturers earned an average salary of $53,000.
• Male faculty with 11/12-month contracts earned an average salary of $76,000, while female faculty with 11/12-month contracts earned an average salary of $62,000 (table 11). Likewise, male professors with 11/12-month contracts earned an average salary of $105,000, while female professors with 11/12-month contracts earned an average salary of $89,000.
• The most common fringe benefits offered to full-time instructional faculty are retirement plans and medical/dental plans (table 12).

¹The other jurisdictions surveyed in the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System are American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Northern Marianas, Palau, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

²Instructional faculty are those whose specific assignments customarily are made for the purpose of providing instruction or teaching, or for whom it is not possible to differentiate among teaching, research, and public service because each of these functions is an integral component of their regular assignment. They are reported as "primarily instruction" or "instruction combined with research or public service" on the Employees by Assigned Position component.

³Fall Staff data are required biannually in odd-numbered years.

⁴The Title IV degree-granting institutions in the United States described in this report are a subset of all institutions surveyed in winter 2003–04. They include 4,235 of the 6,557 Title IV institutions required to complete the Employees by Assigned Position component, 4,060 of the 4,152 Title IV institutions required to complete the Salaries component, and 3,923 of the 4,857 Title IV institutions required to complete the Fall Staff component. (Appendix tables A1 and A1a in the full report include administrative offices that were also required to complete the Fall Staff component.)

⁵Includes only those institutions with 15 or more full-time employees.

⁶Faculty include those staff whose principal activity is instruction, research, or public service; full-time staff who teach one or two courses are not included as faculty, unless this is their primary activity.

⁷Other professional staff include those in executive, administrative, and managerial positions; instruction/research assistants; and others in administrative and professional (support/services) positions.

⁸Nonprofessional staff include those in technical/paraprofessional, clerical/secretarial, skilled crafts, or service/maintenance positions.

⁹Includes only those institutions with 15 or more full-time employees.

¹⁰Races other than White, non-Hispanic include Black, non-Hispanic; Hispanic; Asian/Pacific Islander; and American Indian/Alaska Native.

¹¹A nonresident alien is a person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely. Nonresident aliens are reported separately rather than included in any of the following five race/ethnicity categories: White, non-Hispanic; Black, non-Hispanic; Hispanic; Asian/Pacific Islander; and American Indian/Alaska Native.

¹²Includes only those institutions with 15 or more full-time employees.

¹³Percentages were calculated based on the numbers provided in table 8.

View More Tables:

• Table 5. Full-time faculty at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by tenure status and control and level of institution: United States, fall 2003
  
• Table 6. Full-time faculty and full-time faculty with tenure at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by control and level of institution, gender, and race/ethnicity: United States, fall 2003
  
• Table 7. New full-time hires at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by control of institution, primary occupational activity, gender, and race/ethnicity: United States, fall 2003
  
• Table 8. Employees at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by employment status, place of employment, control of institution, and primary function/occupational activity: United States, fall 2003
  
• Table 9. Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty on less-than-9-month contracts at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by academic rank, gender, and control and level of institution: United States, academic year 2003–04
  
• Table 10. Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty on 9/10-month contracts at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by academic rank, gender, and control and level of institution: United States, academic year 2003–04
  
• Table 11. Average salaries of full-time instructional faculty on 11/12-month contracts at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by academic rank, gender, and control and level of institution: United States, academic year 2003–04
  
• Table 12. Fringe benefits of full-time instructional faculty at Title IV degree-granting institutions, by contract length and control of institution: United States, academic year 2003–04