Understanding UCLA Faculty Compensation: A Comprehensive Overview
Understanding faculty salaries at a large institution like the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) requires navigating a complex landscape. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of UCLA faculty compensation, addressing various factors that influence salary levels and touching upon related issues such as salary equity and adjunct faculty positions.
The Base Salary and "Off-Scale" Components
The University of California (UC) system has established salary scales that determine the minimum pay based on rank and step at the time of appointment. These scales serve as a baseline, outlining the expected compensation for faculty members at different stages of their academic careers. The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See Table 3.
However, faculty salaries often extend beyond these base scales. "Off-scale salaries” and other components of pay, i.e. a salary that is higher than the published system-wide salary at the designated rank and step, are offered when necessary to meet competitive conditions. This allows UCLA to attract and retain top talent in a competitive academic market.
Factors Influencing Faculty Salaries
Several key factors influence a faculty member's salary at UCLA:
- Rank and Step: As faculty members progress in their careers, their rank (e.g., Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor) and step within that rank increase, leading to higher salaries.
- Department and Field: Salaries can vary significantly between different departments and academic fields. High-demand fields, such as engineering or computer science, may command higher salaries due to market forces.
- Experience and Qualifications: Salary is commensurate with education and experience. A candidate's prior experience, qualifications, and research record play a crucial role in determining their initial salary and subsequent raises.
- Negotiation: While the UC salary scales provide a framework, individual faculty members may have the opportunity to negotiate their salaries, particularly when receiving an initial offer or when presented with a competing offer from another institution.
- Merit and Performance: Faculty salaries are also impacted by performance reviews, which is based on research, teaching, and service.
Adjunct Faculty Positions
Adjunct faculty positions represent a distinct category within UCLA's academic workforce. "The UCLA Department of Economics invites highly qualified applicants for an Adjunct faculty position to begin July 1, 2026. This is a temporary, non-tenure teaching track appointment. Responsibilities will include research, teaching, and service. The ideal candidate must have strong teaching skills as evidenced by significant prior classroom experience and teaching evaluations. Prior experience in large class settings is valued. Adjunct re/appointments are dictated by availability of departmental funds. The appointment can be on a short-term or a long-term basis (two years maximum allowable but with renewal for another two-year period). Ability to teach undergraduate courses in Statistics and Econometrics as well as Principles of Economics, Intermediate Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics is preferred. The ideal candidate will also have experience and enthusiasm for employing online tools in the classroom and as learning aids for students, as well as an interest in classroom innovations. Candidates are expected to have a Ph.D. in economics or in fields of comparable sophistication and should have the Ph.D. These positions are often temporary and part-time, and compensation structures can differ significantly from those of tenured or tenure-track faculty.
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Adjunct faculty are often hired to teach specific courses or fill temporary needs within a department. The appointment can be on a short-term or a long-term basis (two years maximum allowable but with renewal for another two-year period). Salary is commensurate with applicant qualifications and experience; percentage of appointment commensurate with teaching load. The posted UC salary scales set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See Table 3.
Salary Equity Initiatives
UCLA has demonstrated a commitment to addressing faculty salary equity through various initiatives. In February 2016, the Joint Senate-Administration Faculty Salary Equity Committee issued a report on the Senate Faculty Salary Equity Study for the General Campus. In follow-up, the Committee issued Recommendations in February 2017. In June 2018, the Joint Senate-Administration Faculty Salary Equity Committee issued a report on the Non-Senate Faculty Salary Equity Study, including Health Sciences Clinical faculty in the School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, and Adjunct faculty across campus. In July 2020, the Joint-Senate-Administration Faculty Salary Equity Committee issued the UCLA Faculty Salary Equity Report.
These studies analyze salary data to identify potential disparities based on gender, race, or other factors. The goal of these efforts is to ensure that all faculty members are compensated fairly and equitably for their contributions to the university.
Additional Considerations
- Total Compensation: It's important to consider total compensation, which includes not only salary but also benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and other perks.
- Cost of Living: The high cost of living in Los Angeles can impact the perceived value of a faculty salary.
- Funding Sources: Faculty salaries may be funded by a combination of state funds, tuition revenue, research grants, and private donations.
- Transparency: While individual faculty salaries are typically not public information, the UC system provides salary ranges and data on average salaries by rank and department.
Director Position at the Center for Resilience and Data Justice
The key responsibilities of the Director position, under the general guidance and direction of the Faculty Director of the Center for Resilience and Data Justice are listed below. This position will also collaborate with other leaders and campus entities involved with data-centric research. Within this collaborative context, the incumbent will have latitude to exercise expertise and knowledge to achieve the goals of the center. Propose, develop, implement and lead projects and programs that bear upon the intersection of data, technology, health, sport, ethics, and governance, including interdisciplinary collaborations with schools and departments at UCLA. Work with the relevant administration and faculty members to broaden and deepen curricular offerings addressing the societal implications of sport and health-related technologies. Depending on the candidate’s background, responsibilities may also include teaching one class per year, including clinical teaching, and overseeing student independent studies. Develop, coordinate, and support a world class and innovative research program in technology and human performance. The program should involve a balance of science and engineering projects-such as those using sensor-based, wearable, and optical technologies; marker-based and markerless motion analysis; biomechanical modelling; and applied data analytics and machine learning for sports performance optimization and injury risk reduction-and justice, power, and equity projects, such as those exploring the societal and ethical implications of data and data-informed technologies, particularly in relation to governance, accountability, privacy, security, labor, and ecology. Develop and lead fundraising activities to support the center’s mission, including public and private grants, major donors, events, annual giving, planned giving, endowment campaign, and in-kind support. Develop and lead high-value collaborations between UCLA and the high performance (Olympic) and professional sport sector in the capacity of Special Advisor, LA28. • A Ph.D. The successful candidate must have a Ph.D. Please procure three letters of recommendation for your application. As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Application Process
To apply, candidates must submit (a) a cover letter, (b) CV, (c) statement of research, (d) statement of teaching (e) the names of three individuals (additional 2 is optional), who may be reqwrite letters of recommendation. To ensure full consideration, completed applications must be submitted by March 31, 2026 (initial review), however, applications will still be accepted through June 30, 2026. After the initial review date, new applications will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled. Basic qualifications Candidates are expected to have a Ph.D. in economics or in fields of comparable sophistication and should have the Ph.D. Preferred qualifications Ability to teach undergraduate courses in Statistics and Econometrics as well as Principles of Economics, Intermediate Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics is preferred. Document requirementsCurriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V. As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
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UCLA's Commitment to Equal Opportunity
The University of California, Los Angeles and the Department of Gender Studies are interested in candidates who are committed to the highest standards of scholarship and professional activities, and to the development of a campus climate that supports equality and diversity. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age or protected veteran status.
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