Types of Academic Faculty

  • Instructional faculty: Persons teaching, tutoring, instructing, and lecturing in the activity of imparting knowledge.
  • Research faculty: Persons with advanced scientific or academic training who are actively engaged in the research field, responsible for identifying research problems, developing designs or hypotheses, analyzing results of research investigations, reaching conclusions, publishing the results of research and investigations, and obtaining research grants or funding.
  • Library faculty: Persons with a degree of at least Master of Library Science from an accredited institution, employed in NSHE libraries, and provide professional library services and directly support teaching and research.

General Academic Salary Schedule

The general academic salary schedules apply to faculty in all other disciplines with the exception of academic faculty in business, dental medicine, engineering, and law.

The Nevada System of Higher Education's (NSHE) Board of Regents periodically updates salary ranges for academic faculty.

Ranges are adjusted based on a review of faculty salaries at other institutions of higher learning. Ranges also are updated to reflect cost-of-living increases when given by the Nevada Legislature and approved by the NSHE Board of Regents.

The academic faculty salary schedules show the minimum, median, and maximum salary ranges for faculty by academic rank (instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor).

Salary formulas and calculators are available for those formulating salaries for new hires

General Faculty Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $93,500 $118,690 $143,770 $168,960 $194,150
Associate Professor $67,625 $85,822 $104,019 $122,217 $140,414
Assistant Professor $60,513 $76,822 $93,130 $109,439 $125,748
Instructor $52,737 $66,959 $81,180 $95,401 $109,623

General Faculty Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $112,200 $142,340 $172,590 $202,730 $232,980
Associate Professor $81,149 $102,986 $124,824 $146,660 $168,497
Assistant Professor $72,617 $92,187 $111,757 $131,327 $150,897
Instructor $63,285 $80,351 $97,416 $114,481 $131,547

Discipline-Specific Academic Salary Schedule

The below discipline-specific salary ranges apply to academic faculty in business, dental medicine, engineering, and law.

Business Faculty (Accounting – Finance) Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $175,935 $197,926 $219,919 $241,911 $263,902
Associate Professor $137,812 $155,040 $172,266 $189,492 $206,719
Assistant Professor $130,921 $147,287 $163,651 $180,017 $196,382
Instructor $64,178 $72,201 $80,223 $88,245 $96,268
Business Faculty (Marketing, Management, Prod/Ops, HR, Int'l, MIS) Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $165,151 $185,794 $206,438 $227,082 $247,726
Associate Professor $137,544 $154,737 $171,930 $189,123 $206,316
Assistant Professor $133,320 $149,985 $166,650 $183,315 $199,980
Instructor $54,786 $61,634 $68,483 $75,330 $82,179
Economics Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $139,955 $157,450 $174,944 $192,438 $209,933
Associate Professor $115,990 $130,488 $144,987 $159,486 $173,984
Assistant Professor $106,576 $119,897 $133,219 $146,541 $159,862
Instructor $56,874 $63,984 $71,093 $78,202 $85,312
Engineering Faculty  Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $130,144 $146,412 $162,680 $178,948 $195,216
Associate Professor $97,636 $99,855 $110,950 $134,250 $146,454
Assistant Professor $79,286 $81,088 $90,098 $109,018 $118,929
Instructor $62,950 $70,819 $78,687 $86,557 $94,425
Law Faculty  Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $151,580 $161,370 $184,250 $209,550 $233,310
Associate Professor $134,334 $143,326 $152,318 $161,311 $170,302
Assistant Professor $101,626 $116,082 $130,539 $144,997 $159,453
Instructor N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Business Faculty (Accounting – Finance) Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $211,122 $237,512 $263,902 $290,292 $316,683
Associate Professor $167,416 $188,343 $209,270 $230,197 $251,123
Assistant Professor $159,443 $179,374 $199,305 $219,236 $239,166
Instructor $78,266 $88,050 $97,833 $107,616 $117,400
Business Faculty (Marketing, Management, Prod/Ops, HR, Int'l, MIS) Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $198,180 $222,954 $247,726 $272,499 $297,271
Associate Professor $165,053 $185,684 $206,316 $266,948 $247,579
Assistant Professor $159,984 $179,982 $199,980 $219,978 $239,976
Instructor $66,812 $75,164 $83,515 $91,867 $100,218
Economics Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $167,946 $188,939 $209,933 $230,926 $251,920
Associate Professor $139,186 $156,585 $173,984 $191,382 $208,781
Assistant Professor $127,890 $143,877 $159,863 $175,848 $191,835
Instructor $69,359 $78,030 $86,699 $95,369 $104,039
Dental Medicine Faculty Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $165,606 $186,307 $207,008 $227,709 $248,410
Associate Professor $119,899 $134,886 $149,873 $164,860 $179,848
Assistant Professor $100,873 $113,483 $126,092 $138,701 $151,311
Instructor $66,871 $75,230 $83,589 $91,948 $100,307
Engineering Faculty  Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $156,173 $175,694 $195,216 $214,738 $234,259
Associate Professor $117,163 $131,809 $146,454 $161,099 $175,745
Assistant Professor $96,690 $108,777 $120,863 $132,949 $145,035
Instructor $76,769 $78,513 $95,961 $105,557 $115,152
Law Faculty  Minimum Q1 Mid Q3 Maximum
Professor $181,940 $193,600 $221,100 $251,460 $279,950
Associate Professor $161,201 $171,330 $182,782 $193,573 $204,362
Assistant Professor $121,950 $139,299 $156,647 $173,996 $191,344
Instructor N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Merit Pay

The last merit approved by Nevada legislature was in FY24, it designated a 1% merit overall salary pool for effective 7/1/23. Visit the merit guidelines webpage for historical information.

Evaluation Process

Academic faculty must be evaluated once per year. The Office of Faculty Affairs and the Provost handle this process. Evaluations are usually conducted in January and February. Employees are evaluated by the calendar year starting in January and ending in December.

Retention Incentive Bonus

The Nevada Legislature approved Assembly Bill 522 that includes four retention incentive payments of $250 for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, less standard deductions, to permanent employees who are employed in an academic or administrative faculty or classified position that is no less than half-time (0.5 FTE).

Eligibility Criteria 

To be eligible for retention payments, individuals must: 

  • Be a regular appointed part-time or full-time academic faculty, administrative faculty, or classified employee. 
  • Have a base salary of $120,000 or less

Tax Implications

The retention incentive payments are wages; therefore, Medicare tax and Federal Income tax will be withheld.

Ineligible Employees

Employees under the following classifications are ineligible for retention incentive payments:

  • Letter of Appointment
  • Part-time Instructors
  • Temporary Hourly
  • Student Employees
  • Graduate Assistants
  • Postdoctoral Scholars
  • Select Head Coaches

Payment Schedule

FY 24-25 Payment Schedule
Academic and Administrative Faculty Monthly

Emloyed on

Academic and Administrative (monthly) 

09/30/2023 11/01/2023
12/31/2023 02/01/2024
03/31/2024 05/01/2024
06/15/2024 06/30/2024 (off regular pay cycle)
09/30/2024 11/01/2024
12/31/2024 02/01/2025
03/31/2025 05/01/2025
06/15/2025 06/30/2025 (off regular pay cycle)
 

Longevity Pay

The passage of Assembly Bill 522 included a program to encourage employee continuity of service, also known as longevity. Under this program, eligible employees will receive semi-annual payments based on their years of service beginning in December 2023. 

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for semi-annual longevity payments, individuals must: 

  • Be a regular appointed part-time or full-time academic faculty, administrative faculty, or non-CBA covered classified employee 
  • Have eight (8) or more years of continuous state service. 
    • “Continuous state service” for longevity purposes includes uninterrupted service within the branches of state government, and uninterrupted service with NSHE as classified employees or academic and administrative faculty in regular non-temporary positions. 
  • Be employed within NSHE on the first of the month prior to the longevity payment. 
  • Have received a rating of satisfactory or higher on their most recent performance evaluation.

Ineligible Employees

Employees under the following classifications are ineligible for longevity payments:

  • Letter of Appointment (salaried and hourly)
  • Part-time Instructors
  • Temporary Hourly
  • Student Employees
  • Graduate Assistants
  • Postdoctoral Scholars
  • Classified employees under a collective bargaining unit (A,E,F,G) 

Additional Information

  • Longevity payments are retirement-eligible payments. 
  • Individuals employed for at least .50 FTE but less than 1.0 FTE during the six-month period prior to the longevity payment, will receive a prorated payment based on their average percentage of FTE for the six-month period prior to the corresponding longevity payment.
Longevity Payment Schedule for Eligible Academic and Administrative Faculty

Employee's years of service will be determined by rounding down to the nearest whole number. For example, an individual with 13.6 years would receive the payment of $225 for 13 years.

Quick Link: Nevada Board of Regents Policy on Longevity Pay, Chapter 3, Section 9

 
Years of Service June & December Payments
8 $100
9 $125
10 $150
11 $175
12 $200
13 $225
14 $250
15 $300
16 $350
17 $400
18 $450
19 $500
20 $550
21 $600
22 $650
23 $700
24 $750
25 $825
26 $900
27 $975
28 $1,050
29 $1,125

30+

$1,200

Cost of Living Adjustments

The Nevada Legislature meets every two years to discuss cost of living adjustments (COLA) as a part of the budget for the coming biennium, and has approved cost of living adjustments.

Below are the eligibility guidelines and an update to the “COLA History” cost of living adjustments approved by the Nevada legislature effective October 1, 2024.

Who is Eligible?
An employee is eligible to receive COLA if they were hired in an eligible position on or prior to June 30, 2024.* (unless indicated otherwise by their contract/offer)
Eligible Employees: All non-temporary regular continuing academic and clinical faculty.
Ineligible Employees: Postdoctoral Scholars, Temporary Faculty, Letter-of-Appointment Faculty, Medical Residents, Student Employees, Graduate Student Employees (TAs and RAs), and Volunteers, Adjunct Faculty and Emeritus Faculty (unpaid)
Ineligible Criteria:
  • Eligible employees who receive a permanent change to salary on or after July 1, 2024 are ineligible for COLA.
  • Employees who move to an ineligible position, move from full-time to part-time (below 50% FTE), or change from regular to temporary after June 30, are ineligible to receive COLA.
  • If an employee is eligible for COLA but terminates employment prior to October 1, 2024,  the employee will not receive COLA.
  • Exceptions TBA by Academic Resources

Effective Date Percentage Note
July 1, 2024 11% Classified Staff/AFSCME and NPU Classified Staff
October 1, 2024 11% Administrative Staff and Academic (non clinical faculty)
October 1, 2024 4% Clinical Faculty
Effective Date Percentage Note
July 1, 2023 4% Clinical Faculty, Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine
July 1, 2023 12% Academic and Administrative and Faculty
July 1, 2023 12% Classified Staff
July 1, 2023 13% AFSCME and NPU Classified Staff
Effective Date Percentage Note
July 1, 2022 1.0% AFSCME classified staff will receive a 3% cost of living increase for FY23.

July 1, 2021

0.0%

 

July 1, 2020

0.0%

 

July 1, 2019

3.0%

 

July 1, 2018

3.0%

 

July 1, 2017

3.0%

 

July 1, 2016

2.0%

 

July 1, 2015

1.0%

 

July 1, 2014

0.0%

 

July 1, 2013

0.0%

 

July 1, 2012

0.0%

 

July 1, 2011

0.0%

 

July 1, 2010

0.0%

 

July 1, 2009

0.0%

 

July 1, 2008

4.0%

 

July 1, 2007

2.0%

 

July 1, 2006

4.0%

 

July 1, 2005

2.0%

Step 10 added to the classified schedule

July 1, 2004

2.0%

 

July 1, 2003

0.0%

 

July 1, 2002

4.0%

 

July 1, 2001

4.0%

 

July 1, 2000

0.0%

Classified received 2.0% COLA, UNLV Faculty Senate voted to forego COLA.

July 1, 1999

0.0%

 

July 1, 1998

3.0%

 

July 1, 1997

3.0%

 

July 1, 1996

3.0%

 

July 1, 1995

4.0%

Classified received 5.0% COLA, Faculty Merit pool was increase from 2.0% to 2.5%.

July 1, 1994

0.0%

 

July 1, 1993

0.0%

 

July 1, 1992

0.0%

 

July 1, 1991

4.0%

 

July 1, 1990

5.0%

 

July 1, 1989

5.0%

 

Eligible employees are expected to see new COLA inclusive salaries on October 1st (for monthly).

An initial mass load to process increases for employee’s COLA is expected to be completed by central human resources sometime in the Fall, prior to October. Further information will be distributed in the upcoming months.

It is the departments/HR liaison responsibility to review all department employee records and ensure accuracy and report to Human Resources prior to payout of the first COLA inclusive paycheck.

Employees should contact their home department/HR liaison to report any errors.

Departments/HR liaison Responsibilities include:

  • Review all employee records to ensure accuracy.
  • Review all employee records to ensure employee who have receive COLA meet eligibility guidelines distributed.
  • Report any mistakes to Human Resources to address prior to payout and by stated deadlines.
  • Ensure compensation history and grade placements are accurate for the employee.
  • Run reports as necessary to ensure appropriate active compensation and compensation history is accurate.
  • Addressing overpayment and underpayments for processing and, notifying employees if errors have occurred. 

Permanent Change to Base Salary

Employees may request a permanent change to base salary. Final action for each request is made by the appropriate Vice President, the Executive Vice President and Provost, or the President and communicated to the employee.

Request Process

Request Type Instructions
Reason A: Requests based on a perceived inequity among similarly situated peers (not based on a protected class).
  1. Faculty member prepares and submits a request to immediate supervisor. Requests can also be initiated by a supervisor on the faculty member’s behalf in a proactive manner, with the faculty member’s agreement.
  2. Supervisor reviews request (and can prepare additional documents as it relates to the request). This is not an approval or denial step, but a notification to the supervisor that a perceived inequity exists and that the faculty requests a review.
  3. The supervisor submits the materials to the appropriate administrative head for review. The head may add additional context to the request, but must forward for analysis to the academic compensation team at academiccomp@unlv.edu with attached justification and employee resume.
  4. The Academic compensation team reviews the request and provides recommendation.
  5. Academic Resources, the Provost, and President will review and approve.
Reason B: Requests based on perceived inequity (based on a protected class)
  1. Faculty prepares request and submits request to the Office of Equal Employment & Title IX for an official review. Requests can also be initiated by a supervisor on the faculty member’s behalf in a proactive manner, with the faculty member’s agreement.
  2. The Office of Equal Employment & Title IX investigates claim and completes official review
  3. Notification of decision sent directly to faculty member, appropriate administrative head, and when applicable Human Resources and Academic Resources
Reason C: Requests based on significant change in job responsibilities
  1. Faculty member and supervisor prepare materials to include with their case for salary review. Requests can also be initiated by a supervisor on the faculty member’s behalf in a proactive manner, with the faculty member’s agreement.
  2. The supervisor submits the materials to the appropriate administrative head for review and approval. If the administrative head is not in agreement, they will notify the supervisor and faculty member.
  3. Academic compensation team reviews the request and provides recommendation
  4. Recommendation sent by Academic Resources to the Provost, and President for final review and approval.

Adjustments to salary are contingent on funding. Approved salary adjustments are reported yearly to the Faculty Senate. Adjustments that exceed 10% of base salary are reported to NSHE.

Appeals Process

What is the process? How would someone begin an appeal?

Should an academic faculty member desire to appeal the salary decision of the vice president, the executive vice president and provost, or the president they may do so under the provisions of the UNLV Bylaws found in Section 6.5 and 6.6; which state:

6.5 Reasons for Personnel Action Denials. In accordance with the Nevada System of Higher Education Code, Chapter 5, Section 5.2.3, a faculty member may request the reasons for denial of appointment with tenure, salary increases, promotion or reappointment. (Salary increases include merit awards.) Also see UNLV Bylaws, Chapter III, Section 16.8.

6.6 Reconsideration of Personnel Action Denials. In accordance with the Nevada System of Higher Education Code, Section 5.2.4, a faculty member may request reconsideration of any personnel action denying appointment with tenure, salary increases, promotion or reappointment. (Salary increases include merit awards). Also see UNLV Bylaws, Chapter III, Section 16.9. The Office for Academic Resources will review requests for reconsideration, and forward recommendation to the Executive Vice President and Provost. Final action shall be taken within a reasonable time by the Executive Vice President and Provost.

The Office for Academic Resources will review requests for reconsideration and forward recommendation to the Executive Vice President and Provost. Final action will be taken within a reasonable time by the Executive Vice President and Provost.

Tenure and Promotion

Tenure is awarded after a lengthy review and evaluation process handled by the Office of Faculty Affairs.

Contact

If you have any questions, please contact your college’s compensation and classification specialist.

Title IX

UNLV does not discriminate in its employment practices or in its educational programs or activities, including admissions, on the basis of sex/gender pursuant to Title IX, or on the basis of age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race, color or religion pursuant to Title 4, Chapter 8, Section 13 of the NSHE Handbook.

Reports of discriminatory misconduct, questions regarding Title IX, and/or concerns about noncompliance with Title IX or any other anti-discrimination laws or policies should be directed to UNLV’s Title IX Coordinator Michelle Sposito. The Title IX Coordinator can be reached through the online reporting form, by email at titleixcoordinator@unlv.edu, by phone at 702-895-4055, by mail at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 451062, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-1062, or in person at Frank and Estella Beam Hall (BEH), Room 555.