Salary
An important question to consider before applying for a professorship is that of compensation. The remuneration of professors at universities of applied sciences (HAW) is governed by the W Salary Regulations.
This regulation distinguishes between three salary grades:
- W1: Junior professorships, early-career professorships, tandem professorships
- W2: “primary” professorships with teaching duties
- W3: “full” professorships with teaching and research responsibilities
The primary focus of a university of applied sciences is on knowledge transfer and teaching, even though practice-oriented research plays a major role. Accordingly, most professorships at universities of applied sciences are advertised in pay grade W2.
When considering whether a HAW professorship is financially worthwhile, it is important to remember when calculating the salary that payroll deductions are manageable. Civil servants are exempt from social security contributions, and if you switch to private health insurance, the premiums are not deducted from your salary.
Consequently, the net income is higher than that of non-tenured university staff with the same gross salary.
Performance-based pay
In addition to the base salary, professors have the opportunity to receive various performance-based bonuses. These bonuses may be awarded in particular for outstanding achievements in research, teaching, the arts, continuing education, and the promotion of early-career faculty.
Furthermore, performance-based pay may be awarded for assuming a so-called functional position or a special role within the university administration or university leadership. These functional positions include, for example, the office of the Equal Opportunity Officer as well as positions in the deans’ offices or the rector’s office. The respective
university is responsible for awarding performance-based pay, including the award processes.
