Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between academic instructors and assistant professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an academic instructor and an assistant professor. Additionally, an assistant professor has an average salary of $87,099, which is higher than the $48,371 average annual salary of an academic instructor.
The top three skills for an academic instructor include mathematics, language arts and GED. The most important skills for an assistant professor are patients, public health, and pediatrics.
| Academic Instructor | Assistant Professor | |
| Yearly salary | $48,371 | $87,099 |
| Hourly rate | $23.26 | $41.87 |
| Growth rate | -6% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 51,190 | 30,531 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An academic instructor is responsible for all aspects of instruction and the students' learning experience. You will plan, prepare, and deliver lessons to your students and teach according to a student's educational needs, achievements, and abilities. In addition, you are expected to assess, record, and report the behavior, attainment, development, and progress of students. Other duties include promoting a student's well-being and progress in a certain course, guiding and advising students on social and educational matters, and ensuring to maintain high standards of teaching practice.
An assistant professor is an entry-level position who teaches in a university, conducts research, and assists senior professors. Assistant professors supervise undergraduate and graduate students at the same time provide professors and department heads with feedback on the progress of their students. To be effective in teaching and mentoring students, assistant professors must possess strong communication skills with advanced knowledge of their field. They must also have a Ph. D degree in the relevant academic discipline as well as teaching experience in a university setting.
Academic instructors and assistant professors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Academic Instructor | Assistant Professor | |
| Average salary | $48,371 | $87,099 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $69,000 | Between $50,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | Foster City, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | New Jersey Institute of Technology | UT Medical Group, Inc. |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between an academic instructor and an assistant professor in terms of educational background:
| Academic Instructor | Assistant Professor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between academic instructors' and assistant professors' demographics:
| Academic Instructor | Assistant Professor | |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 46.8% Female, 53.2% | Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 6.9% White, 60.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 17.4% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 16% |