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Adjunct associate professor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an adjunct associate professor. Adjunct associate professors usually study psychology, business, or nursing. 47% of adjunct associate professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 959 real adjunct associate professor resumes to see exactly what adjunct associate professor education sections show.

The most common colleges for adjunct associate professors are the New York University and the New York University.

There are also many online adjunct associate professor courses to help get the education required to be an adjunct associate professor.

What education do you need to become an adjunct associate professor?

What degree do you need to be an adjunct associate professor?

The most common degree for adjunct associate professors is bachelor's degree, with 47% of adjunct associate professors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 24% and master's degree degree at 22%.
  • Bachelor's, 47%
  • Master's, 24%
  • Doctorate, 22%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an adjunct associate professor?

You should major in psychology to become an adjunct associate professor. 11% of adjunct associate professors major in psychology. Other common majors for an adjunct associate professor include business and nursing.

Most common colleges for adjunct associate professors

Adjunct associate professors often get their degrees at New York University, University of Maryland - College Park, and University of Texas at Austin. Here are the most common colleges for adjunct associate professors in the US based on their resumes.
Adjunct associate professor common collegePercentages
New York University9.16%
University of Maryland - College Park7.63%
University of Texas at Austin6.87%
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill6.11%
Pennsylvania State University5.34%

Best majors for adjunct associate professors

RankMajorPercentages
1Psychology11.4%
2Business8.6%
3Nursing8.6%
4English7.5%
5Biology7.0%

Best colleges for adjunct associate professors

The best colleges for adjunct associate professors are Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.

An adjunct associate professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for adjunct associate professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become adjunct associate professors.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

3. Ohio State University

Columbus, OH • Private

In-state tuition

$10,726

Enrollment

45,769

4. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

20 best online courses for adjunct associate professors

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1. Being a researcher (in Information Science and Technology)

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5. Social Psychology

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Ever wonder why people do what they do? This course—which includes more than $1,000 of video and reading materials—offers some answers based on the latest research from social psychology. Students taking the course for a Certificate will also receive free membership in Social Psychology Network (SocialPsychology.org). COURSE DESCRIPTION FROM PROFESSOR PLOUS: Each of us is dealt a different hand in life, but we all face similar questions when it comes to human behavior: What leads us to like one...

6. Positive Psychology: Character, Grit and Research Methods

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TJ Walker's Incredibly Thorough and Comprehensive Public Speaking Course for Every Situation, Audience and Skill Level...

Top 10 most affordable universities for adjunct associate professors

The most affordable schools for adjunct associate professors are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for adjunct associate professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for adjunct associate professors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for adjunct associate professors

The hardest universities for adjunct associate professors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania, and Duke University.

Some great schools for adjunct associate professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for adjunct associate professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for adjunct associate professors

The easiest schools for adjunct associate professors to get into are D'Youville College, barry university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an adjunct associate professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for adjunct associate professors.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

8. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

9. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average adjunct associate professor salary by education level

According to our data, adjunct associate professors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $144,234 annually. Adjunct associate professors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $104,199.
Adjunct associate professor education levelAdjunct associate professor salary
Master's Degree$104,199
Doctorate Degree$144,234

Adjunct associate professor education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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