Adjunct Faculty Jobs Near Me

Yes, you can make $100,000 per year as an adjunct faculty. The chances of earning over $100k for an adjunct faculty are actually pretty good because the highest-paid adjunct faculty positions typically pay at least $133,000 per year. The average annual salary is $73,929 for adjunct faculty jobs. For example, adjunct faculties in New York whose salaries are in the 90th percentile earn an average salary of $184,000.

Yes, you can make a living as an adjunct if you work at multiple universities and take on as many courses as possible. At best, working as an adjunct professor is a decent side hustle and can be a good stepping stone for newly-minted university graduates who are unsure what to do next.

One reason you would need to work at multiple universities is that working as an adjunct professor is a part-time position. As such, schools limit the number of credits each semester an adjunct can teach.

Most universities and colleges set the limit at ten credits. This means an adjunct professor can teach no more than two classes per semester. To teach any more requires special permission from the University, which is not commonly granted unless they are short-staffed.

The range in per-course pay varies - from less than $2,000 to more than $7,000 a year. More than 53% of adjunct professors make less than $3,500 per course. The average course semester is 15 to 17 weeks.

Not surprisingly, nearly a third of the 3,000 adjuncts earn less than $25,000 a year, and another third make less than $50,000 a year. This puts them below the federal poverty guideline for a family of four. In light of the pay, adjunct professors usually must teach at multiple universities and colleges to make a living.

Adjunct is faculty, not staff. "Faculty" is a term that universities and colleges use for someone they employ whose role it is to teach students. "Staff," on the other hand, is a term used for someone employed by universities and colleges for other jobs not related to teaching.

Since an adjunct position is a teaching position, it is considered a faculty position. I adjunct faculty is a part-time position, and it is usually capped at ten credits per semester.

However, a staff member at a university or college can be a full-time or part-time position. A staff member includes IT, administration, security, or janitorial services. An adjunct is a non-tenure-track faculty member.

There are several different levels of faculty positions found in universities that include:

• Graduate Teaching Assistant: A graduate teaching assistant (GTA) is a graduate student who assists in teaching undergraduate students at a university.

• Graduate Instructor: A graduate teaching assistant (GTA) is a graduate student who teaches undergraduate students at a university.

• Adjunct Instructor: An entry-level college course, it's likely that an adjunct instructor taught you. Adjunct instructors teach courses at a college or university -- sometimes several -- but are not full-time staff.

• Visiting Scholar: A visiting scholar is a lecturer or professor from another institution who gets invited to teach at a university or college for a limited time. Visiting professors are typically renowned and respected in their fields.

• Assistant Professor: Beginning-level professors at colleges and universities. An assistant professor position typically requires a Ph.D. and experience with teaching and research in a specific field.

• Associate Professor: A mid-level professor who usually has a doctorate or other professional degree and teaches classes related to their studies.

• Professor: The highest academic title held at a college, university, or post-secondary institution. Professors are accomplished and recognized academics -- and usually, this is a tenured position, which means you have guaranteed job security.

• Endowed Professor: A professor whose position is paid for by funds donated to a college, trust fund, or other financial institution. The title is a high honor because it is typically held only by distinguished or senior-level faculty members.

• Distinguished Professor: A title sometimes given to the top tenured professors in a university, school, or department. The honor is given to highly regarded professors who are leaders in their fields of study.

• Professor Emeritus: A retired professor who was granted the title as an honor.