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The differences between adjunct instructors and program instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an adjunct instructor has an average salary of $52,030, which is higher than the $42,380 average annual salary of a program instructor.
The top three skills for an adjunct instructor include student learning, syllabus and student performance. The most important skills for a program instructor are patients, K-12, and math.
| Adjunct Instructor | Program Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $52,030 | $42,380 |
| Hourly rate | $25.01 | $20.38 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 40,633 | 92,369 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
An adjunct instructor is a faculty member responsible for teaching an area of expertise within a specific contract period. The duties of an adjunct instructor are almost identical as a regular instructor, only that the work benefits are limited. These duties include preparing comprehensive lesson plans, monitoring the students' learning progress, and evaluating their knowledge by conducting tests and activities. An adjunct instructor must have an extensive comprehension of the learning curriculum to provide lectures accordingly.
A program instructor is responsible for facilitating indoor and outdoor programs with various goals and objectives catering to different participants. Program instructors must have excellent communication skills, especially on gaining the participants' attention and engaging them to join the activities prepared for the day. They also maintain a safe and creative learning environment for everyone, observing each participant's behavior and interests, developing group cooperation, and fostering personal development. A program instructor reiterates safety procedures and regulations during the program for everyone's strict compliance and immediately addresses conflicts soon as they arise.
Adjunct instructors and program instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Adjunct Instructor | Program Instructor | |
| Average salary | $52,030 | $42,380 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $83,000 | Between $29,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bakersfield, CA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Kern Community College District | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between an adjunct instructor and a program instructor in terms of educational background:
| Adjunct Instructor | Program Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between adjunct instructors' and program instructors' demographics:
| Adjunct Instructor | Program Instructor | |
| Average age | 42 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8% | Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 16% |