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Adjunct lecturer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an adjunct lecturer. Adjunct lecturers usually study english, psychology, or business. 49% of adjunct lecturers hold a bachelor's degree, and 37% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,590 real adjunct lecturer resumes to see exactly what adjunct lecturer education sections show.
The most common colleges for adjunct lecturers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online adjunct lecturer courses to help get the education required to be an adjunct lecturer.
What education do you need to become an adjunct lecturer?
What degree do you need to be an adjunct lecturer?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Master's, 37%
- Doctorate, 10%
- Associate, 4%
- Other Degrees, 0%
What should I major in to become an adjunct lecturer?
- English, 13%
- Psychology, 10%
- Business, 8%
- Biology, 6%
- Other Majors, 63%
Most common colleges for adjunct lecturers
| Adjunct lecturer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 16.89% |
| City College of New York of the City University of New York, The | 13.85% |
| Hunter College of the City University of New York | 8.16% |
| Teachers College of Columbia University | 7.40% |
| Eastern Michigan University | 5.12% |
Best majors for adjunct lecturers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | 12.5% |
| 2 | Psychology | 9.8% |
| 3 | Business | 7.9% |
| 4 | Biology | 6.2% |
| 5 | Chemistry | 5.8% |
Best colleges for adjunct lecturers
The best colleges for adjunct lecturers are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
An adjunct lecturer 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 lecturers. 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 lecturers.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
9. Temple University
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$16,970
Enrollment
28,965
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
20 best online courses for adjunct lecturers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for adjunct lecturers
The most affordable schools for adjunct lecturers are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and university of south florida.
If the best universities for adjunct lecturers 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 lecturers.
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. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
10. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for adjunct lecturers
The hardest universities for adjunct lecturers to get into are Northwestern University, Harvard University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for adjunct lecturers 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 lecturers 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
7. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
10. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for adjunct lecturers
The easiest schools for adjunct lecturers to get into are Wayland Baptist University, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an adjunct lecturer 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 lecturers.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
9. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
10. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
Average adjunct lecturer salary by education level
| Adjunct lecturer education level | Adjunct lecturer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $73,962 |
| Doctorate Degree | $97,494 |
Adjunct lecturer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025