How To Become An Adjunct Online Faculty: What It Is and Career Path

What is an adjunct online faculty and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Cheyrl Ensley

The college experience has evolved a lot in the twenty-first century, especially due to the arrival of the internet. Many professors incorporate technology into their classroom, while some teach classes that are online entirely. In fact, there are some universities that only teach online courses. Many schools hire adjunct online faculty to teach those online classes.

Online faculty have to do many of the duties that their in-person counterparts do. They teach students, grade assignments, and mentor students as they learn more about a subject. Adjunct online faculty can teach a variety of subjects, from business to Spanish literature. Like in-person faculty, most adjunct online faculty have advanced degrees in their field, such as a master's degree or a doctorate.

Adjunct online faculty are different from regular online faculty because their contracts are temporary as opposed to full-time. Adjuncts are usually hired to teach one or two specific courses on a semester-by-semester basis. They usually are not eligible for tenure.

What general advice would you give to an adjunct online faculty?

Dr. Cheyrl Ensley

Interim Head, Associate Professor, Grambling State University

Flexibility is important. The graduate must be prepared and flexible! The graduate must be prepared to teach effectively and efficiently, regardless of the delivery method and flexibility regarding reporting to the school or working from home. Be prepared and accepting of the fact that what is required of you may change unexpectedly. In this age of uncertainty, the graduate must be flexible enough to perform as needed and remain focused on student growth.

ScoreAdjunct Online FacultyUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $118,543

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.9

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.36%

Black or African American 6.96%

Hispanic or Latino 9.93%

Unknown 4.90%

White 66.59%

Gender

female 66.90%

male 33.10%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.1

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an adjunct online faculty

Explore adjunct online faculty education requirements

Most common adjunct online faculty degrees

Bachelor's

42.5 %

Master's

35.7 %

Doctorate

13.3 %

Start to develop specific adjunct online faculty skills

Skills	Percentages
Teaching Methodologies	17.03%
Professional Development	7.82%
Student Learning	7.11%
Course Content	6.68%
Course Curriculum	5.14%

Complete relevant adjunct online faculty training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New adjunct online faculties learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an adjunct online faculty based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real adjunct online faculty resumes.

Research adjunct online faculty duties and responsibilities

Lead early childhood program initiatives.
Develop, set up due dates and upload course materials, quizzes, tests, and assignments to blackboard.
Develop course syllabus, prepare course materials and assignments, grade all assignments, participate in online discussions with students.
Maintain proper online classroom decorum and student interaction through Moodle.

Get adjunct online faculty experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become an adjunct online faculty. The most common roles before becoming an adjunct online faculty include adjunct faculty, faculty team lead and instructor.

Prepare your adjunct online faculty resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your adjunct online faculty resume.

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