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The differences between adjunct professors and adjunct faculties can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an adjunct professor and an adjunct faculty. Additionally, an adjunct professor has an average salary of $98,821, which is higher than the $83,069 average annual salary of an adjunct faculty.
The top three skills for an adjunct professor include course curriculum, syllabus and semester. The most important skills for an adjunct faculty are student learning, syllabus, and philosophy.
| Adjunct Professor | Adjunct Faculty | |
| Yearly salary | $98,821 | $83,069 |
| Hourly rate | $47.51 | $39.94 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 22,488 | 26,791 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Adjunct professors are instructors who are employed on a contractual basis, commonly in part-time positions. They teach courses in the same manner as full-time professors do, but they are free from some of the duties of those fully employed university instructors or in tenure-track positions. They create, develop, distribute, review, and manage course syllabus materials. They teach students, evaluate their performance, and maintain records of attendance, engagement, and progress. They may also facilitate lectures, conduct seminars, and do other administrative tasks within the department. Most adjunct professors enjoy teaching as part-time because they have more flexibility in terms of schedule, can avoid the dilemma of the higher education system and it's known to be less stressful and demanding.
Adjunct faculty is the collective term for adjunct professors or lecturers. The adjunct faculty teaches students based on the limited-term of their contract. Oftentimes, they teach preparatory or introductory courses by semester arrangement for the entire academic year. Most of them are employed in higher education. Unlike regular professors, adjunct faculty do not have benefits and are not required to be present in meetings. They can work as either a contract professor or a part-time professor.
Adjunct professors and adjunct faculties have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Adjunct Professor | Adjunct Faculty | |
| Average salary | $98,821 | $83,069 |
| Salary range | Between $44,000 And $219,000 | Between $45,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | Providence, RI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Rhode Island School of Design | Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between an adjunct professor and an adjunct faculty in terms of educational background:
| Adjunct Professor | Adjunct Faculty | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Business | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between adjunct professors' and adjunct faculties' demographics:
| Adjunct Professor | Adjunct Faculty | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5% | Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 11.2% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |