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Adjunct professor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an adjunct professor. Adjunct professors usually study business, psychology, or education. 49% of adjunct professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 33% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 48,307 real adjunct professor resumes to see exactly what adjunct professor education sections show.
The most common colleges for adjunct professors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online adjunct professor courses to help get the education required to be an adjunct professor.
There are certain adjunct professor certifications that you should consider. These adjunct professor certifications include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP).
What education do you need to become an adjunct professor?
What degree do you need to be an adjunct professor?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Master's, 33%
- Doctorate, 11%
- Associate, 5%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become an adjunct professor?
- Business, 15%
- Psychology, 9%
- Education, 6%
- English, 6%
- Other Majors, 64%
Most common colleges for adjunct professors
| Adjunct professor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 10.27% |
| New York University | 9.59% |
| Florida State University | 6.09% |
| Temple University | 5.34% |
| University of Florida | 5.18% |
Best majors for adjunct professors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 14.5% |
| 2 | Psychology | 9.0% |
| 3 | Education | 6.4% |
| 4 | English | 6.4% |
| 5 | Law | 6.0% |
Best colleges for adjunct professors
The best colleges for adjunct professors are Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
An adjunct professor 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 professors. 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 professors.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
3. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
6. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
20 best online courses for adjunct professors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for adjunct professors
The most affordable schools for adjunct professors are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for adjunct professors 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 professors.
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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
9. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for adjunct professors
The hardest universities for adjunct professors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for adjunct professors 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 professors 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for adjunct professors
The easiest schools for adjunct professors to get into are D'Youville College, barry university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an adjunct professor 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 professors.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
7. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
8. Life University
Marietta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
94%
SAT average
979
9. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
10. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
Average adjunct professor salary by education level
| Adjunct professor education level | Adjunct professor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $89,949 |
| Doctorate Degree | $127,679 |
Adjunct professor 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