How to hire an Adjunct Professor

How to hire an adjunct professor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step adjunct professor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an adjunct professor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new adjunct professor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an Adjunct Professor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The adjunct professor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An adjunct professor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, adjunct professors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of adjunct professors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type Of Adjunct Professor	Description	Hourly Rate
   Adjunct Professor	Postsecondary teachers instruct students in a wide variety of academic and career and technical subjects beyond the high school level. They also conduct research and publish scholarly papers and books.	$21-105
   Faculty	A faculty member is a professional whose primary responsibility is to provide teaching and research to students in colleges and universities. Faculties must work with colleagues to design a curriculum to keep up with the changes in the discipline... Show More	$20-73
   Language Teacher	Language teachers primarily impart knowledge on multidimensional language through classes and activities. The teachers create conditions and develop activities allowing students to practice what they learned with significance... Show More	$16-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Course Curriculum
   • Syllabus
   • Semester
   • Blackboard
   • Student Learning
   • Course Materials
   • Philosophy
   • Undergraduate Courses
   • Mathematics
   • Ethics
   • Literature
   • Professional Development
   • Course Syllabus
   • Course Objectives

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead outreach to community and statewide stakeholders in the PPCC entrepreneurship program.
   • Develop and prepare class syllabus and teaching materials for strategic management, business and government ethics, and organizational behavior classes.
   • Provide instruction/guidance for nursing students; deliver didactic lectures on human anatomy and physiology.
   • Identify course objectives, design syllabus, develop all instructional activities and materials, including written exams.
   • Facilitate courses in communications, economics, leadership, management, corporate finances, strategic planning and organizational behavior.
   • Develop and teach course curriculum on the subject of exercise science and clinical pharmacology to athletic training students.

   More Adjunct Professor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your adjunct professor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. An adjunct professor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for an adjunct professor in Hawaii may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level adjunct professor usually earns less than a senior-level adjunct professor. Additionally, an adjunct professor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average adjunct professor salary

   $98,821yearly

   $47.51 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level adjunct professor salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated March 15, 2025

   Average adjunct professor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	Rhode Island	$143,708	$69
   2	New York	$142,544	$69
   3	Connecticut	$138,934	$67
   4	District of Columbia	$134,138	$64
   5	New Jersey	$126,059	$61
   6	Massachusetts	$122,406	$59
   7	California	$111,005	$53
   8	Utah	$104,571	$50
   9	Pennsylvania	$100,288	$48
   10	Maryland	$96,029	$46
   11	South Carolina	$95,162	$46
   12	Virginia	$82,493	$40
   13	Ohio	$80,137	$39
   14	Arizona	$79,473	$38
   15	Texas	$77,314	$37
   16	Michigan	$72,740	$35
   17	Colorado	$72,312	$35
   18	Florida	$70,233	$34
   19	Minnesota	$69,260	$33
   20	Louisiana	$67,068	$32

   Average adjunct professor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Rhode Island School of Design	$289,877	$139.36	1
   2	UnityPoint Health	$179,277	$86.19	24
   3	California College of the Arts	$169,926	$81.70
   4	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$169,717	$81.59	89
   5	Johns Hopkins University	$162,847	$78.29	125
   6	Bon Secours Community Hospital	$161,987	$77.88	6
   7	UMiami Health System	$149,786	$72.01	269
   8	State University of New York College at Cortland	$142,192	$68.36	31
   9	Finger Lakes Community Health	$140,901	$67.74	3
   10	Mt. San Antonio College	$140,448	$67.52	104
   11	Loyola University New Orleans	$140,280	$67.44	10
   12	Bertelsmann	$138,144	$66.42	22
   13	Middlebury College	$133,640	$64.25	7
   14	4CD Live	$121,589	$58.46
   15	New York Institute of Technology	$118,182	$56.82	55
   16	California Baptist University	$118,074	$56.77	45
   17	Lincoln Memorial University	$116,863	$56.18	122
   18	Cornell University	$115,096	$55.33	16
   19	Montclair State University	$114,663	$55.13	105
   20	Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center	$114,626	$55.11	100

4. Writing an Adjunct Professor Job Description

   An adjunct professor job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an adjunct professor job description:

   Adjunct Professor job description example

   To provide ongoing curriculum development, implementation and evaluation of classroom and clinical instruction, participation in student advising, and registration. Full and active participation in the Nursing committees to assist in the continued evolution of the Nursing Program is an integral part of the position.
   Responsibilities • Demonstrate the highest level of professional integrity at all times and demonstrate a commitment to professional nursing.
   • Frequent and active presence on campus, be available for counseling and advising students, and participate in the activities that promote interaction between student and the academic environment.
   • Meet the assigned course load and contact hours assigned by the Chairperson of the Program each semester/year. Expected to be on campus at least three full days per week.
   • Attendance at faculty meetings, college and departmental functions, and informational sessions is mandatory.
   • Informing their students of mid-term and end-term progress in advisement meetings.
   • Course Coordinators for courses that have a clinical laboratory are responsible for the management of that course. Planning of the curriculum, development of the syllabus, distribution of the syllabus to all clinical instructors, the development of tests, scheduling of class and clinical sessions, correspondence with the clinical instructors, and correspondence with the clinical facilities in their courses.
   • Participating in committees, including but not limited to, the preparation, writing, and editing of accreditation reports and self study reports to the Accrediting Bodies and the State. Qualifications • Masters degree in Nursing from an accredited institution
   • Uencumbered NY State Professional RN license
   • Current CPR for the Professional Rescuer or Health Provider
   • Knowledge of Microsoft Office and the internet
   • Self directed and organized Travel
   • Employee is responsible for professional development at conferences, seminars, and meetings. (Touro does reimburse a certain amount every year for continuing education. Refer questions to the Director.)
   • Occasional evenings for Information Sessions
   • Occasional local travel for training sessions/meetings

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right adjunct professor for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your adjunct professor job on Zippia to find and attract quality adjunct professor candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit adjunct professors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new adjunct professor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the adjunct professor position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new adjunct professor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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