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Job outlook for adjunct professors of english in the United States
Adjunct professor of english job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected adjunct professor of english job growth rate is 12% from 2018-2028.
About 159,400 new jobs for adjunct professors of english are projected over the next decade.
Adjunct professor of english salaries have increased 8% for adjunct professors of english in the last 5 years.
There are over 28,230 adjunct professors of english currently employed in the United States.
There are 28,417 active adjunct professor of english job openings in the US.
The average adjunct professor of english salary is $55,207.
Are adjunct professor of english jobs in demand?
Adjunct professor of english job and salary trends over time
Adjunct professor of english jobs over time
Adjunct professor of english job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28,230 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 31,281 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 32,792 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 33,000 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 33,376 | 0.01% |
Average adjunct professor of english salary over time
Adjunct professor of english salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $55,207 | $26.54 | +0.7% |
| 2025 | $54,799 | $26.35 | +2.9% |
| 2024 | $53,279 | $25.61 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | $51,935 | $24.97 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $50,990 | $24.51 | +2.8% |
Adjunct professor of english jobs by state
Most common states for adjunct professors of english
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 187 | 27% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 150 | 20% |
| 3 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 127 | 12% |
| 4 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 962 | 11% |
| 5 | Vermont | 623,657 | 71 | 11% |
| 6 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 581 | 10% |
| 7 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 358 | 9% |
| 8 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 159 | 9% |
| 9 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 373 | 8% |
| 10 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 240 | 8% |
| 11 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 70 | 8% |
| 12 | New York | 19,849,399 | 1,450 | 7% |
| 13 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 593 | 7% |
| 14 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 485 | 7% |
| 15 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 418 | 7% |
| 16 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 336 | 7% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 133 | 7% |
| 18 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 74 | 7% |
| 19 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 81 | 6% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 60 | 6% |
Adjunct Professor Of English job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of adjunct professor of english experts
Tiffin University
Kean University
University of Oregon
Kean University
University of Arizona
Skidmore College
Ashford University
Saint Mary's University Of Minnesota
Pennsylvania State University Altoona
Grambling State University
College of Charleston
Shaw University
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The University of Tennessee Knoxville
Oakland University
Merrimack College
Washington University in St Louis
Santa Clara University
University of Central Florida
University of Kansas
Dr. Stephanie Opfer
Associate Professor of English, Assistant Dean of the School of Creative and Media ArtsTiffin University
Visual And Performing Arts
What Adjunct Professor Of English skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Stephanie Opfer: Flexibility and adaptability will be the biggest skills instructors will need. The state of higher education is changing, and the 'ivory tower' is going away. Colleges and universities are starting to focus more on career-oriented programs, which include practical and application skill sets. In order to stay relevant, the focus of humanities classes like art and film should be on teaching students analysis, synthesis, and other critical-thinking skills. The content becomes less important and becomes only the vehicle for teaching these skills.
What general advice would you give to an Adjunct Professor Of English?
Mia Fiore Ph.D.: First, I would tell all students that it is VERY different from teaching k-12. Unlike K-12, you are not placed in a school with a teaching job upon graduation; teaching in higher education is one of the most competitive fields, period. The next difference is that you are expected to be an expert/ master of your field. If you're also willing to accept that you will likely have to work as an adjunct professor (for low pay) first, then go for it! Teaching in higher education is the most rewarding job, especially for people who love learning.
What Adjunct Professor Of English skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mia Fiore Ph.D.: Awareness and familiarity with technology has become more important, and it will continue to be more important in the next 3-5 years. With everything from peer-reviewed journals available online, to AI, technology is an important part of higher education.
Mary Wood
Professor of EnglishUniversity of Oregon
English Language And Literature
What general advice would you give to an Adjunct Professor Of English?
Mary Wood: It depends on what level the teacher is at (college level or K-12 and if K-12 do you mean elementary, middle, or high school), whether they're in public or private education, etc. Those who wish to become K-12 English teachers would take some literature classes in our department but would do most of their teacher training in the School of Education.
What Adjunct Professor Of English skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Mary Wood: It's a great time to become an English teacher because it's more important than ever for students to be savvy about how language works, given the ways that language is being manipulated in media (including social media) as well as in the explosion of AI applications. It's also a good time to remind students of the human values and age-old questions about life that are found in novels, plays, poetry, and short stories.
What will help Adjunct Professors Of English increase their earning potential?
Mary Wood: Dislike: Administrative meetings, Grading papers, Bureaucratic paperwork, Lack of robust funding for research and teaching. Like: Working with students, Talking, writing, and reading about literature and getting paid for it, My co-workers and their commitment to their students, Having flexibility in my workday (available to college teachers, not K-12)
What general advice would you give to an Adjunct Professor Of English?
Dr. Lisa Sisler D.Litt, MFA: Regardless of the level the educator is at (high school/ college), most of the day is spent in the classroom teaching. There is prep for each class: lesson planning, reading, researching. Then there is the grading of papers. We also spend a lot of time mentoring and advising students, working one-on-one with students to help them achieve both class goals and their personal goals.
What Adjunct Professor Of English skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Lisa Sisler D.Litt, MFA: After Covid, many teachers left the profession so the profession needs teachers. As well, with a return to in-person learning we have noticed significant gaps in learning. And with the emergence of AI Writing tools, a strong foundation in reading and writing is critical.
What will help Adjunct Professors Of English increase their earning potential?
Dr. Lisa Sisler D.Litt, MFA: I would say, personally, the best part of being an English educator is being in the classroom, working with the students. There's a kind of magic that happens in that space-- a shared space of ideas and literature and writing-- nothing beats that. The hardest part about being an English educator is the grading-- finding the time to get it done is often difficult, especially with all the meetings and other responsibilities that pile up throughout the semester. Though reading the students' work is often enlightening and gratifying.
What general advice would you give to an Adjunct Professor Of English?
Dr. Dennis Wise Professor Practice: It's an extremely challenging moment to be entering the profession. Since 2008, state legislatures have been cutting back funding for higher education, and that has hurt English Departments because courses that require writing instruction (as our do) can't be run at ultra-large, 200-students a class levels. That has limited the willingness of administrations to hire tenure-track faculty, and has contributed to a proliferation of contingent (or year-to-year) labor. In addition, graduate programs across the country tend to significantly over-produce doctoral students, graduating far more each year than the job market can handle. All this goes to make the job prospects of anyone fresh out of graduate school relatively bleak. Many are forced into adjuncting, more and more of the former professoriate are becoming adjuncts.
What Adjunct Professor Of English skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Dennis Wise Professor Practice: The major benefit of the profession is flexibility of hours. Even for someone contracted for 40 hours a week of teaching, only about 12-15 of those hours are spent in the classroom – the grading and lesson prepping one can do anytime, anywhere. Likewise, working with the students is often increasingly rewarding. At the same time, burn-out from overwork and increasingly poor labor conditions is increasingly common, and our profession receives very poor compensation given the level of education professors are required to have.
What will help Adjunct Professors Of English increase their earning potential?
Dr. Dennis Wise Professor Practice: The basic requirements on the profession are teaching, research, and service (whether service to the department, the university, or the field), in that order, but also job duties depend on the type of institution. In community colleges, your focus is almost exclusively on teaching, and at research universities, tenure-track faculty often have 40/40/20 workloads (i.e., 40% teaching, 40% research, and 20% service). However, even within institutions, there are different ranks of professors. at my institution, tenure-track faculty have the 40/40/20 workload that I described, but career-track faculty generally have a 80/20 workload – 80% teaching, 20% service. Below this rank are adjuncts. Adjuncts are paid on a per-course basis, and they're roughly equivalent to minimum wage McDonald's workers despite the quality of teaching work they do. They are not benefits eligible. Teaching encompasses not only classroom time, which is actually only a small proportion of the job, but class prep, office hours, conferencing with students, and grading (especially grading). It's also common to keep up with professional trainings. Research in an English Department requires that you publish with peer-reviewed journals and publish books with university presses. It also includes presenting at conferences. Service can encompass anything from serving on committees, directing thesis students, working in academic publishing (which is unpaid), and anything else.
Aurelie Matheron
Assistant Professor of FrenchSkidmore College
Romance Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What will help Adjunct Professors Of English increase their earning potential?
Aurelie Matheron: Do some research online about how much someone earns at your stage of the career. If there is a significant gap, point out (diplomatically) that, because of your extensive experience in XYZ, you would like to get a X% increase in your salary. Be reasonable: if you want a 3% increase, ask for 5% (not 10% or more). Justify your negotiation: why should they pay me more? What experience can I show them to justify my request? If you have a higher offer from another place, you can say that “I have received another generous offer and would like to know about the possibility for matching that offer.” Salary is not the only thing you can negotiate: office space, computer/laptop, sabbaticals, course release, etc. Again, be reasonable: if you think you are entitled to XYZ requests, you also have to show why.
Fabio Lanza
ProfessorAshford University
History
What general advice would you give to an Adjunct Professor Of English?
Fabio Lanza: I tell them not to expect that they can achieve the same, old-style academic career (like mine, for example). A tenure-track job in a research university to be clear. Those jobs exist but they are becoming rarer and rarer. I also tell them that if they forecast incurring in serious (or even non-serious) debt in order to get a PhD, they should not do it. They should not pursue that path at all. In the program, they should take all the chances they have to learn new skills, including skills that don't seem directly related to an academic career.
What Adjunct Professor Of English skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Fabio Lanza: To put it bluntly, if you want to make money, this is really not the career for you.
Carrie Wandler
Interim Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Associate ProfessorSaint Mary's University Of Minnesota
Online Learning Product Development
What soft skills should all Adjunct Professors Of English possess?
Carrie Wandler: Effective communication both in-person and across a wide variety of platforms (in the Learning Management System, via email, via social media, via Zoom); cultural fluency; creative and critical thinking; ethical decision-making; emotional intelligence; empathy.
What Adjunct Professor Of English skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Roselyn Costantino Ph.D.: Most important advice: Take initiative and be productive.
Find practical ways to use skills even if unpaid. Volunteer work is good. Use language skills. Technology skills. Exploit technology skills around the area of interest. If you want to be a teacher find out what software they are using today; what research skills are they utilize. Make sure you log your activities during the gap year especially those that relate to the area in which you want to work. If you want to go into finance, and you're working at a lawn service, understand and learn the business model and the accounting. If you're working at Starbucks (or in any commercial environment), get a chance to do inventories, learn about the ordering process and sources and suppliers for those orders; and how people are scheduled for work. All of that is relevant experience for business.
The CFO and recruiter for Keystone Staffing Solutions emphasized having evidence in your resume of of being productive during the gap time, no matter if it's one, two or three years. Evidence of being productive is what recruiters want to see on your resume: He stresses: "What did you do to expand your knowledge and skills not only in your selected area but beyond. BEING PRODUCTIVE for yourself proves to be an indicator of how productive you will be for me."
Still on gap year. How to go about it? Use teachers, friends, family, anyone in the field or related to it to provide guidance, insight, suggestions. This can lead to projects or experience that will help in learning and growth.
What Adjunct Professor Of English skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Cheyrl Ensley: Training to be essential is critical. Increasing skills in using technology are necessary. Keeping students engaged and actively learning through technology is a crucial tool that will be extremely important to a teacher, whether teaching in person or virtually. Additionally, the gap year should be used to identify an area of interest for work. Once the site is specified, the graduate should build professional relationships and learn the site's culture.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Adjunct Professor Of English job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Cheyrl Ensley: The demand for teachers is still prevalent. Virtual job fairs and interviews are the current trends. Additionally, employees are looking more at the candidate's knowledge and comfort level with online teaching and using technology to impact student learning.
What experience really stands out on Adjunct Professor Of English resumes?
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice: The experience that most stands out on resumés, to my mind, is definitely internships or anything where the applicant has had to show initiative and exercise independent thought.
What type of skills will young Adjunct Professors Of English need?
TaVshea Smith: As a professor of education, I have noticed that there are a variety of skills that young graduates will need to enter the workforce. Young graduates should collaborate with others by building collaborative relationships that represent diverse cultures, lifestyles, races, genders, religions, and viewpoints. It is essential for young graduates, who enter the teaching profession, to be able to work in a team structure and know-how to manage conflict. The pandemic has shown us that technology is critical in education. As teachers, young graduates should know existing digital technologies and demonstrate significant adaptability to new technologies to integrate into their design of lessons and curriculum content. Young graduates must have a strong work ethic, demonstrate personal accountability, and establish effective work habits.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Adjunct Professors Of English to find work opportunities?
TaVshea Smith: As an educator, graduates should be able to find many work opportunities to teach. The pandemic has highlighted the need for educators to share their immense talent with students and key stakeholders.
What experience really stands out on Adjunct Professor Of English resumes?
Suzanne Kemp Ph.D.: Any work or volunteer experiences that they have had with students with disabilities. All of the graduates will have the same school experiences, and if they don't have anything else, they don't stand out from their peers. Additionally, they have to know that principals and professional school talk, so they have to do a great job in their in-school experiences, so their names are remembered and shared.
Dr. Misty Anderson Ph.D
Department Head, English, Affiliate Professor of Theatre and Religious Studies, President, Tennessee University Faculty SenatesThe University of Tennessee Knoxville
College of Arts and Sciences
What type of skills will young Adjunct Professors Of English need?
Dr. Misty Anderson Ph.D: When they tell us, we believe businesses are looking for people who can write well, think critically, be creative, and research ideas. That's precisely what English majors do. But they also bring a strong sense of empathy that comes from reading literature and from thinking about point of view when they write. Our ability to understand one another is crucial to democracy and the success of various fields, from medicine to marketing, to entrepreneurship, and honestly, everything.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Adjunct Professors Of English to find work opportunities?
Dr. Misty Anderson Ph.D: And as long as Tennessee continues to expand broadband access, those jobs can be anywhere. We're incredibly excited when we hear about young people returning home or moving into small towns where they can run businesses and work remotely.
Robert Anderson
Associate Professor & Department ChairOakland University
Department of English
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Adjunct Professors Of English in the next 5 years?
Robert Anderson: Contrary to what many media reports say, the demand for graduates in English is pretty high. Like most degrees in the liberal arts, a degree in English can take a graduate to almost any field. English is not a professional program designed to prepare students for a specific career. In contrast, English majors learn skills that will transfer to almost every field. English majors learn to write carefully and read critically. Several years ago, we had a student graduate who got a job with a firm that manufactures parts for companies that supply parts to automakers. He got the job because of an internship he had as an undergraduate. His career was to take in reports from their client companies, about the parts they made, read them, and produce digested reports for the company's engineers. It may be surprising to hear that engineering and manufacturing firms would value the skills an English major would have, but most companies need people who can write clearly. He was so effective at his job that the companies he worked with wanted him to come work for them.
I tell my students that studying poetry can help them be critical thinkers in other contexts. Learning to work with metaphors, for example, develops students' abilities to find similarities between things where most people see only differences-and differences, where others find only differences (this is an idea I got from the British Romantic poet William Wordsworth). This kind of critical thinking can be beneficial. What is more, English majors learn how to research. They have to find sources relevant to a particular project, read and digest their findings, and integrate them into their writing.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Adjunct Professors Of English to find work opportunities?
Robert Anderson: We have had graduates find work in a wide range of places-running social media for radio stations, working with the Detroit Pistons, the FBI, libraries, advertising agencies, large multinational corporations, editing and publishing, teachers, and law firms-indeed, I think it would be hard to come up with an industry where an English degree couldn't take you. Sometimes, the biggest obstacle facing English graduates is that their degree opens so many paths that they don't know which way to go. When students come to me to ask for career advice, I tell them to think about the kind of environment they want to work in-the sort of physical workplace, the environment, the sector-and then, do some research to find what employers in those places look for, and find ways to show that the things they have learned can meet those expectations.
What type of skills will young Adjunct Professors Of English need?
Russell Olwell Ph.D.: I have found that flexible students can use technology and connect with students who are getting jobs, but it is taking longer and can be frustrating!
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Adjunct Professors Of English to find work opportunities?
Russell Olwell Ph.D.: In the field I work the most in, education, the labor market has been volatile, with positions being held until the last minute due to budget pressures then proceeding quickly. Job seekers who kept their eyes open, had identified places they wanted to work, and had their materials ready to go were rewarded.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Adjunct Professors Of English to find work opportunities?
Catherine Dunkin: Graduates who can combine healthy critical thinking and communication skills should find positions available nearly anywhere they would like to live and work. They will find growth areas in healthcare, management consulting, technology, and operations/supply chain.
Graduates have an opportunity to think carefully about and pursue rewarding careers in line with their personal goals, values, and geographical preferences. They may consider entrepreneurial start-ups, local nonprofits with compelling community missions, or larger management consulting firms and corporations offering global clients and projects exposure.
What type of skills will young Adjunct Professors Of English need?
Dr. Radhika Grover: Graduates entering the workforce will need strong critical thinking skills and the ability to wear multiple hats. For example, the data scientist may need to understand, or even work on, web programming. Job seekers will need strong programming skills in one or more of these programming languages - Python, Java, C, C++, and Javascript. Graduates should also consider getting a second degree in another field, such as bioengineering or electrical engineering, because the intersection of disciplines can provide new research and development opportunities. A student once asked me, "If machines can do everything we do and do it better, what will we do in the future?" Graduates have to be ready to refresh their skill sets periodically so that they are irreplaceable.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Adjunct Professors Of English to find work opportunities?
Dr. Kathleen Hohenleitner: Well, many students come to school intending to work in "book publishing," which I think means they want to read manuscripts at Penguin. That's not a super realistic goal for anyone unless they are in New York City, are independently wealthy, and are willing to start at the very bottom of the ladder. But there are nonetheless many other jobs for good writers, editors, and researchers all around the country. We were seeing more writers telecommuting even before the pandemic too, so I hope that indicates that such jobs are more about performance than about location.
There were also many jobs being advertised for English teachers in local public schools before the pandemic. I hope that continues.
Wallace Meyer
Lecturer and Entrepreneurship Program DirectorUniversity of Kansas
School of Business
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Adjunct Professors Of English?
Wallace Meyer: Yes, severalfold:
All reports od COVID will not be disappearing, so a COVID environment will impact graduates during at least the first 2-3 years post-graduation.
The virus has made immutable changes in our behavior, and it's highly unlikely that we'll return to pre-COVID lifestyles. From the mundane (no/fewer handshakes)to the economic (a majority of small businesses will have failed before allowed to reopen fully) to the demographic (population migrations from big cities to suburbs, exurbs, and even rural counties), to organizational (companies have discovered higher productivity rates of their employees working remotely than in the office) there will be significant and enduring shifts in our lifestyles.