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Job outlook for adjunct psychology instructors in the United States
Adjunct psychology instructor job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected adjunct psychology instructor job growth rate is 12% from 2018-2028.
About 159,400 new jobs for adjunct psychology instructors are projected over the next decade.
Adjunct psychology instructor salaries have increased 7% for adjunct psychology instructors in the last 5 years.
There are over 16,819 adjunct psychology instructors currently employed in the United States.
There are 29,016 active adjunct psychology instructor job openings in the US.
The average adjunct psychology instructor salary is $59,064.
Are adjunct psychology instructor jobs in demand?
Adjunct psychology instructor job and salary trends over time
Adjunct psychology instructor jobs over time
Adjunct psychology instructor job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16,819 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 17,033 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 17,481 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 17,551 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 17,299 | 0.01% |
Average adjunct psychology instructor salary over time
Adjunct psychology instructor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $59,064 | $28.40 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $57,886 | $27.83 | --0.1% |
| 2023 | $57,954 | $27.86 | +4.0% |
| 2022 | $55,733 | $26.79 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | $55,257 | $26.57 | +4.1% |
Adjunct psychology instructor jobs by state
Most common states for adjunct psychology instructors
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 739,795 | 109 | 15% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 936 | 11% |
| 3 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 580 | 10% |
| 4 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 454 | 8% |
| 5 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 396 | 8% |
| 6 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 682 | 7% |
| 7 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 445 | 7% |
| 8 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 308 | 7% |
| 9 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 73 | 7% |
| 10 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 70 | 7% |
| 11 | Delaware | 961,939 | 68 | 7% |
| 12 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 46 | 7% |
| 13 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 38 | 7% |
| 14 | California | 39,536,653 | 2,215 | 6% |
| 15 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 574 | 6% |
| 16 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 498 | 6% |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 437 | 6% |
| 18 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 183 | 6% |
| 19 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 82 | 6% |
| 20 | New York | 19,849,399 | 904 | 5% |
Most common cities for adjunct psychology instructors
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairfield | 1 | 2% | $57,645 |
| 2 | Des Moines | 2 | 1% | $43,715 |
| 3 | Decatur | 1 | 1% | $51,542 |
| 4 | Phoenix | 2 | 0% | $54,683 |
| 5 | Anchorage | 1 | 0% | $64,749 |
Adjunct Psychology Instructor job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of adjunct psychology instructor experts
University of Arizona
Southern Connecticut State University
Macalester College
Angelo State University
Augustana College
Pennsylvania State University Altoona
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Roanoke College
AGWA - American Grant Writers' Association, Inc.
Texas State University
Seattle University
University of West Georgia
Megan Carney Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorUniversity of Arizona
School of Anthropology
What skills stand out on Adjunct Psychology Instructor resumes?
Megan Carney Ph.D.: For those seeking a teaching position, it is really important to demonstrate previous teaching experience. At this point, it is highly preferred that job applicants have both in-person/classroom teaching experience as well as experience with online teaching, as so many departments are offering both options to students. Applicants should be specific on their resumes and CVs about the courses they taught, course evaluations, and even include some feedback from their former students. If one has taught online, they should list the platforms they're familiar with, such as Canvas and D2L. There is also a strong interest in applicants who have pursued further pedagogical training to augment their sensibilities as instructors that will help to improve accessibility for students. For instance, the Disability Cultural Center at the University of Arizona offers an Ableism 101 workshop and certificate.
Dr. Richard Volkman
Professor of Philosophy, Chair, Department of Philosophy, Coordinator, Religious StudiesSouthern Connecticut State University
Department of Philosophy
What soft skills should all Adjunct Psychology Instructors possess?
Dr. Richard Volkman: The "soft skills" would be those mentioned above and especially the ability to model the Philosophical Attitude in a way that students can relate to, with the good judgment to know what style of engagement is likely to be effective with a particular set of students. In philosophical research, the "hard skills" predominate, but the fluid interaction in the classroom that allows a conversation to blossom is at the foreground of effective teaching.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Adjunct Psychology Instructors?
Walter Greason Ph.D.: Ability to learn multiple managerial and technical platforms rapidly; facility with both quantitative and qualitative data and the capacity to discern multiple forms of mixed research methodologies.
Dr. Jason Pierce
Professor, Department ChairAngelo State University
Arnoldo De León Department of History
What skills stand out on Adjunct Psychology Instructor resumes?
Dr. Jason Pierce: Colleges and universities vary in terms of their primary focus. While larger private and public institutions value research as much as teaching, smaller regional institutions, like Angelo State University, put the most emphasis on teaching. Thus, teaching experience is paramount. We look closely at how many sections a candidate has taught and what classes they could offer when hiring a tenure track or non-tenure track instructor. Faculty at my university teach 4 classes per semester, so we must have someone who is "plug and play" and can handle the workload. For larger universities, research projects may need to be emphasized more. Be sure you understand what kind of institution you are applying to so you can get a sense of what skills that institution or department values the most. Researching the institution and the department is critical for success. Thankfully, that's relatively easy to do nowadays.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Adjunct Psychology Instructors?
Fredy Rodriguez-Mejia Ph.D.: From the social science perspective, students should seek out training and certifications in the following fields: qualitative and quantitative data analysis (e.g. NVivo, MAXQDA, and EXCEL); data visualization software (MS PowerBI, Tableau); UX Design Research bootcamps.
What Adjunct Psychology Instructor 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 are the biggest trends we'll see in the Adjunct Psychology Instructor job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Amanda Poole: Anthropology is of increasing relevance in our globalizing world. The unique tools and perspectives of anthropology include thinking holistically, critically, and cross-culturally about complex issues, appreciating and translating across different experiences and perspectives, and conducting research that helps to provide depth of understanding. Applied anthropologist Cathleen Crain explains, "Adding an anthropologist to a research team is like moving from black-and-white TV to color. We're able to observe shades of color that others can't see. Anthropologists understand complexity and can help devise answers that reflect that complexity."
Anthropologists work in four main sectors where they apply a knowledge and skill set related to culture, diversity, and the social impacts of program and policies: academia, government, corporate and business careers, and non-profit or community-based careers. Archaeological anthropologists often work in the field of Cultural Resource Management (CRM). CRM tracks to the building and development industries which are rebounding from COVID, meaning the demand for archaeology is also picking up.
Anthropological skill sets lend themselves to work in a broad variety of professions, including disaster planning and response, development, product development, and humanitarian aid. The global economy demands people with a knowledge of multi-cultural issues and with the skill set to understand and work sensitively and respectfully with people from a variety of backgrounds. As we engage in Covid-19 recovery across varied communities and tackle complex social and environmental challenges facing us at local, national, and global scales, there is a clear growing need for anthropologically trained professionals.
How would you rate the starting salaries for Adjunct Psychology Instructors, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Brent Adkins: Starting salaries for philosophy majors (according to Payscale.com) is competitive, compared to all majors ,except for engineering and actuarial science. By midcareer, philosophy majors have surpassed all humanities majors, most social science majors (except international relations), and many science majors (including Biology and Chemistry). The lesson is that philosophy majors learn both critical thinking skills and conceptual flexibility, which are consistently rewarded in the current economy, despite the clichés that abound about them.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Adjunct Psychology Instructor job market given the pandemic?
John Porter Ph.D.: This will depend on what happens in the next six months or so. If the economy stays open and business can operate as it did a year ago, the trend will be more positive. When the economy is working, people are more financially secure. They have money to donate to foundations, and corporations have more profits to put into their funding resources.
If the economic shutdown increases where both businesses and individuals earn less money, there will be less money available for grant funding. The majority of grant funding comes from donations by everyday individuals.
If the economic shutdown is prolonged, then there will be an increase in government grant programs. The government gets its financial resources for things like grants by taxation. So individual taxes will likely increase.
Another line to balance is the excessive taxation of the rich. Nearly all very wealthy people have established a foundation where they give some of their wealth to grant awards to community non-profit organizations. When the government increases the taxes on this group, the excess money goes to the government to spend rather than local non-profits.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Adjunct Psychology Instructors in the next 3-5 years?
John Porter Ph.D.: There is not a lot of technology required in grant writing. The most critical and prevalent skill in grant writing, which is lacking, is appropriately writing. Over the past decade, there has been an increase in abbreviation and slang. When put into a standard text, these expressions can become confusing.
The technology is that younger, individual writers may like to stay up on the most recent software and communication methods. Whereas funders, private, corporate, and government, tend not to keep up as fast and have older software versions. This means that the newest and glitziest software may not be compatible with the funder's software when submitting grant proposals and applications.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Adjunct Psychology Instructors to find work opportunities?
Dr. Rodney Rohde Ph.D.: There are large vacancy rates all over the country. This is a good news/bad news issue. However, with a degree in medical laboratory science (also known as a clinical laboratory science) AND certification, one can find employment anywhere in the U.S. One of the great things about this career is that graduates honestly can decide where they "fit best" with regard to geography and employer (urban, rural, large, or small).
Alexander Mouton
Chair, Associate ProfessorSeattle University
Department of Art, Art History & Design
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Adjunct Psychology Instructors?
Alexander Mouton: It is hard to tell how the coronavirus pandemic will affect graduates. Some I know are joining the workforce or doing creative work, which is a good sign. How this will play out will be interesting to see, though it's a little hard for me to judge from the classroom!
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Adjunct Psychology Instructors to find work opportunities?
Ye Chen Ph.D.: You could go to higheredjobs.com, https://jobs.chronicle.com/, or university websites for a higher ed job, go-to company, or other organization websites (e.g., Google) industry/government jobs; or use LinkedIn, attend job fairs and professional conferences, to search for job opportunities.