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The differences between assistant professors and visiting professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an assistant professor, becoming a visiting professor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a visiting professor has an average salary of $116,217, which is higher than the $87,099 average annual salary of an assistant professor.
The top three skills for an assistant professor include patients, public health and pediatrics. The most important skills for a visiting professor are course content, student learning, and professional development.
| Assistant Professor | Visiting Professor | |
| Yearly salary | $87,099 | $116,217 |
| Hourly rate | $41.87 | $55.87 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 30,531 | 27,139 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
An assistant professor is an entry-level position who teaches in a university, conducts research, and assists senior professors. Assistant professors supervise undergraduate and graduate students at the same time provide professors and department heads with feedback on the progress of their students. To be effective in teaching and mentoring students, assistant professors must possess strong communication skills with advanced knowledge of their field. They must also have a Ph. D degree in the relevant academic discipline as well as teaching experience in a university setting.
Visiting professors are faculty members from an institution who must visit a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic they are knowledgeable in. These professors are required to create a positive learning environment among undergraduate students by inviting them to participate and engage in classroom activities, which can consistently enhance the learning process of their students. They must serve as dissertation research chairperson for Ph.D. students in qualitative and quantitative research studies. Visiting professors must also conduct in-person lectures and direct undergraduate theses for special topics research courses.
Assistant professors and visiting professors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Professor | Visiting Professor | |
| Average salary | $87,099 | $116,217 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $151,000 | Between $56,000 And $241,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | California |
| Best paying company | UT Medical Group, Inc. | UMiami Health System |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between an assistant professor and a visiting professor in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Professor | Visiting Professor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 42% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Nursing |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | University of Texas at Austin |
Here are the differences between assistant professors' and visiting professors' demographics:
| Assistant Professor | Visiting Professor | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.5% Female, 44.5% | Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 17.4% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |