Assistant professor of psychology vs adjunct professor

The differences between assistant professors of psychology and adjunct professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an assistant professor of psychology, becoming an adjunct professor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an adjunct professor has an average salary of $98,821, which is higher than the $63,645 average annual salary of an assistant professor of psychology.

The top three skills for an assistant professor of psychology include clinical psychology, research methods and APA. The most important skills for an adjunct professor are course curriculum, syllabus, and semester.

Assistant professor of psychology vs adjunct professor overview

	Assistant Professor Of Psychology	Adjunct Professor
Yearly salary	$63,645	$98,821
Hourly rate	$30.60	$47.51
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	34,702	22,488
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	4

What does an assistant professor of psychology do?

The job of an assistant professor of psychology is associated with the teaching of psychological studies. As an assistant psychology professor, you will be involved in various functions, including teaching, psychological research projects, and curriculum development. Other duties include instructing students on how to use the different research methods in psychological studies, deriving new methods of psychological research and how it can be applied in psychology, and assisting in assessing student performance. An assistant psychology professor is also responsible for facilitating discussions and lectures in psychology classes.

What does an adjunct professor do?

Adjunct professors are instructors who are employed on a contractual basis, commonly in part-time positions. They teach courses in the same manner as full-time professors do, but they are free from some of the duties of those fully employed university instructors or in tenure-track positions. They create, develop, distribute, review, and manage course syllabus materials. They teach students, evaluate their performance, and maintain records of attendance, engagement, and progress. They may also facilitate lectures, conduct seminars, and do other administrative tasks within the department. Most adjunct professors enjoy teaching as part-time because they have more flexibility in terms of schedule, can avoid the dilemma of the higher education system and it's known to be less stressful and demanding.

Assistant professor of psychology vs adjunct professor salary

Assistant professors of psychology and adjunct professors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assistant Professor Of Psychology	Adjunct Professor
Average salary	$63,645	$98,821
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $91,000	Between $44,000 And $219,000
Highest paying City	Fresno, CA	Providence, RI
Highest paying state	California	Rhode Island
Best paying company	Columbia University in the City of New York	Rhode Island School of Design
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between assistant professor of psychology and adjunct professor education

There are a few differences between an assistant professor of psychology and an adjunct professor in terms of educational background:

	Assistant Professor Of Psychology	Adjunct Professor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	Johns Hopkins University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Assistant professor of psychology vs adjunct professor demographics

Here are the differences between assistant professors of psychology' and adjunct professors' demographics:

	Assistant Professor Of Psychology	Adjunct Professor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 47.8% Female, 52.2%	Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between assistant professor of psychology and adjunct professor duties and responsibilities

Assistant professor of psychology example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Create companion website for classes with PowerPoint presentations, online assignments, and lecture notes.
Prepare the course outlines and syllabus for the courses updating information, adjusting requirements and changing course materials as needed.
Maintain student progress throughout semester.
Organize and coordinate seminar production and content.
Facilitate lectures and discussions in various psychology and sociology classes.

Adjunct professor example 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.

Assistant professor of psychology vs adjunct professor skills

Common assistant professor of psychology skills

Clinical Psychology, 17%
Research Methods, 14%
APA, 9%
Social Psychology, 7%
Developmental Psychology, 6%
Professional Development, 5%

Common adjunct professor skills

Course Curriculum, 11%
Syllabus, 8%
Semester, 6%
Blackboard, 4%
Student Learning, 4%
Course Materials, 4%

Assistant Professor Of Psychology vs. similar jobs

Assistant Professor Of Psychology related careers

Assistant Professor Of Psychology related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Education, Training, and Library Industry
Assistant Professor Of Psychology
Assistant Professor Of Psychology vs Adjunct Professor

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse education, training, and library jobs