College professor vs adjunct faculty member

The differences between college professors and adjunct faculty members can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a college professor, becoming an adjunct faculty member takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a college professor has an average salary of $81,207, which is higher than the $60,817 average annual salary of an adjunct faculty member.

The top three skills for a college professor include curriculum development, classes taught and mathematics. The most important skills for an adjunct faculty member are syllabus, curriculum development, and powerpoint.

College professor vs adjunct faculty member overview

	College Professor	Adjunct Faculty Member
Yearly salary	$81,207	$60,817
Hourly rate	$39.04	$29.24
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	27,390	28,981
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	4

College professor vs adjunct faculty member salary

College professors and adjunct faculty members have different pay scales, as shown below.

	College Professor	Adjunct Faculty Member
Average salary	$81,207	$60,817
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $166,000	Between $37,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	-	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Ohio
Best paying company	-	Nebraska Methodist Health System
Best paying industry	-	Start-up

Differences between college professor and adjunct faculty member education

There are a few differences between a college professor and an adjunct faculty member in terms of educational background:

	College Professor	Adjunct Faculty Member
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

College professor vs adjunct faculty member demographics

Here are the differences between college professors' and adjunct faculty members' demographics:

	College Professor	Adjunct Faculty Member
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 44.9% Female, 55.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between college professor and adjunct faculty member duties and responsibilities

College professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Create and teach lessons about business management, business procedures, economics, finance, and religion
Model when creating new course work each semester.
Work as a part-time mathematics instructor teaching courses from basic mathematics to pre-calculus in the evening program.
Survey literature pertaining to health consequences in the disruption of biological rhythms, with particular emphasis on fatigue.
Administer instructional align with the collegiate level syllabus.

Adjunct faculty member example responsibilities.

Lead outreach to community and statewide stakeholders in the PPCC entrepreneurship program.
Prepare course materials such as PowerPoint presentations, assessments and homework assignments.
Perform PowerPoint guide lectures and presentation during each meeting.
Analyze writings to initiate thematic, multicultural comprehension/interpretation of literature
Provide instruction integrating mathematics and manufacturing

College professor vs adjunct faculty member skills

Common college professor skills

Curriculum Development, 31%
Classes Taught, 9%
Mathematics, 6%
Syllabus, 4%
Semester, 4%
Anatomy, 3%

Common adjunct faculty member skills

Syllabus, 14%
Curriculum Development, 9%
PowerPoint, 7%
English Language, 6%
Anatomy, 5%
Student Learning, 5%

College Professor vs. similar jobs

College Professor related careers

College Professor related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Education, Training, and Library Industry
College Professor
College Professor vs Adjunct Faculty Member

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse education, training, and library jobs