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College professor vs adjunct lecturer

The differences between college professors and adjunct lecturers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a college professor has an average salary of $81,207, which is higher than the $79,657 average annual salary of an adjunct lecturer.

The top three skills for a college professor include curriculum development, classes taught and mathematics. The most important skills for an adjunct lecturer are C++, undergraduate courses, and syllabus.

College professor vs adjunct lecturer overview

College ProfessorAdjunct Lecturer
Yearly salary$81,207$79,657
Hourly rate$39.04$38.30
Growth rate12%12%
Number of jobs27,39026,546
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age4646
Years of experience2-

College professor vs adjunct lecturer salary

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

College ProfessorAdjunct Lecturer
Average salary$81,207$79,657
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $166,000Between $42,000 And $149,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New York
Best paying company-Johns Hopkins University
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between college professor and adjunct lecturer education

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

College ProfessorAdjunct Lecturer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common majorBusinessEnglish
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

College professor vs adjunct lecturer demographics

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

College ProfessorAdjunct Lecturer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 50.2% Female, 49.8%Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5%
Race ratioBlack 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, 10.1% Asian, 12.8% White, 64.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between college professor and adjunct lecturer 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.
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Adjunct lecturer example responsibilities.

  • Develop the course syllabus to achieve personal and departmental proficiency and performance goals.
  • Instruct respiratory therapy and medical assistant students on human anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and the pathological basis of diseases.
  • Prepare lesson plans for freshman seminar course.
  • Teach pure and apply mathematics to engineering students.
  • Conduct the student teaching seminar for prospective teaching candidates.
  • Instruct practical sessions and labs for courses in human physiology and environmental chemistry.
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College professor vs adjunct lecturer skills

Common college professor skills
  • Curriculum Development, 31%
  • Classes Taught, 9%
  • Mathematics, 6%
  • Syllabus, 4%
  • Semester, 4%
  • Anatomy, 3%
Common adjunct lecturer skills
  • C++, 10%
  • Undergraduate Courses, 8%
  • Syllabus, 8%
  • Rehabilitation, 7%
  • Mathematics, 5%
  • Course Syllabus, 5%

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