College professor vs instructor

The differences between college professors and instructors 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 $53,426 average annual salary of an instructor.

The top three skills for a college professor include curriculum development, classes taught and mathematics. The most important skills for an instructor are customer service, CPR, and course curriculum.

College professor vs instructor overview

	College Professor	Instructor
Yearly salary	$81,207	$53,426
Hourly rate	$39.04	$25.69
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	27,390	39,273
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	46	42
Years of experience	2	-

College professor vs instructor salary

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

	College Professor	Instructor
Average salary	$81,207	$53,426
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $166,000	Between $30,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	Kern Community College District
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between college professor and instructor education

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

	College Professor	Instructor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

College professor vs instructor demographics

Here are the differences between college professors' and instructors' demographics:

	College Professor	Instructor
Average age	46	42
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 51.2% Female, 48.8%
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, 10.9% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	16%	11%

Differences between college professor and instructor 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.

Instructor example responsibilities.

Discipline kids when necessary, and manage lifeguarding duties during swimming portions of the camp.
Own and manage a small business as a CPR and first aid instructor and consultant for diverse clients.
Instruct all areas of massage therapy program including anatomy, physiology, pathology, contraindications and ethics.
Teach a broad range of ESL classes, such as pronunciation, grammar, and conversation classes.
Develop curricula for college-level philosophy and ethics courses with clear expectations and objectives in mind.
Plan and provide human anatomy and physiology course instruction and laboratory activities for students in the nursing program.

College professor vs instructor skills

Common college professor skills

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

Common instructor skills

Customer Service, 11%
CPR, 11%
Course Curriculum, 8%
Professional Development, 7%
Classroom Management, 5%
Student Learning, 4%

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College Professor
College Professor vs Instructor

Updated January 8, 2025

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