College professor vs lecturer

The differences between college professors and 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 $61,988 average annual salary of a lecturer.

The top three skills for a college professor include curriculum development, classes taught and mathematics. The most important skills for a lecturer are semester, philosophy, and syllabus.

College professor vs lecturer overview

	College Professor	Lecturer
Yearly salary	$81,207	$61,988
Hourly rate	$39.04	$29.80
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	27,390	26,449
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	-

College professor vs lecturer salary

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

	College Professor	Lecturer
Average salary	$81,207	$61,988
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $166,000	Between $37,000 And $101,000
Highest paying City	-	Berkeley, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Johns Hopkins University
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between college professor and lecturer education

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

	College Professor	Lecturer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	English
Most common college	Northwestern University	Carnegie Mellon University

College professor vs lecturer demographics

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

	College Professor	Lecturer
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 50.2% Female, 49.8%	Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5%
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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 17.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between college professor and 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.

Lecturer example responsibilities.

Create web sites and documentation, using HTML, to manage various projects.
Manage a database, compile, retrieve, review and analyze test scores.
Develop and lead ELA lessons at the 8th grade level, with an emphasis on critical reading and literary analysis.
Establish and maintain practical pharmacology, anatomy and physiology labs.
Prepare course syllabus, instructional materials and assignments, assessment materials in an online distance education format.
Provide the necessary background including anatomy, chemistry, physiology, genetics, development, and environmental interactions of microorganisms.

College professor vs lecturer skills

Common college professor skills

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

Common lecturer skills

Semester, 20%
Philosophy, 10%
Syllabus, 5%
Course Materials, 5%
Literature, 4%
Graduate Courses, 4%

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 Lecturer

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse education, training, and library jobs