What is a Course Instructor?

Course instructors provide post-secondary education, typically teaching in colleges. They might specialize in a wide array of academic subjects. They prepare course material, plan their classes, and give lectures or seminars. They also do research in their area and publish their results writing books or articles for academic journals.

Working in this position, it will be your job to support your students in their academic progress and career. Apart from delivering course material, you will give assignments, advise on resources for further reading and independent expanding on course work. You will evaluate the performance of your students as well, by grading their papers and exam results.

A master's degree is the minimum requirement for people filling this role, but typically a Ph.D. is required in your field of specialization. A teaching certificate and license will also be necessary. Working experience teaching young adults is also a common requirement, as well as in more practical fields of study. If you love working with people and have a passion for continuously expanding your own knowledge, this career path can be deeply fulfilling. It will also earn you a comfortable living with average annual salaries around $73,000.

What Does a Course Instructor Do

There are certain skills that many course instructors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, creativity and instructional skills.

Learn more about what a Course Instructor does

How To Become a Course Instructor

If you're interested in becoming a course instructor, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 58.3% of course instructors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 20.6% of course instructors have master's degrees. Even though most course instructors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Course Instructor
Top Course Instructor Jobs Near You

Course Instructor Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of consultant you might progress to a role such as project manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title program manager.

Course Instructor

Top Careers Before Course Instructor

Teaching Assistant(59,465 Jobs)
12.9 %
Research Assistant(51,080 Jobs)
12.8 %
Internship(51,064 Jobs)
12.2 %

Top Careers After Course Instructor

Instructor(39,273 Jobs)
13.5 %
Research Assistant(51,080 Jobs)
8.6 %
Teaching Assistant(59,465 Jobs)
8.4 %

Recent Job Searches

Average Salary for a Course Instructor

Course Instructors in America make an average salary of $49,389 per year or $24 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $77,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $31,000 per year.
Average Course Instructor Salary
$49,389 Yearly
$23.74 hourly
See More Salary Information

What Am I Worth?

salary-calculator

Roles and Types of Course Instructor

The role of a course instructor includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general course instructor responsibilities:

  • The department expects exemplary instruction. Instructors are expected to be current in their discipline, to engage students actively in their own learning,
  • Instructor for the counterintelligence surveillance course that provides dod credentialed agents with the knowledge
  • Course instructors have responsibility for organizing

There are several types of course instructor, including:

Instructor

Role:

Instructors are knowledgable about a topic and work to pass that knowledge off to their students. Whether you work in a gym or a school, instructors are super important to the students' success.

There are lots of possibilities for you as an instructor. You could work at a health club or a gym or you could work for a school and instruct math. There are so many different instructors out there, basically any topic you can think of probably needs an instructor.

Your hours will vary depending on what industry you decide to go with. You may find some jobs require you to work nights and weekends, like if you were to become a fitness instructor, while school instructors only work during school hours. Your schedule really depends on what you're passionate and knowledgable about and when people want to learn it.

  • Average Salary: $53,426
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Trainer

Role:

There are a lot of different types of trainers. Your definition of a trainer would be very different from someone else's definition. Maybe you think of a gymnasium setting when you think of a trainer. Or maybe you imagine an office setting. Either way, you would be right.

As a trainer, you have unlimited job opportunities to look forward to. From gym trainers and personal trainers to corporate trainers and technical trainers, you get to decide what office you'd rather work in. A lot of the responsibilities between the different types of trainers remain the same.

At the heart of being a trainer, your goal is to motivate your team. Whether it's pushing out five more push-ups or committing to five more minutes of productivity, you get to be their coach and mentor. You're going to be the person they come to when they're struggling with accomplishing a goal. So your listening skills need to be off the charts.
  • Average Salary: $47,574
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Adjunct Professor

Role:

So if you're wondering if there's a difference between the adjunct professor that taught your chemistry I class and the professor who teaches the astronomy II class, there is. An adjunct professor is typically hired on a contractual basis.

While it may not be a permanent position, an adjunct professor does essentially the same things a regular professor does. From writing a syllabus to teaching the class, holding office hours and grading tests, an adjunct professor position really is a great starting point if you want to become a full-time professor in the future. Or, ya know, if you just need a little extra cash on the side.
  • Average Salary: $98,821
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
View More

States With The Most Course Instructor Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active course instructor jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where course instructors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Course Instructor Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,912$55,258
2Texas988$55,033
3New York862$62,672
4Florida838$39,134
5Virginia784$61,630
6Georgia771$43,433
7North Carolina717$42,061
8Colorado589$40,059
9Pennsylvania577$43,354
10New Jersey539$59,920
11Illinois507$48,704
12Ohio447$43,184
13Michigan445$47,251
14South Carolina404$41,468
15Massachusetts376$53,073
16Maryland338$52,849
17Oregon332$35,547
18Kentucky305$44,011
19Washington297$44,609
20Minnesota261$52,442
21Tennessee245$35,067
22Arizona243$36,852
23Missouri236$36,415
24Wisconsin208$36,235
25Iowa196$45,165
26Utah160$35,819
27Alabama153$40,414
28Montana151$39,464
29Indiana140$38,038
30Nevada139$36,264
31Louisiana133$43,716
32New Mexico113$43,131
33Connecticut102$62,534
34Kansas102$39,519
35Mississippi95$45,055
36Oklahoma94$31,930
37Nebraska84$47,287
38Alaska81$27,300
39Delaware68$50,990
40West Virginia68$31,478
41New Hampshire60$58,130
42Hawaii58$45,273
43Idaho54$32,161
44Wyoming52$38,400
45Rhode Island46$57,022
46Arkansas45$30,541
47Maine43$48,077
48North Dakota42$40,717
49South Dakota38$41,095
50Vermont33$45,521

Course Instructor Education

Course Instructor Majors

Psychology
12.2 %
Business
12.0 %
English
6.7 %

Course Instructor Degrees

Bachelors

58.3 %

Masters

20.6 %

Associate

10.2 %

Top Colleges for Course Instructors

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Biology
Business
Nursing
Political Science

2. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Education
Biology
Psychology
Criminal Justice

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Biology
Communication
Psychology
Computer Science

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Education
Business
Computer Science
Psychology

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Biology
Nursing
Electrical Engineering
Political Science

6. Texas State University

San Marcos, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,280

Enrollment

34,187

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Biology
Business
Psychology
Criminal Justice
Education

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Education
Business
Biology
Political Science
Computer Science

8. Fairfield University

Fairfield, CT • Private

In-State Tuition

$48,350

Enrollment

4,103

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Nursing
Education
Communication
Biology
Psychology

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Computer Science
Education
Communication
Biology

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

Admissions
Most Popular Majors
Business
Psychology
Biology
Communication
Education

Top Skills For a Course Instructor

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 9.5% of course instructors listed course curriculum on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and creativity are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Course Instructor Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Course Instructor templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Course Instructor resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume
Course Instructor Resume

Course Instructor Demographics

Course Instructor Gender Distribution

Male
Male
58%
Female
Female
42%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among course instructors, 41.9% of them are women, while 58.1% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among course instructors is White, which makes up 60.7% of all course instructors.

  • The most common foreign language among course instructors is Spanish at 46.5%.

Online Courses For Course Instructor That You May Like

Advertising Disclosure  

1. Online Course REVOLUTION - Create an Online Course

udemy
4.5
(435)

Teach Online! Turn your expertise, knowledge, experience, or passion into an ONLINE COURSE! Filming, editing, curriculum...

See More on Udemy

2. The Ultimate Unofficial Udemy Online Course Creation Guide

udemy
4.9
(357)

Learn the tips and tricks of one of Udemy's top instructors - how to create online courses that sell. (Unofficial)...

See More on Udemy

3. Advanced C++ Programming Training Course

udemy
4.5
(820)

Take your C++ Programming Training Course Will Take Your Skills To The Next Level...

See More on Udemy
Show More Course Instructor Courses
Job type you want
Full Time
Part Time
Internship
Temporary

Best States For a Course Instructor

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a course instructor. The best states for people in this position are New York, Connecticut, Virginia, and New Jersey. Course instructors make the most in New York with an average salary of $62,672. Whereas in Connecticut and Virginia, they would average $62,534 and $61,630, respectively. While course instructors would only make an average of $59,920 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Virginia

Total Course Instructor Jobs: 784
Highest 10% Earn:
$101,000
Location Quotient:
1.51

$61,630

Avg. Salary

View 784 Course Instructor Jobs In VA

2. New York

Total Course Instructor Jobs: 862
Highest 10% Earn:
$105,000
Location Quotient:
1.22

$62,672

Avg. Salary

View 862 Course Instructor Jobs In NY

3. New Jersey

Total Course Instructor Jobs: 539
Highest 10% Earn:
$100,000
Location Quotient:
1.24

$59,920

Avg. Salary

View 539 Course Instructor Jobs In NJ
Full List Of Best States For Course Instructors

How Do Course Instructor Rate Their Jobs?

Working as a Course Instructor? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary
Do you work as a Course Instructor?
Rate how you like work as Course Instructor. It's anonymous and will only take a minute.

Top Course Instructor Employers

Most Common Employers For Course Instructor

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1University of California-Berkeley$76,682$36.8710
2University of Massachusetts Boston$74,883$36.0011
3University of Illinois System$74,190$35.6710
4Michigan State University$71,936$34.5814
5Rutgers University$68,123$32.7512
6Missouri State University$56,934$27.3721
7University of Wisconsin System$48,986$23.559
8Arizona State University$48,532$23.3310
9Kaplan$47,018$22.6010
10University of Delaware$46,791$22.509
Show More

Course Instructor Related Careers

Course Instructor Related Jobs

What Similar Roles Do

Resume For Related Jobs

Updated February 6, 2023