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The differences between course instructors and adjunct professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a course instructor and an adjunct professor. Additionally, an adjunct professor has an average salary of $98,821, which is higher than the $49,389 average annual salary of a course instructor.
The top three skills for a course instructor include course curriculum, syllabus and course materials. The most important skills for an adjunct professor are course curriculum, syllabus, and semester.
| Course Instructor | Adjunct Professor | |
| Yearly salary | $49,389 | $98,821 |
| Hourly rate | $23.74 | $47.51 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 28,255 | 22,488 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A course instructor typically works at a school or other instructional institution. Besides teaching, they are primarily responsible for developing syllabi, creating learning materials, creating lesson plans, creating coursework, administering examinations, grading, and monitoring the students' progress. Additionally, a course instructor may organize seminars for their students and invite guest speakers to provide additional insights.
Adjunct professors are instructors who are employed on a contractual basis, commonly in part-time positions. They teach courses in the same manner as full-time professors do, but they are free from some of the duties of those fully employed university instructors or in tenure-track positions. They create, develop, distribute, review, and manage course syllabus materials. They teach students, evaluate their performance, and maintain records of attendance, engagement, and progress. They may also facilitate lectures, conduct seminars, and do other administrative tasks within the department. Most adjunct professors enjoy teaching as part-time because they have more flexibility in terms of schedule, can avoid the dilemma of the higher education system and it's known to be less stressful and demanding.
Course instructors and adjunct professors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Course Instructor | Adjunct Professor | |
| Average salary | $49,389 | $98,821 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $77,000 | Between $44,000 And $219,000 |
| Highest paying City | Arlington, VA | Providence, RI |
| Highest paying state | New York | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Jacobs Engineering Group | Rhode Island School of Design |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Education |
There are a few differences between a course instructor and an adjunct professor in terms of educational background:
| Course Instructor | Adjunct Professor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Here are the differences between course instructors' and adjunct professors' demographics:
| Course Instructor | Adjunct Professor | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% | Male, 51.5% Female, 48.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 16% |