Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between course instructors and faculty members 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 a faculty member. Additionally, a faculty member has an average salary of $102,849, 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 a faculty member are public health, mathematics, and curriculum development.
| Course Instructor | Faculty Member | |
| Yearly salary | $49,389 | $102,849 |
| Hourly rate | $23.74 | $49.45 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 28,255 | 30,325 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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.
A faculty member is responsible for teaching students a wide range of both vocational and academic subjects. As a faculty member, you will teach and impart knowledge to your students and help them with the learning process and knowledge application. Some of the duties that you will perform include collaborating with colleagues in modifying the curriculum, counseling them about learning difficulties, life choices, and personal problems, and writing recommendations to aid students to secure internships or jobs. You will also participate in activities of professional associations to advance research and standards in the field.
Course instructors and faculty members have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Course Instructor | Faculty Member | |
| Average salary | $49,389 | $102,849 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $77,000 | Between $57,000 And $185,000 |
| Highest paying City | Arlington, VA | Youngstown, OH |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Jacobs Engineering Group | Southeastern Lifestyle Fitness Center Lumberton |
| Best paying industry | Non Profits | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a course instructor and a faculty member in terms of educational background:
| Course Instructor | Faculty Member | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| 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 faculty members' demographics:
| Course Instructor | Faculty Member | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.1% Female, 41.9% | Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0% |
| 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, 10.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 16% |