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General education instructor vs adjunct faculty

The differences between general education instructors and adjunct faculties can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a general education instructor and an adjunct faculty. Additionally, an adjunct faculty has an average salary of $83,069, which is higher than the $58,566 average annual salary of a general education instructor.

The top three skills for a general education instructor include professional development, syllabus and curriculum development. The most important skills for an adjunct faculty are student learning, syllabus, and philosophy.

General education instructor vs adjunct faculty overview

General Education InstructorAdjunct Faculty
Yearly salary$58,566$83,069
Hourly rate$28.16$39.94
Growth rate2%2%
Number of jobs81,52726,791
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4646
Years of experience44

What does a general education instructor do?

A general instructor typically works in a college or high school. They have the basic duty of creating and participating in a variety of learning environments to provide the best opportunities for students to learn. They are required to make use of instructional techniques in the classroom and are expected to be able to generate participation from everyone in the classroom. They are also expected to be able to identify students who need assistance in their academics and to tutor them.

What does an adjunct faculty do?

Adjunct faculty is the collective term for adjunct professors or lecturers. The adjunct faculty teaches students based on the limited-term of their contract. Oftentimes, they teach preparatory or introductory courses by semester arrangement for the entire academic year. Most of them are employed in higher education. Unlike regular professors, adjunct faculty do not have benefits and are not required to be present in meetings. They can work as either a contract professor or a part-time professor.

General education instructor vs adjunct faculty salary

General education instructors and adjunct faculties have different pay scales, as shown below.

General Education InstructorAdjunct Faculty
Average salary$58,566$83,069
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $92,000Between $45,000 And $152,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between general education instructor and adjunct faculty education

There are a few differences between a general education instructor and an adjunct faculty in terms of educational background:

General Education InstructorAdjunct Faculty
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 53%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorBusinessNursing
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

General education instructor vs adjunct faculty demographics

Here are the differences between general education instructors' and adjunct faculties' demographics:

General Education InstructorAdjunct Faculty
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 45.7% Female, 54.3%Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 11.2% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between general education instructor and adjunct faculty duties and responsibilities

General education instructor example responsibilities.

  • Utilize blackboard management system to encourage online discussions and manage grades.
  • Subject areas include science, English, and mathematics.
  • Inform students about course requirements, evaluation procedures, and class participation requirements according to the course syllabus.
  • Create inclusive lesson plans base on the NCSCOS to supplement instruction for students performing below grade level in reading and mathematics.
  • Serve as theory instructor for medical-surgical nursing and pharmacology for junior students and leadership and management nursing for senior students.
  • Provide psychiatric nursing instruction and supervision at a Boston teaching hospital for students enroll in generic undergraduate BSN degree program.

Adjunct faculty example responsibilities.

  • Lead early childhood program initiatives.
  • Provide detail academic instruction for college students in anatomy & physiology, and medical terminology.
  • Prepare lectures, in-class exercises, and collect entirely new course materials to create a personalize syllabus
  • Inform students about course requirements, evaluation procedures, attendance and participation requirements in a course syllabus.
  • Facilitate teaching of online humanities course examining relationship between philosophy and ethics including issues relating to morality.
  • Provide instruction in accounting, economics, federal taxation, management, personnel and small business management.
  • Show more

General education instructor vs adjunct faculty skills

Common general education instructor skills
  • Professional Development, 10%
  • Syllabus, 8%
  • Curriculum Development, 7%
  • Course Objectives, 6%
  • Teaching Methodologies, 5%
  • Learning Objectives, 5%
Common adjunct faculty skills
  • Student Learning, 11%
  • Syllabus, 8%
  • Philosophy, 7%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • Course Syllabus, 5%
  • Course Content, 5%

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