Lecturer vs visiting professor

The differences between lecturers and visiting professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a visiting professor has an average salary of $116,217, which is higher than the $61,988 average annual salary of a lecturer.

The top three skills for a lecturer include semester, philosophy and syllabus. The most important skills for a visiting professor are course content, student learning, and professional development.

Lecturer vs visiting professor overview

	Lecturer	Visiting Professor
Yearly salary	$61,988	$116,217
Hourly rate	$29.80	$55.87
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	26,449	27,139
Job satisfaction	3	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	2

What does a lecturer do?

A lecturer, also known as a university lecturer, is a teaching professional who teaches students in colleges and educational establishments. Lecturers provide support to students in their research activities by assessing their work and through a pastoral and advisory role. Aside from teaching students, lecturers may carry out administrative tasks such as student enrolment, induction programmers, and involvement in committees and boards. They may also contribute to professional seminars and seminars about their expertise and participate in the training activities of staff members.

What does a visiting professor do?

Visiting professors are faculty members from an institution who must visit a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic they are knowledgeable in. These professors are required to create a positive learning environment among undergraduate students by inviting them to participate and engage in classroom activities, which can consistently enhance the learning process of their students. They must serve as dissertation research chairperson for Ph.D. students in qualitative and quantitative research studies. Visiting professors must also conduct in-person lectures and direct undergraduate theses for special topics research courses.

Lecturer vs visiting professor salary

Lecturers and visiting professors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lecturer	Visiting Professor
Average salary	$61,988	$116,217
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $101,000	Between $56,000 And $241,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Johns Hopkins University	UMiami Health System
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between lecturer and visiting professor education

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

	Lecturer	Visiting Professor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	English	Nursing
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	University of Texas at Austin

Lecturer vs visiting professor demographics

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

	Lecturer	Visiting Professor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5%	Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between lecturer and visiting professor duties and responsibilities

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.

Visiting professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Teach various humanities, sociology, communications and ethics courses.
Design and teach a graduate seminar.
Graduate seminar in post-1945 art theory and criticism
Develop educational resources that supplement core BSN courses.
Review professor's syllabus and acquire full knowledge of his semester coursework in a short turnaround time.

Lecturer vs visiting professor skills

Common lecturer skills

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

Common visiting professor skills

Course Content, 11%
Student Learning, 10%
Professional Development, 8%
Philosophy, 7%
Health Assessments, 5%
Economics, 4%

Lecturer vs. similar jobs

Lecturer related careers

Lecturer related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Education, Training, and Library Industry
Lecturer
Lecturer vs Visiting Professor

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse education, training, and library jobs