Professor vs visiting professor

The differences between professors and visiting professors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a professor and a visiting professor. Additionally, a professor has an average salary of $157,570, which is higher than the $116,217 average annual salary of a visiting professor.

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

Professor vs visiting professor overview

	Professor	Visiting Professor
Yearly salary	$157,570	$116,217
Hourly rate	$75.75	$55.87
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	21,861	27,139
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

What does a professor do?

A professor is a teaching professional who provides instructions to students on various academic and vocational subjects in colleges, universities, and vocational schools. Professors design curriculums for courses and ensure that they meet college and department students. They continuously conduct research and experiments so that advanced knowledge in their field is completed. They share their research and works by publishing them in books and academic journals. They also provide assistance to graduating students.

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.

Professor vs visiting professor salary

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

	Professor	Visiting Professor
Average salary	$157,570	$116,217
Salary range	Between $88,000 And $280,000	Between $56,000 And $241,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Oregon Health & Science University	UMiami Health System
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between professor and visiting professor education

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

	Professor	Visiting Professor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Nursing
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Texas at Austin

Professor vs visiting professor demographics

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

	Professor	Visiting Professor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 56.7% Female, 43.3%	Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.8% White, 64.5% 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 professor and visiting professor duties and responsibilities

Professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Instruct students in anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, college mathematics, and pharmacology math and dosage calculations.
Educate adult students in medical math, anatomy & physiology, business communications ,
Teach social science subjects including sociology, psychology and human services.
Mentore newly hire philosophy teachers on school culture as well as the program s academic requirements.
Prepare and deliver material to students on topics such as ethics, logic, and contemporary religious think.

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.

Professor vs visiting professor skills

Common professor skills

Philosophy, 10%
Curriculum Development, 9%
Mathematics, 6%
C++, 5%
Literature, 5%
Graduate Courses, 4%

Common visiting professor skills

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

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Professor vs Visiting Professor

Updated January 8, 2025

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