Professor of practice vs adjunct instructor

The differences between professors of practice and adjunct instructors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a professor of practice has an average salary of $70,670, which is higher than the $52,030 average annual salary of an adjunct instructor.

The top three skills for a professor of practice include curriculum development, professional development and graduate courses. The most important skills for an adjunct instructor are student learning, syllabus, and student performance.

Professor of practice vs adjunct instructor overview

	Professor Of Practice	Adjunct Instructor
Yearly salary	$70,670	$52,030
Hourly rate	$33.98	$25.01
Growth rate	12%	2%
Number of jobs	19,517	40,633
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age	46	42
Years of experience	4	-

What does a professor of practice do?

An expert in their respective field, a professor of practice is in charge of facilitating discussions and activities in adherence to a curriculum. Their responsibilities include developing lesson plans, creating coursework assessment and test structures, liaising with internal and external parties, establishing objectives and guidelines, monitoring the students' progress, and providing assistance as needed. Furthermore, as a professor of practice, it is essential to hold activities while maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for the students.

What does an adjunct instructor do?

An adjunct instructor is a faculty member responsible for teaching an area of expertise within a specific contract period. The duties of an adjunct instructor are almost identical as a regular instructor, only that the work benefits are limited. These duties include preparing comprehensive lesson plans, monitoring the students' learning progress, and evaluating their knowledge by conducting tests and activities. An adjunct instructor must have an extensive comprehension of the learning curriculum to provide lectures accordingly.

Professor of practice vs adjunct instructor salary

Professors of practice and adjunct instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Professor Of Practice	Adjunct Instructor
Average salary	$70,670	$52,030
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $136,000	Between $32,000 And $83,000
Highest paying City	Troy, NY	Bakersfield, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Harvard University	Kern Community College District
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between professor of practice and adjunct instructor education

There are a few differences between a professor of practice and an adjunct instructor in terms of educational background:

	Professor Of Practice	Adjunct Instructor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Professor of practice vs adjunct instructor demographics

Here are the differences between professors of practice' and adjunct instructors' demographics:

	Professor Of Practice	Adjunct Instructor
Average age	46	42
Gender ratio	Male, 56.5% Female, 43.5%	Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 11.4% White, 66.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	16%	11%

Differences between professor of practice and adjunct instructor duties and responsibilities

Professor of practice example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Mentore student leaders into institutionalizing broad policies and actions that better support international students, and the annual multicultural celebration.
Direct all administrative aspects of Psy.D.

Adjunct instructor example responsibilities.

Utilize blackboard management system to encourage online discussions and manage grades.
Develop syllabus, PowerPoint presentations on the disease model of alcoholism, physiology and pharmacology of addictive drugs and introduction to counseling
Revise and update syllabus with contemporary psychology, economics, and sociology research.
Experience with blackboard online software, facilitate on line instruction and assessments, utilize advanced technologies for presentations.
Prepare and deliver brief lectures to undergraduate students on topics such as mammalian physiology, reproduction, genetics, etc.
Modele positive work ethics, punctuality and professionalism.

Professor of practice vs adjunct instructor skills

Common professor of practice skills

Curriculum Development, 31%
Professional Development, 17%
Graduate Courses, 15%
Mathematics, 11%
Student Body, 8%
Research Projects, 6%

Common adjunct instructor skills

Student Learning, 10%
Syllabus, 7%
Student Performance, 5%
Professional Development, 5%
Philosophy, 5%
Course Curriculum, 4%

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Professor Of Practice
Professor Of Practice vs Adjunct Instructor

Updated January 8, 2025

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