University professor vs adjunct faculty member

The differences between university professors and adjunct 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 university professor and an adjunct faculty member. Additionally, a university professor has an average salary of $64,567, which is higher than the $60,817 average annual salary of an adjunct faculty member.

The top three skills for a university professor include undergraduate courses, sociology and political science. The most important skills for an adjunct faculty member are syllabus, curriculum development, and powerpoint.

University professor vs adjunct faculty member overview

	University Professor	Adjunct Faculty Member
Yearly salary	$64,567	$60,817
Hourly rate	$31.04	$29.24
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	12,202	28,981
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	4	4

University professor vs adjunct faculty member salary

University professors and adjunct faculty members have different pay scales, as shown below.

	University Professor	Adjunct Faculty Member
Average salary	$64,567	$60,817
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $111,000	Between $37,000 And $99,000
Highest paying City	-	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	-	Ohio
Best paying company	-	Nebraska Methodist Health System
Best paying industry	-	Start-up

Differences between university professor and adjunct faculty member education

There are a few differences between a university professor and an adjunct faculty member in terms of educational background:

	University Professor	Adjunct Faculty Member
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University professor vs adjunct faculty member demographics

Here are the differences between university professors' and adjunct faculty members' demographics:

	University Professor	Adjunct Faculty Member
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0%	Male, 44.9% Female, 55.1%
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, 7.1% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between university professor and adjunct faculty member duties and responsibilities

University professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Provide assistance in conducting literature reviews on obesity issues and data analysis of her surveys on obesity risk reduction behaviors
Develop syllabus, overall course structure, and administer all grades.
Design and teach courses in leadership, ethics, and professional writing at the collegiate level.
Develop course curriculum, syllabus, materials and instructional objectives in line with traditional and modern theological teaching and researching.
Develop contextually sensitive evidence aggregation methods from patient records that consider whole patients over time, rather than just linguistic correctness.

Adjunct faculty member example responsibilities.

Lead outreach to community and statewide stakeholders in the PPCC entrepreneurship program.
Prepare course materials such as PowerPoint presentations, assessments and homework assignments.
Perform PowerPoint guide lectures and presentation during each meeting.
Analyze writings to initiate thematic, multicultural comprehension/interpretation of literature
Provide instruction integrating mathematics and manufacturing

University professor vs adjunct faculty member skills

Common university professor skills

Undergraduate Courses, 11%
Sociology, 10%
Political Science, 9%
Literature, 8%
Economics, 5%
Ethics, 5%

Common adjunct faculty member skills

Syllabus, 14%
Curriculum Development, 9%
PowerPoint, 7%
English Language, 6%
Anatomy, 5%
Student Learning, 5%

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University Professor vs Adjunct Faculty Member

Updated January 8, 2025

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