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The differences between visiting professors and adjunct instructors 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 $52,030 average annual salary of an adjunct instructor.
The top three skills for a visiting professor include course content, student learning and professional development. The most important skills for an adjunct instructor are student learning, syllabus, and student performance.
| Visiting Professor | Adjunct Instructor | |
| Yearly salary | $116,217 | $52,030 |
| Hourly rate | $55.87 | $25.01 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 27,139 | 40,633 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
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.
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.
Visiting professors and adjunct instructors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Visiting Professor | Adjunct Instructor | |
| Average salary | $116,217 | $52,030 |
| Salary range | Between $56,000 And $241,000 | Between $32,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Bakersfield, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | UMiami Health System | Kern Community College District |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a visiting professor and an adjunct instructor in terms of educational background:
| Visiting Professor | Adjunct Instructor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Nursing | Business |
| Most common college | University of Texas at Austin | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between visiting professors' and adjunct instructors' demographics:
| Visiting Professor | Adjunct Instructor | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.3% Female, 39.7% | Male, 45.2% Female, 54.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |