What Is an Adjunct Professor?
Adjunct professors teach courses at colleges or universities but are not tenure-track professors. They usually teach part-time and are paid per course or credit rather than by annual salary. Adjunct professors might be scholars or experts in their designated fields who have primary jobs outside of the college or university. Becoming an adjunct professor might be your ultimate goal, or it might be a steppingstone to becoming a full-time professor; both are possible.
Strong competition can exist in securing these teaching positions, which could become positive resume items, in addition to providing extra income. The disadvantages of being an adjunct professor are that they generally do not receive benefits from the college or university and may switch schools often, depending on what subject they want to teach. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median post-secondary instructor salary was $68,970 in 2019, which includes the average adjunct professor salary. Because adjunct professors are paid by the course, they are typically paid between $1,000 and $5,000 per course that they teach. There is a great deal of variation because of the different kinds of institutions at which adjunct professors can work.
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Adjunct Professor: Qualifications
What are the major adjunct instructor qualifications? The minimum level of education for an adjunct teacher varies depending on the subject and setting in which one teaches but a master's degree is usually the minimum requirement. This is a fairly extensive educational requirement for an adjunct professor, meaning that those wishing to obtain these positions must take them seriously. An adjunct professor typically needs a master's degree to work in a 2-year college and a doctoral degree when teaching at 4-year institutions. Additionally, they need a degree related to the subject that they wish to teach.
| Degree Level | Master's required at 2-year colleges; doctoral required at 4-year institutions |
| Degree Field | Subject related to field to be taught |
| Experience | Prior teaching or professional experience is preferred |
| Median Salary (2019)* | $68,970 (for a postsecondary professor) |
| Job Outlook (2019-2029)* | 9% growth |
Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University.
How to Become an Adjunct Professor
If you are trying to find out how to become an adjunct professor without teaching experience, you may be out of luck. The vast majority of teaching institutions require or highly prefer previous teaching experience in their professorial candidates. Check out some of the most important steps you can take when becoming an adjunct professor.
Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree
An individual who would like to become an adjunct professor must first obtain a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. A student should major in the field in which he or she would like to teach or a closely related subject. For example, students who wish to teach microeconomics at the postsecondary level may benefit from earning an undergraduate degree in economics, which can increase their chances of admission to a related graduate degree program. In some cases, vocational and technical schools may hire adjunct professors who have only bachelor's degrees and relevant work experience.
Success Tips for Adjunct Professors: Select an optimal major.
While educators ideally teach subjects they are passionate about, students should keep the job market in mind when selecting their areas of focus. Aspiring adjunct professors may want to consider that some fields, like humanities, are more popular than others, which could result in a large number of applicants applying for relatively few teaching positions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that fields like nursing and engineering were expected to have stronger job prospects in the 2019-2029 decade.
Step 2: Earn a Graduate Degree in Your Teaching Field
An adjunct instructor generally must have graduate degrees in the fields in which they would like to teach. While some community and junior colleges accept teachers who have master's degrees, many 2-year schools, as well as most 4-year colleges and universities, prefer candidates who have doctorates or are currently working toward PhDs. Master's degree programs tend to take two years to complete beyond undergraduate school, while PhD programs can last up to six years.
Success Tips for Adjunct Professors: Gain teaching experience.
Prior teaching experience is extremely valuable for securing an adjunct teacher position with a 2-year or 4-year institution. Students may obtain such experience through graduate teaching assistantships, which are often paid positions. This is essentially an unwritten requirement for an adjunct teacher, meaning that you should keep teaching experience in mind as you work on becoming a professor.
Step 3: Acquire Experience in Your Field
Instructors are also valued for their research or work experience outside of academia. In fact, aspiring adjunct professors often supplement their part-time professor employment with practical positions in their industries. Aspiring professors might kick off their careers after college by taking on relevant full-time employment with private businesses, government agencies or not-for-profit companies. For instance, an aspiring computer science professor might take on a position as an information systems manager.
Step 4: Obtain an Assistant Adjunct Position
Assistant adjunct faculty members are usually hired on an as-needed basis when a college or university requires additional faculty to meet demand or expand the curriculum. An applicant is generally required to submit his or her resumes detailing education and related work experience, a letter of interest and three professional references.
Step 5: Advance as an Adjunct
Adjunct instructors are not eligible for tenure, which means they can be dismissed if they do not perform adequately or if the school no longer needs an adjunct instructor for a specific course. However, there are opportunities for advancement that can lead to job security. Some schools employ ranking systems for these educators, including the adjunct assistant professor, adjunct associate professor and adjunct professor job titles.
Entry-level educators may start out as adjunct assistant professors then, after a designated term, undergo a performance review. The department will evaluate the assistant adjunct professor based on his or her teaching, research and professional performance. If the teacher meets the adjunct professor requirements of the college or university, he or she may advance to an associate position and then, eventually, adjunct professor. These promotions may come with extended terms of service and the ability to teach more classes per semester, which can lead to higher earnings.
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Key Skills for Adjunct Professors
- Strong critical-thinking skills
- Verbal communication and writing skills
- Knowledge of course-management systems like Blackboard and CourseWeb
- Attention to detail
- Teaching skills
- Patience
Professional Organizations
Consider joining a professional organization for adjunct professors. This might be a nationwide or international organization, or it may be within your own university or college. For instance, the American Association of Adjunct Education may help you to connect with others who are working in similar areas to you.
Pros and Cons
Some of the benefits to becoming an adjunct professor include:
- Ability to study in your areas of interest
- Interaction with students
- Time to work on other things in addition to teaching
- A flexible schedule
On the other hand, some of the challenges of the job include:
- Limited work
- No tenure
- Relatively low pay for the number of hours required
Obtaining a bachelor's degree and then a master's degree, gaining real world experience, and then finding assistant adjunct positions are steps to move you towards securing an adjunct professor position.
