Guide

Adjunct professor: what it is, what it pays, and where the jobs are

An adjunct professor is a part-time college instructor hired per course, without a tenure track. This page covers the definition, pay from real postings, the requirements, and today’s open positions, and links to the deeper guide on each.

Browse 26,251 open adjunct jobsAdjunct pay explorer
26,251
Open adjunct positions
1,702
Institutions hiring
$5,000
Median pay per course
1,080 postings
858
Online positions

What an adjunct professor is

An adjunct professor is a part-time, non-tenure-track instructor hired by a college or university to teach specific courses, usually on a semester-by-semester contract and paid per course. The title varies by campus (adjunct instructor, adjunct faculty, part-time lecturer, contingent faculty), but the arrangement is the same: you teach the class, grade the work, and hold office hours, without the research, service, or job security that come with a tenure-track appointment. Adjuncts now teach a large share of undergraduate courses in the United States, especially introductory and general-education sections at community colleges and online programs.

Read the full explainer, including how adjuncts compare to instructors and visiting professors: What is an adjunct professor?

Adjunct professor salary

Across the 1,080 adjunct postings on this board that disclose per-course pay, the median is $5,000 per course, and the middle half of listings fall between $3,300 and $6,717. Teaching three courses a term for two terms at the median comes to roughly $30,000 a year. Community colleges cluster at the low end and four-year universities and professional schools at the high end. Figures as of September 2026.

Highest-paying disciplines on this board, by median per-course pay:

  • Law & Legal Studies: $6,806 per course (10 listings)
  • Agriculture & Environmental Science: $6,387 per course (15 listings)
  • Engineering: $6,194 per course (40 listings)
  • Economics: $6,175 per course (13 listings)
  • Visual & Fine Arts: $6,000 per course (23 listings)

Every figure comes from job postings the board has tracked, not from surveys. The adjunct pay explorer breaks it down by subject and state, and the adjunct professor salary guide explains how per-course pay turns into an annual income.

What the median means per year

Adjuncts are paid per course, so annual income depends on load. At $5,000 per course:

2 courses × 2 terms
$20,000
3 courses × 2 terms
$30,000
4 courses × 3 terms
$60,000

Before tax, no benefits. Most institutions cap adjuncts below the load that would trigger benefits eligibility.

Requirements and how to become one

  • A master’s degree in the subject, or a master’s in any field with 18+ graduate credit hours in the subject you will teach. Doctoral programs and research universities want a PhD or terminal degree.
  • Relevant experience. Professional schools (business, nursing, IT, criminal justice, law) hire practitioners on the strength of their careers; community colleges weigh teaching experience heavily.
  • A teaching-first CV. Adjunct hiring committees read for courses you can cover, not publications. See the adjunct professor resume example.
  • Timing. Departments hire for fall in spring and early summer, and again in November for spring. Late openings appear days before term as enrollment settles.

Step by step, from choosing where to apply to what to say in the interview: How to become an adjunct professor. Teaching at a two-year college has its own path: How to teach at a community college.

Adjunct professor jobs right now

This board tracks adjunct, lecturer, and part-time faculty postings across more than four thousand U.S. institutions and refreshes them daily. Where the openings are:

Save a search and new postings in your subject arrive by email; the job board also shows disclosed pay on every listing that has it.

Adjunct vs. lecturer vs. guest lecturer

A lecturer is usually a full-time, salaried teaching appointment renewed on multi-year contracts, with benefits and a place in the department. An adjunct is part-time and paid per course. A guest lecturer is an outside expert invited into one or two sessions of someone else’s course, usually unpaid or for an honorarium, and often the first step practitioners take toward adjunct teaching.

Guest lecturer vs. adjunct professor covers the differences in detail. If you would rather start with a guest lecture, universities on OpenLecture book speakers from the guest lecturer directory.

Not ready for a full course? Guest lecture first.

Create a free profile and universities looking for a practitioner in your field can request an introduction. Many adjunct appointments start with a single guest session.

Become a guest lecturer

Questions people ask

What is an adjunct professor?
An adjunct professor is a part-time, non-tenure-track instructor hired by a college or university to teach specific courses, usually on a semester-by-semester contract and paid per course. Adjuncts teach the same classes as full-time faculty but are not expected to do research or committee service, and most hold another job or teach at several institutions at once.
How much do adjunct professors make?
Across the 1,080 adjunct postings on this board that disclose per-course pay, the median is $5,000 per course, and the middle half of listings fall between $3,300 and $6,717. Teaching three courses a term for two terms at the median comes to roughly $30,000 a year. Community colleges cluster at the low end and four-year universities and professional schools at the high end. Figures as of September 2026.
What degree do you need to be an adjunct professor?
Most adjunct positions require a master's degree in the discipline, or a master's in any field with at least 18 graduate credit hours in the subject taught — the standard accreditors use. Doctoral-level programs and many research universities require a PhD or terminal degree. Professional schools (business, nursing, law, IT, criminal justice) often accept substantial industry experience with a bachelor's or master's.
Is an adjunct professor a real professor?
Yes in the classroom, no in rank. Adjuncts hold the authority of the instructor of record, grade, and appear on transcripts as the course instructor. But "adjunct" is a contingent appointment, not a faculty rank like assistant, associate, or full professor, so it carries no tenure track, no research expectation, and usually no vote in the department.
What is the difference between an adjunct professor and a lecturer?
Both teach without a tenure track. A lecturer is usually a full-time, salaried, benefits-eligible teaching appointment renewed on multi-year contracts; an adjunct is part-time and paid per course. A guest lecturer is different again: an outside expert invited to speak in one or two sessions of someone else's course, usually unpaid or for an honorarium.
Do adjunct professors get benefits?
Usually not. Most adjuncts teach below the hours threshold for employer health coverage, and institutions cap course loads to keep it that way. Some public systems and unionized campuses offer pro-rated health insurance or retirement contributions to adjuncts above a minimum load; the details are in the posting or the collective agreement.