How much do adjunct sociology professors make per course?

Across 61 sociology adjunct postings that disclose pay, the median is $3,108 per course; the middle half of listings fall between $1,225 and $6,189.

Do online adjunct sociology jobs pay less?

Institutions generally pay online and in-person sections of the same course at the same rate. Differences in the data reflect which kinds of institutions hire online, not a remote discount.

What would that be per year?

At the $3,108 median, three courses a term over two terms is about $18,648 before tax, with no benefits. Loads are usually capped below the level that would trigger benefits eligibility.

Adjunct sociology professor pay per course

From real sociology adjunct and lecturer postings across U.S. colleges and universities, refreshed daily. Live and recently closed listings both count.

Median per course · sociology: $3,108
Middle half of listings (25th–75th): $1,225 – $6,189
Typical range (5th–95th): $942 – $11,576
Institutions disclosing pay: 41

Based on 61 listings that disclose per-course pay.

Highest-paying institutions

Median per course among institutions with at least three disclosed-pay sociology listings.

Governors State University$3,750n=4
Perimeter College$3,075n=3
Ball State University$3,000n=3
Mott Community College$1,158n=3
Truckee Meadows Community College$1,150n=3
Cuyahoga Community College$942n=4

By state

States with at least five disclosed-pay sociology listings.

California$8,509n=10
Massachusetts$5,003n=6
Illinois$3,750n=6
Texas$2,900n=7

Twelve-month trend

$15,211

Mar 2026

$3,108

Apr 2026

$942

May 2026

$5,500

Jun 2026

$3,100

Jul 2026

$4,595

Aug 2026

$3,038

Sep 2026

$3,750

Oct 2026

Median per-course pay of listings posted each month.

What the median means per year

Adjuncts are paid per course, so annual income depends on load. At $3,108 per course:

2 courses × 2 terms: $12,432
3 courses × 2 terms: $18,648
4 courses × 3 terms: $37,296

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

Frequently asked questions

How much do adjunct sociology professors make per course?: Across 61 sociology adjunct postings that disclose pay, the median is $3,108 per course; the middle half of listings fall between $1,225 and $6,189.
Do online adjunct sociology jobs pay less?: Institutions generally pay online and in-person sections of the same course at the same rate. Differences in the data reflect which kinds of institutions hire online, not a remote discount.
What would that be per year?: At the $3,108 median, three courses a term over two terms is about $18,648 before tax, with no benefits. Loads are usually capped below the level that would trigger benefits eligibility.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure is computed from adjunct, lecturer, and part-time faculty postings that OpenLecture tracks across 4,000+ U.S. institutions, refreshed daily. Closed listings stay in the sample, so the picture covers roughly the past year.
Only postings that state a per-course amount are compared. Hourly and annual quotes are reported separately and never converted.
Where a range is posted, the top of the range is used. Figures below $500 or above $25,000 per course are excluded as mislabelled periods.
Medians are shown, not averages, so a handful of outliers cannot move them. Pages with fewer than 25 disclosed-pay listings carry a warning.
Roughly a quarter of adjunct postings disclose pay at all; these numbers describe the institutions that do.

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