Also called: Part-time lecturer, Contingent faculty
Part-time college instructor paid per course, often teaching at several colleges.
Adjuncts teach a class or two at each school, often driving between campuses. Pay per course is typically $3,000-$6,000. Many professionals teach one class on the side; others string together full-time loads.
Estimate; depends on how many courses are taught. Professionals who adjunct on the side earn this on top of their main job.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's degree in the subject (PhD preferred).
Ways in: Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Any academic subject.
Growing about average. Colleges increasingly rely on adjuncts.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Colleges may replace some intro sections with AI-supported online courses, hitting part-time adjuncts first.
Classes: AP courses in your target subject, Speech, Psychology.
Official data: O*NET occupation 25-1099.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.