adjunct professor
Definition
- Noun:
- Academic rank: An "adjunct professor" is a part-time or temporary faculty member at a college or university who is not on the tenure track and typically is hired on a contract basis to teach specific courses.
Usage Examples
- (A part-time instructor with limited teaching duties.)
- (Emphasizing the temporary or supplementary nature of the position.)
Advanced Usage
- "Adjunct professor" is often contrasted with a "tenure-track professor" or "full professor", who has job security, research responsibilities, and long-term employment.
- Unlike tenure-track professors, adjunct professors are usually paid per course and have no benefits. (Highlighting the difference in employment conditions.)
Variants and Related Words
- Adjunct (adj): attached to something in a subordinate or auxiliary capacity.
- She took on an adjunct role in the department, assisting with curriculum development. (A supporting, non-primary function.)
- Professorship (n): the position or rank of a professor.
- He was offered a visiting professorship, not an adjunct one. (A temporary but often more prestigious academic appointment.)
Synonyms
- Part-time instructor: a teacher employed for fewer than full-time hours.
- Contingent faculty: academic staff hired on a temporary or contract basis.
- Lecturer: a person who gives lectures, especially as a non-tenured teacher at a university.
Related Idioms
- "On the adjunct track": a non-standard career path in academia characterized by temporary, low-paying teaching positions.
- After years on the adjunct track, she finally secured a tenure-track job. (Describing a difficult career trajectory.)
Notes on Usage
- The term "adjunct professor" is most common in the United States and Canada. In other countries, similar roles may be called "associate lecturer", "visiting professor", or "contract instructor".
- Some universities use "adjunct professor" to refer to professionals from outside academia who teach part-time, e.g., a lawyer teaching a law course.