4 ms·

As a professor, pay is very comparable across organizations for given degree programs nationwide. One hypothesis for why is that salary support on grants to fac

As a professor, pay is very comparable across organizations for given degree programs nationwide. One hypothesis for why is that salary support on grants to faculty comes from grants with salary as a direct cost. These grants are the same amount nationwide, e.g. $600K for NSF small CISE core award. Also student tuition doesn't vary for different classes, so the university doesn't necessarily have more money for CS faculty depending on how things internally work. There is some cost of living adjustments but it is pretty minimal. The discipline adjustments are more significant. English department adjuncts are probably paid a lot less. My biggest surprise was that adjuncts are paid so well. It rivals my salary when I got tenure especially with only teaching two classes per semester and them being co-taught. I've done the visiting/adjunct thing in NYC, and the Berkeley salary is over 2x higher. But I was doing that for the joy of teaching and I had a day job.

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dls2016 4y ago
Adjuncts where? I was adjuncting at PSU Harrisburg campus last year while working on a startup… $5k/class and you have to work your way up to get a consistent course load. I believe that salary applies across the entire Penn State system. There are some professors who earn much more than average, mainly in medicine, economics and engineering from what I’ve read. Startup idea didn’t work out (and it’s stressful), so I’m back to being a working stiff.
- TecoAndJix 4y ago
  Hey, small world! Current grad student at PSU Harrisburg (under Dr. Lee for MSIS). I'm hoping to adjunct after graduation. Did you just apply to an open posting? What was the process like?
  - dls2016 4y ago
    Nice! I actually attended there as an undergraduate many years ago. Prof Bui still remembered my name, even after my military -> industry -> academic -> industry journey. As in most institutions I've been in, if they're already familiar with your work then there's little process for getting an adjunct position because of the demand (as explained in the article). Just don't expect interesting courses right off the bat. I do have to warn you, if you're not already aware... all those articles about lack of student engagement due to pandemic are horrifyingly correct. I started adjuncting as the pandemic hit and it seemed like each semester was worse than the previous one. I just finished up my last course and it was such a slog. People barely show up, are completely silent when they do. A root canal was more fun. That said, it's a great feeling when you really make a connection and I hope to return to teaching sometime in the future. I will put my psu address in my profile, if you want to connect.

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dls2016 4y ago

Adjuncts where? I was adjuncting at PSU Harrisburg campus last year while working on a startup… $5k/class and you have to work your way up to get a consistent course load. I believe that salary applies across the entire Penn State system. There are some professors who earn much more than average, mainly in medicine, economics and engineering from what I’ve read. Startup idea didn’t work out (and it’s stressful), so I’m back to being a working stiff.

TecoAndJix 4y ago
Hey, small world! Current grad student at PSU Harrisburg (under Dr. Lee for MSIS). I'm hoping to adjunct after graduation. Did you just apply to an open posting? What was the process like?
- dls2016 4y ago
  Nice! I actually attended there as an undergraduate many years ago. Prof Bui still remembered my name, even after my military -> industry -> academic -> industry journey. As in most institutions I've been in, if they're already familiar with your work then there's little process for getting an adjunct position because of the demand (as explained in the article). Just don't expect interesting courses right off the bat. I do have to warn you, if you're not already aware... all those articles about lack of student engagement due to pandemic are horrifyingly correct. I started adjuncting as the pandemic hit and it seemed like each semester was worse than the previous one. I just finished up my last course and it was such a slog. People barely show up, are completely silent when they do. A root canal was more fun. That said, it's a great feeling when you really make a connection and I hope to return to teaching sometime in the future. I will put my psu address in my profile, if you want to connect.