The position of "Affiliated Faculty" has evolved over time from being a term used primarily in academia to refer to those individuals hired on short-term contracts with various educational institutions to fill temporary positions within their respective offices. The term was originally coined during the Great Depression when universities were looking for ways to cut costs, but now the concept of the "affiliated faculty member" has expanded to include anyone employed by another institution that works directly under them.
For example, someone working as an IT administrator at a private school might be considered an "affiliated faculty member." This would allow the other institution to hire this person without having to pay benefits such as health insurance or retirement plans. However, if they worked fulltime as an Associate Professor at a public college or university, then these benefits may apply regardless of whether the individual is employed by the other organization.
As you can see, there's still some confusion about what exactly constitutes an "affiliated faculty member," so let us break down all the different types of affiliations, starting with the most common ones.
An "affiliated faculty" is defined as any employee of an educational institution who is not permanently employed by said institution. These people often work in conjunction with the university administration, which allows them to have more freedom than regular professors do -- for instance, they don't need approval from the faculty senate to teach classes. They also tend to have less responsibility because they're usually given fewer teaching duties.
On top of that, many schools offer "adjunct" faculty memberships, where students have access to courses taught by unaffiliated teachers. These instructors typically work part-time, usually through online platforms like Udemy or Coursera, though some colleges will employ actual visiting lecturers instead. Adjunct positions aren't always permanent, either. Many times, schools will contract out these jobs to qualified professionals based on needs. For instance, if your department is struggling to find enough faculty to teach introductory psychology, you could ask around campus to see if anyone is interested in applying for an adjunct professorship.
Depending on how long the job lasts, an "affiliated faculty" could be anything from a part-time lecturer to a full-time teacher. It really depends on the circumstances. You should know that while this designation doesn't necessarily make you ineligible for certain benefits, it does give you less authority and influence than a tenured professor.
When you hear someone use the phrase "affiliated faculty," chances are good that they're referring to a "temporary faculty member." As we mentioned above, these positions vary wildly between institutions. Some simply provide support services, while others function as a sort of liaison between the two parties involved. Generally speaking, temporary faculty members get paid less money than regular professors do, although you'll probably get better perks and opportunities to travel. On average, a temporary faculty member makes $25,000 per year, whereas a full-time professor earns anywhere from $50,000-$80,000 annually.
If you want to become a full-fledged professor, however, you'll first have to pass some tests administered by the School of Medicine. After passing the exam, you'll receive a doctorate degree and can start making six figures. Of course, this isn't guaranteed. If you fail, you might end up taking a few years off before trying again.
According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, an associate professor is somebody who possesses sufficient knowledge in his field to hold a teaching post at the level of master’s degree. In contrast, an associate research fellow is a scholar who holds a Ph.D. or equivalent qualification but lacks the necessary expertise to qualify him for a senior post. An associate professor is commonly found in science faculties, particularly in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary sciences, and anthropology.
In India, an associate professor is known as a junior professor, while in Europe they are called an assistant professor. While both titles indicate similar roles, the difference lies in the amount of experience required to attain each rank.
Associate professors generally have five years' worth of relevant teaching experience prior to receiving promotion to the next grade. Junior professors must possess four years' worth of experience. Unlike associate professors, whose ranks require additional training, junior professors can begin teaching right away after completing their undergraduate studies.
It is important to note here that unlike associate professors, junior professors rarely ever reach the heights of their careers. Their salaries depend largely on the prestige of the university they work for and the number of publications they've produced. Also, since junior professors lack extensive experience, many employers won't even consider hiring them unless they already have a track record of success.
While researchers might seem like the same thing as professors, the former actually refers to scientists who conduct independent scientific investigations rather than teaching undergraduates. That's why it's sometimes referred to as "independent investigator". Research assistants are frequently hired by universities to assist with experiments and data gathering.
Some researchers go beyond just assisting with labwork and write papers themselves. Others publish articles in peer reviewed journals. Still others collaborate with other experts to create new discoveries. All of these things count towards a scientist's career advancement, especially if he or she manages to secure funding from outside sources.
Since independent investigators cannot teach, they generally don't fall into the category of affiliated professors. Instead, they belong to the much larger group of researchers. A researcher is essentially anybody who conducts original research. He is not limited to those who hold PhD degrees. Even high school students can participate in research projects!
However, researchers only account for 1% of the total workforce in US higher education.
This information comes from the College Board website. We suggest reading our article on the differences between professors and researchers for further details.
Affiliate Faculty
Definitions vary widely among different organizations, however most commonly it refers to an individual that is not a full-time employee of the university or college they work for. They may be part-time professors, lecturers, instructors, etc.
"Affiliate faculty members have been called 'temporary' staff," states Wikipedia. As such, these individuals do not receive benefits like health insurance, sick days, paid vacations, etc., and generally cannot contribute financially towards retirement plans or other long-term savings accounts.
While many people consider this an obvious negative aspect of having affiliated faculty members in your workplace, there are also several advantages.
They can often bring new ideas and perspectives into the organization.
Some of them will come highly qualified, which allows you to focus more resources on training existing staff and less money on recruiting new ones.
It's much easier to get rid of someone if they aren't considered part of the permanent workforce.
You don't need to pay social security taxes.
If you're interested in learning how to hire better, check out our article on hiring best practices.
In addition to all of the above mentioned points, some companies actually see it as beneficial because it helps retain talent. One example of this is Google, whose motto is "Don't Be Evil." In order to keep the company diverse, Google hires thousands of students every year. This keeps its pool of potential candidates fresh while allowing them to gain valuable experience working at Google without taking away from any current employees.
The term "associate" can be confusing because it's often used interchangeably with "professor." In fact, there are some differences that make them distinct from each other. Let's take a look at how they differ.
A full professor has been granted tenure, which means he or she cannot be dismissed except through due process. A full professor also receives benefits such as health insurance, retirement contributions, and tuition remission.
An associate professor, however, must have completed his or her degree within five years. He or she may not receive any benefits, but will likely be eligible for promotion after completing three consecutive years of satisfactory performance reviews. If promoted, an associate professor could become a full professor if their research productivity meets certain criteria.
Associate professors typically hold positions on campus and work closely with students. They teach classes, provide guidance to students, participate in departmental committees, and interact regularly with colleagues. Assistant professors usually work offsite and generally focus more on teaching than advising.
Assistant professors tend to have fewer responsibilities and less interaction with other faculty members and staff. If they're hired into the position before completing their bachelor's degree, they'll need to complete their master's program within two years instead of five.
In most cases, both associate and assistant professors are employed by universities rather than colleges or institutions of higher learning. The distinction between these jobs varies widely across countries though. For example, in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa, all postgraduate degrees require a minimum of four years of study, whereas in the United States, a PhD requires anywhere from six to seven years of study.
As mentioned above, while a professor holds a tenured job and is considered a senior member of the faculty, an assistant professor isn't guaranteed a permanent position. That said, however, many prefer this title over junior professor (or lecturer), which implies lack of experience or education.
You might see someone referred to as Dr. XXXXXX or Professor XXXXXX. While titles like those sound impressive, you don't want to get too carried away -- your boss probably won't even know who you are! When speaking directly to someone, try saying something along the lines of Ms./Mr. XXXX, which sounds much friendlier. You can always refer to him or her using their first name when talking about them behind their back. If you know somebody well enough, you can simply say hi or goodbye without needing to use names.
There are plenty of ways to approach a person on campus. Here are some examples that come up frequently:
Hi, Mr. Smith.
Good morning, Mr. Jones.
Hello, Mrs. Brown.
Excuse me, I'm looking for Room XX. Do you know where it is?
Can I help you find your way around?
I'd love to chat sometime. How 'bout Tuesday afternoon?
Let's grab lunch next week. What time works best for you?
These simple sentences should give you an idea of how people communicate in person and online. Just remember to keep things friendly and casual. No one wants to feel judged or belittled just because they had the misfortune of being introduced to you.
Affiliate professor salary information comes from Glassdoor, Salary.com, PayScale, Payscale, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and our own surveys. We've found that salaries vary greatly based on location, industry, and employer size. To determine average salaries, we took salaries reported on various sites and averaged them together.
We compared pay rates of associate and assistant professors to those of full professors and found that the former earned significantly lower amounts. On average, associate professors made $4,000 less per year than full professors and assistant professors earned $10,100 less per year. These figures aren't adjusted for cost-of-living.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual income for an associate professor was $69,971 in 2017. As expected, men were paid more than women ($79,711 versus $67,818). Associate professors working outside of academia earned slightly more money than those who lived inside the ivory tower ($68,099 versus $65,943). Those with doctoral degrees received the highest compensation rate ($94,634 annually).
By comparison, the median annual income for a full professor was $119,542 in 2017. Men earned more than women did ($126,053 versus $114,533). Full professors working in academia earned more than those who worked out of doors ($127,072 versus $116,973). And yes, full professors with doctorates saw the biggest pay bump ($131,091 annually).
What is the difference in affiliation assistant professor salary and affiliation professor salary?
When referring to the same type of employee, affiliation refers to whether someone is part of the academic community or not. An affiliation professor works alongside regular professors, assisting them with projects and helping them prepare lectures. This role doesn't necessarily entail teaching duties, although sometimes it includes these tasks.
On the other hand, an affiliation assistant professor focuses primarily on providing assistance to faculty members. Sometimes, this involves helping set up meetings or giving advice regarding courses. Other times, assistants attend conferences to present papers or talk to students about career paths.
It's important to note here that affiliation assistant professors don't receive additional funding beyond what they would normally earn. Instead, they rely solely on their professor's salary.
Affiliate Faculty
Definition: Persons who are administrative, professional, or technical employees of the University, who are additionally appointed for one-year terms only, renewable at the sole discretion of the University, to perform specific assignments related to the instructional programs.
They may not have any teaching responsibilities.
They may not be full professors but rather affiliated instructors.
Assignments must relate primarily to instruction in their respective fields or areas
Appointments are non-Board appointed, non-bargaining-unit, fixed-term, uncompensated appointments, and persons holding affiliate appointments earn no credit toward tenure.
Affiliates are considered part time staff members whose primary responsibility is to support the university mission through teaching, research, service, administration, and management activities.
Affiliates receive a salary based on the number of hours worked per week, normally between 20 and 40 hours, which includes both regular work schedule and additional duties such as advising students, working outside normal business hours, etc., while tenured faculty get paid according to the length of the contract.
There are five categories of affiliates:
1. Affiliate Instructor
This category covers all those individuals who are employed by the institution as adjunct instructors without tenure or formal appointment in the department/school.
2. Affiliate Assistant Professor
An affiliate assistant professor has been hired into his/her position solely for the purpose of providing assistance with instruction in the particular field(s). An individual in this classification will usually hold either a master’s degree or doctoral degree with specialized training in the particular field.
3. Affiliate Associate Professor
A person holding this title will typically possess advanced degrees in addition to significant experience in the subject matter area he/she teaches. This would include someone like a clinical psychologist who also holds a Ph.D. from another accredited institution.
4. Affiliate Professor
Professors holding the rank of Affiliated Associate Professor, Affiliate Professor, and Full Professor are employed in positions similar to that of a tenured member of the faculty.
5. Other Types of Affiliates
In addition to the above mentioned titles, the following types of affiliations exist within the ranks of the faculty:
a. Affiliation with Academic Departments/Schools
When someone asks about your job title, most people will ask "what's it like?" But if they're not familiar with academia, they'll probably also want to know how much money you make. So this article is here to help explain both those things -- that is, what exactly does it mean to be an "associate" professor versus a full professor, what kind of compensation can you expect from being in either category, and why everyone on campus calls their boss Professor X instead of Dr. Y.
The answer to all three questions is, well... complicated! The truth is there isn't really a single correct way to categorize these positions, so we've gone ahead and broken down some different possibilities. For reference, let's start off with the basics first, before diving into more nuanced definitions.
First up, just what is an associate professor anyway? They're basically two separate roles, which have very different implications when it comes to pay, benefits, and career prospects. Let's break them down a little bit.
No. In general, any person employed under the supervision of a tenured professor holds the rank of Associate Professor. This includes students, postdoctoral fellows, staff members, and anyone else who works directly under a professor.
Even though associate professors don't get paid a lot, they still deserve respect. When you call somebody an associate professor, you aren't saying anything negative about them or their work. It simply describes where they stand in relation to other academics. You might even say something along the lines of, "I'm sorry to hear about [name]'s passing," but never "Sorry to see you go."
If you find yourself calling someone an associate professor without thinking twice, maybe you need to rethink their position at the school. If you think a professor doesn't deserve a certain title because he or she has been around longer than others, then you're wrong. Just because someone has held a particular role for decades doesn't automatically disqualify him or her from getting a new title.
There are several titles that come after associate professor. Each carries its own unique set of responsibilities and privileges, so it's important to understand each one before making decisions based on title alone. Here's a quick rundown of the most common ones:
Associate professor - These are typically the lowest ranking professionals working at universities, although some schools may assign a few extra ranks above it. Generally speaking, they don't teach classes and don't supervise undergraduates, but they often serve as liaisons between researchers and administrators.
Assistant professor - Similar to associate professor, except that they tend to teach undergraduate courses, usually within a department or college.
Instructor - There are many kinds of instructors, including lecturers, tutors, teaching assistants, and visiting professors. All are essentially teachers, although the exact nature of their duties varies widely across institutions. Most instructors have limited influence over student life, whereas lecturers and visiting professors generally have significant control over curriculum development and course content.
Adjunct professor - Adjunct professors are temporary workers hired through agencies such as CUNY Jobs or TeachAmerica. Many colleges and universities hire adjunct professors to fill gaps during busy times, while others prefer to keep their hiring practices private.
Full professor - Full professors hold the highest degree possible after earning tenure. Some universities allow adjunct professors to apply for full professorship, but others reserve this honor exclusively for permanent hires.
Entry level professor - Entry-level professors are professors whose salaries are funded by external grants rather than tuition dollars, allowing them to pursue research projects outside the normal scope of their jobs. Although funding sources vary greatly among institutions, entry-level professorships are usually awarded to young scholars who haven't yet earned tenure.
As you can see, the differences between various forms of professor are extremely subtle, which makes it difficult to define precise rules for distinguishing between them. As long as you understand that every institution has slightly different standards, you shouldn't worry too much about whether you're using the right term.
This question is almost entirely dependent on context, since any given school could have dozens of different entry-level titles. At my current place of employment, however, our terminology is quite consistent. We refer to entry-level faculty as affiliates:
Affiliates are individuals who receive financial support from the university, but are not considered part of a formal bargaining unit, nor are they eligible candidates for promotion to higher ranks. Affiliates cannot vote on union matters, but they do enjoy some perks that regular faculty lack.
Like regular faculty, affiliates must meet minimum requirements for faculty status. However, unlike regular faculty, affiliates' salaries are tied to budget projections rather than market rates. Because of this, affiliates are commonly referred to as adjunct faculty, since their income fluctuates wildly throughout the year.
So far, so good. Now, here's the tricky part: How do you tell if someone is actually an affiliate or not? Well, the short version is that you have to look closely at the wording of their contract. According to the Faculty Handbook, affiliates include "all persons serving in an administrative capacity who are assigned solely for service to the University or the College." That pretty clearly covers everything from secretaries to IT specialists.
On the other hand, the same document defines regular faculty as follows: "Regular faculty shall be defined as those persons engaged in teaching or doing research in accordance with established policies and procedures of the University." That last phrase is key, because it implies that regular faculty are paid according to market rate. Since salaries for affiliates are determined by budget projections, they fall somewhere in between regular faculty and independent contractors.
For example, consider the case of a senior member of the chemistry department named Jack Smith. He receives his full salary regardless of enrollment numbers, and therefore counts as a regular faculty member. Meanwhile, junior chemists who teach fewer hours per week than the average professor count as affiliates.
Now, if you were trying to figure out whether or not a given individual was an affiliate, wouldn't you check their contract? Of course you would. And if you found nothing but vague language, you'd assume they belonged to the regular faculty group. Otherwise, you'd conclude that they were an affiliate. Right? Wrong.
It turns out that the definition of affiliate isn't nearly as clear cut as that statement suggests. In reality, the line between regular faculty and affiliates is drawn more by convention than legal precedent. What determines membership in one category depends largely on institutional policy, not law. Sometimes contracts explicitly state that affiliates are ineligible for faculty status, while sometimes they don't.
In fact, it's entirely possible that a single person could belong to multiple categories simultaneously. Take me, for instance. I am currently enrolled in the PhD program at New York University, but I'm also a lecturer and a visiting scholar. I'm an affiliate, but I'm also a regular faculty member. Does that make sense? Probably not.
Just remember that whenever you talk about faculty, you're talking about an entire group of people. Not all of them are the same, and none of them are interchangeable.
Lastly, please note that the distinction between an adjunct and an affiliate is different from the difference between a faculty member and a staff employee. Staff members are paid less than faculty, and they don't qualify for health insurance. On the other hand, adjuncts and affiliates are technically free agents, but they are still bound by labor agreements that govern their relationship with the university.
Most universities require you to list your affiliation on your resume. Typically, you'll write something like "Professor XYZ" or "Department Chairperson ABC." However, there are a couple exceptions worth mentioning.
At George Washington University, for example, you must specifically mention that you're an adjunct professor. While GWU is known for its strong ties with industry, the university frowns on listing affiliations unless absolutely necessary.
Other places are a bit more flexible, and some prefer to avoid the word altogether. When writing resumes for online applications, try to stick to simple statements like "School of Business" or "College of Arts & Sciences" to indicate your affiliation.
Ultimately, just pick whatever seems easiest to read. No matter what you choose, you won't regret choosing correctly.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.