The Career Experience of Academics in Adjunct Faculty Positions
While they enjoy the work itself, adjunct faculty have concerns about salary, job security and retirement readiness.
Half of today’s higher education faculty are employed part time on a nontenure track—i.e., “adjuncts.” The rest are full-time nontenure track (20%) and tenured or tenure track (30%). This report examines adjuncts’ views and experiences concerning their jobs, careers and retirement readiness.
This report analyzes data from the 2014 Faculty Career and Retirement Survey, a representative sample of U.S. college and university faculty that included 1,200 tenured or tenure-track faculty and 500 academics in adjunct faculty positions. Respondents classified as adjuncts neither hold a full-time position outside of academia nor work full time at a single institution under a multi-year contract.
Sign up for the TIAA Institute Newsletter
Get the latest research and insights straight to your inbox