The Average Salary for Teaching College Courses Online
If you have a career that isn't quite making ends meet and you're looking for a side job, working as an online professor can boost your income. Many colleges and universities hire industry professionals to teach college and university classes part-time. How much you earn will depend upon where you live, what subjects you teach and how many classes you take on.
Qualifications
In order to teach online college classes for a regionally accredited university or college, you must have a minimum of a master's degree. Some areas like English and history are particularly competitive: A PhD will put you at an advantage to get in the door.
Per Student
Some colleges pay professors per student per course. For example, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities faculty earn a set amount per student per credit for online courses. This form of payment can be lucrative if you have many students enrolled in your classes. For example, if you are paid $65 per student per credit and you have 50 students in your three-credit class, you would earn an extra $9,750 per semester.
Full-Time Professor
Online professors are often full-time faculty who either teach some, or all, of their classes online. A minimum of a master's degree is required to teach these courses. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, postsecondary teachers can expect to earn an average of $79,439 per year.
Adjunct Teaching
An adjunct professor is an academic professional who works part-time at a college or university. They are often employed to teach online courses on a course-by-course basis. Salaries vary wildly according to type of college (for example, community college or private university) and location. An adjunct professor can expect to earn about $3,000 per three-credit class, on average.
Work Environment
Online professors frequently teach from home, which means that you are able to skip the usual expenses involved in a commute to work, including gas, professional attire and dry cleaning.
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