In the United States, an adjunct is a non-tenure-track faculty, though it can also be a scholar or teacher whose primary employer is not the school or department with which they have adjunct status. Adjunct professors make up the majority of instructors in higher education institutions. Their contracts are generally renewed by the course. As with other part-time workers, they are paid less than full-time professors and do not receive employee benefits such as health insurance or an office. In most cases adjunct professors need a master's degree, but in some cases only require a bachelor's degree and relevant experience. However, over a third have a doctoral degree, and the fraction is higher in more academic fields. In many universities, the title "adjunct professor" implies a PhD; those with a master's or bachelor's degree are called "lecturer". The American Association of University Professors has expressed concern that only a quarter of university positions are tenure-track, with implications for job security and academic freedom. In Canada, adjunct professors are often nominated in recognition of active involvement with the appointing institution, while they are employed by government, industry, a profession or another institution. The position course lecturer, rather than adjunct, is used if the appointment is strictly to teach one or more courses, contrasting with US usage of the title for all instructors.
Europe
In Portugal the designation professor adjunto implies a stable full-time employment in a polytechnic university. Notably, in countries such as Argentina and Brazil, a similar designation, profesor adjunto, also implies a stable employment. The same term used in Argentina and Brazil refers to a non-tenured position in parts of Spain. In Hungary, there exists a similar term adjunktus, as well as adiunkt in Poland, meaning assistant professor. In Finland, the Docents' Union of Finland and the Finnish Ministry of Education recommend the term adjunct professor in English as a translation of the title of docent. A docentship should be regarded as an educational title not connected with the employment pyramid as such, rather an assurance of the level of expertise, to enable the person to advance further in their academic career. The rank of a docent entitles scientists to be principal investigators, lead research groups and act as the supervisors of doctoral students.
In Australia, the term adjunct is reserved for academics and researchers from outside the university who have a close association with the university, e.g. through supervision of PhD students, recognised by an honorary title reflective of their rank and standing. In Thailand, adjunct professors are considered "non-regular officers".
