To become an adjunct math professor, you need at least a master's degree in math; other specific requirements vary according to the institution to which you are applying. For example, if your degree is in engineering or another related field, many schools, including community colleges, require at least 12 graduate credit hours in math classes. However, some technical colleges will accept practical work experience in lieu of graduate credit hours. Community, technical and two-year colleges hire many adjunct professors and are most likely to require only a master's degree. However, four-year colleges, especially highly regarded universities, usually seek candidates with a Ph.D. in math. Most institutions also require post-secondary teaching experience, often gained while working as a TA during graduate school. Some institutions require adjuncts to attend further training after being hired.
Being an adjunct allows you to try out teaching at the college level before making a full-time commitment. Teaching helps you stay current in the field and allows you to meet and mentor young people interested in math. Adjunct math professors do not generally have office hour and campus citizenship requirements, and they are given access to all the resources of the institution, for example to library and gym facilities. Adjunct math professors can be flexible and selective about the courses they teach; full-time professors are often required to take a certain number of evening courses or teach some courses at high schools, while an adjunct professor can turn down an 8:00 a.m. or an 8:00 p.m. class if it doesn't fit her schedule.
Pay for adjuncts is extremely low; about one-third that of full-time professors, according to Adjunct Professor Online. In addition, adjuncts get no medical, life insurance or retirement benefits, although most states require them to contribute to some kind of state employee pension. If you have no other means of income, it's often necessary to teach at several colleges as an adjunct to make ends meet. Some semesters the colleges for which you teach may have very few or no classes for you, while other terms you may be buried in work. Some schools have no limit on the number of courses they can ask an adjunct to teach, meaning you may carry a full-time load without any of the benefits. Most adjuncts do not have private office space or a personal computer provided by the school, and you'll have to constantly carry materials from one office to another. An adjunct math professor will often have to teach large, introductory courses for which there is a high need or which full-time faculty prefer not to teach.
To find a job as a adjunct math professor, look first at schools with increasing enrollment and decreasing budgets; hese are the schools most likely to hire part-time faculty on a regular basis. You can often make an appointment directly with a department chair and hand over your C.V. or resume while expressing your reasons for wanting to teach. Even if the school requires online applications, in teaching, a personal touch is helpful. Look at local schools and find their job postings. Apply for specific postings, but also put your application in for any pools of adjunct professors for upcoming semesters. Needs fluctuate constantly at colleges, and enrollment may necessitate the last-minute addition of a class. If you can take whatever you're offered at first, you can get your foot in the door, so you're more likely to be offered more classes as a math adjunct in later semesters.