What is the main difference between faculty and staff?

Faculty are employees who teach, conduct research, and hold academic ranks like professor, while staff are non-academic employees who handle administrative, technical, or operational roles.

Are faculty and staff the same thing?

No, faculty and staff are not the same because faculty focus on academic instruction and research, whereas staff provide essential support services like admissions, IT, maintenance, and finance.

Which is better, being faculty or staff?

Neither is better because faculty typically enjoy academic freedom and flexible schedules, while staff often have more predictable hours and lower pressure to publish research.

Do faculty and staff get paid differently?

Yes, faculty generally earn higher salaries than staff because faculty positions require advanced degrees and research output, while staff salaries vary widely by role and department.

Can a staff member become faculty?

Yes, a staff member can become faculty if they earn the required graduate degree and secure an open teaching position, though institutional hiring policies still apply.

Can faculty and staff date each other?

Yes, faculty and staff can date, but many institutions require them to disclose the relationship to HR to avoid conflicts of interest or perceived favoritism.

What is a common mistake people make about faculty and staff?

A common mistake is assuming all university employees are faculty, when in reality staff outnumber faculty and include everyone from custodians to IT specialists.

Do faculty and staff work the same hours?

No, faculty often work irregular hours around classes and research deadlines, while staff usually follow a fixed 9-to-5 schedule on campus.

Are faculty and staff both considered university employees?

Yes, both faculty and staff are university employees, but faculty hold academic contracts tied to teaching and research, while staff hold administrative or operational contracts.

How do faculty and staff interact in a real university setting?

Faculty and staff interact daily when professors request IT support, submit travel reimbursements, or coordinate classroom logistics with administrative coordinators.

Difference Between

Difference Between Faculty and Staff

Written byNex Virox Team

Editorial Team

Reviewed byVarshal Nirbhavane

Senior SEO & Organic Growth Professional · 5+ years

Published: August 29, 202617 min read

Quick answer

The main difference between Faculty and Staff is that faculty hold academic appointments and teach or conduct research, while staff provide operational, administrative, or support services. Faculty is a college or university employee with teaching or research duties, while Staff is a non-academic employee who supports institutional operations.

Key takeaways

Core distinction: Faculty teach and research; staff handle administration, operations, and student support services.
Employment terms: Faculty often hold academic contracts with tenure tracks; staff work under standard employment agreements.
Primary duties: Faculty deliver curriculum and publish scholarship; staff maintain campus functions like admissions and IT.
Best fit: Faculty suit academic careers; staff suit operational roles in finance, HR, or facilities.
Common mistake: Assuming staff lack degrees, yet many staff hold advanced qualifications and expertise.

Table of Contents18 sections

Difference Between Faculty and Staff: Comparison Table

Aspect	Faculty	Staff
Definition	Employees who teach, research, and design academic curricula at a college or university.	Non-academic employees who operate institutional services, administration, and campus facilities.
Primary Purpose	Delivers instruction, conducts research, and assesses student learning outcomes each academic term.	Provides operational support so teaching, research, and daily campus functions run smoothly.
Core Mechanism	Transfers knowledge through lectures, seminars, labs, and published peer-reviewed scholarship.	Executes administrative procedures, maintenance schedules, and student-service workflows consistently.
Employment Contract	Tenure-track contracts span 6-7 years before a permanent tenure decision is made.	At-will or fixed-term contracts renew annually based on budget and institutional need.
Academic Rank	Ranks progress from assistant to associate to full professor with increasing research output.	Ranks follow administrative tiers from coordinator to director to vice-president.
Work Schedule	Frequent evening and weekend hours for classes, office hours, and research deadlines.	Standard 40-hour weekday shifts, though some roles rotate nights or weekends.
Primary Output	Produces graded assignments, published papers, and grant-funded research findings.	Produces processed records, completed work orders, and resolved service requests.
Reporting Line	Reports to department chairs and deans within the academic governance hierarchy.	Reports to directors and managers within the administrative operations hierarchy.
Performance Metrics	Evaluated on teaching evaluations, publication counts, and grant dollars secured.	Evaluated on task completion speed, error rates, and customer satisfaction scores.
Salary Structure	Nine-month base salaries often supplemented by summer research grants or consulting.	Twelve-month salaries fixed to job classification and local market pay bands.
Cost to Institution	Tenured faculty salaries consume roughly 30-40% of an institution's instructional budget.	Staff wages typically consume 15-25% of operating budgets excluding benefits.
Speed of Output	Research projects span months or years before results reach publication.	Administrative tasks complete within hours or days depending on queue volume.
Accuracy Standard	Peer review verifies research findings before they appear in academic journals.	Audits verify financial records, enrollment data, and compliance documentation.
Durability of Role	Tenure provides lifelong employment protection after a successful probationary period.	Positions remain secure only while institutional funding and enrollment stay stable.
Scalability	Class sizes cap at 25-40 students per section to preserve instructional quality.	Service teams scale up or down with seasonal enrollment and budget cycles.
Maintenance Load	Curriculum updates require committee approval and periodic program-level review cycles.	Systems and equipment require daily upkeep, scheduled upgrades, and routine inspections.
Safety Oversight	Oversees lab safety protocols for chemical, biological, and field research activities.	Implements campus-wide emergency plans, building access controls, and fire drills.
Compatibility	Works within shared governance alongside administrators to approve academic policies.	Coordinates with faculty to schedule rooms, process grades, and support events.
Availability	Available during posted office hours plus scheduled class times each week.	Available at service desks and help lines during published business hours.
Examples	Professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers, and research fellows.	Registrars, advisors, IT technicians, custodians, librarians, and financial aid officers.
Typical Users	Serves students seeking degrees, researchers seeking collaborators, and academic peers.	Serves students, faculty, visitors, and external vendors needing institutional services.
Decision Authority	Votes on curriculum changes, degree requirements, and faculty hiring recommendations.	Executes approved policies and manages budgets within delegated spending limits.
Training Required	Requires a terminal degree such as a PhD, EdD, or MFA in a specialized field.	Requires a high school diploma, bachelor's degree, or trade certification depending on role.
Performance Review	Undergoes annual reviews plus a major third-year and sixth-year tenure evaluation.	Undergoes annual or semi-annual reviews tied to supervisor checklists and goals.
Work Location	Spends time in classrooms, research labs, and private faculty offices.	Works in administrative offices, service counters, maintenance shops, and campus grounds.
Intellectual Property	Owns research publications and inventions, subject to institutional patent policies.	Owns no intellectual property; work products belong to the institution.
Union Membership	Often unionized for tenure, promotion, and grievance procedures at public universities.	Frequently unionized for wages, shift rules, and workplace safety protections.
Limitations	Publish-or-perish pressure can reduce teaching focus and increase burnout risk.	Limited advancement paths without additional credentials or internal mobility programs.
Best-Fit Scenario	Choose faculty roles for teaching, research, and long-term academic career growth.	Choose staff roles for stable operations, defined hours, and administrative career tracks.

What Is Faculty?

Faculty are the academic employees of a college or university who teach, research, and mentor students. They hold ranks like professor, associate professor, or lecturer. Faculty exist to deliver curriculum, advance knowledge through scholarship, and assess student learning across degree programs.

Definition of Faculty

Faculty is the collective body of instructors and researchers employed by an educational institution to deliver coursework, conduct original research, and provide academic advising. Their primary contractual obligation is instructional and scholarly output rather than administrative or operational support. Faculty appointments are typically ranked and may be tenure-track or non-tenure-track.

Key Characteristics of Faculty

Characteristic	What It Means in Practice
Teaching load	Faculty deliver lectures, lead seminars, and grade assignments across a set number of credit hours each term.
Research output	Faculty publish peer-reviewed papers, books, or creative works to advance knowledge and secure funding.
Tenure track	Faculty undergo a 5-7 year probationary period before earning permanent employment protection and academic freedom.
Academic ranks	Faculty progress from assistant to associate to full professor based on teaching, research, and service records.
Degree requirements	Faculty almost always hold a terminal degree such as a PhD, EdD, MFA, or equivalent professional doctorate.
Shared governance	Faculty vote on curriculum changes, degree requirements, and academic standards through senate or committee structures.
Student advising	Faculty guide students on course selection, research projects, and career pathways within their academic discipline.
Service duties	Faculty serve on hiring committees, accreditation panels, and departmental review boards beyond their core duties.
Fixed contracts	Non-tenure-track faculty work on renewable annual or multi-year contracts without long-term job security.
Academic calendar	Faculty work on a 9-month or 12-month schedule tied to semester or quarter systems with summers for research.

Common Examples of Faculty

Harvard University professors - Tenured scholars who teach, publish research, and advise doctoral students across all disciplines.
MIT engineering lecturers - Non-tenure-track instructors who deliver undergraduate courses in mechanical and electrical engineering.
Stanford medical school faculty - Physician-scientists who split time between patient care, clinical research, and medical student training.
Oxford tutorial fellows - College-based academics who teach one-on-one tutorials and conduct research in humanities subjects.
Community college adjuncts - Part-time instructors who teach introductory composition, math, or science courses without research obligations.
Yale law school professors - Legal scholars who teach case law, supervise clinics, and publish in law reviews and journals.
UC Berkeley research professors - Grant-funded scientists who run laboratories and train graduate researchers in STEM fields.
Juilliard performance faculty - Working musicians and actors who give private lessons and coach student productions.
University of Phoenix online faculty - Remote instructors who teach asynchronous courses to adult learners across multiple time zones.
Cornell extension specialists - Faculty who develop outreach programs and deliver applied research to local agricultural communities.

Advantages and Limitations of Faculty

Advantages	Limitations
Tenure protects academic freedom to research controversial topics without political interference.	Tenure-track positions are scarce, with many openings now converted to temporary adjunct roles.
Faculty shape curriculum and set degree standards through shared governance voting rights.	Shared governance is slow, making curriculum changes take months or years to approve.
Research faculty attract external grants that fund graduate students and laboratory equipment.	Publish-or-perish pressure drives faculty to prioritise quantity of papers over teaching quality.
Faculty enjoy flexible daily schedules, choosing when to hold office hours and conduct research.	Flexibility masks real 50-60 hour work weeks during grading, grant deadlines, and exam periods.
Faculty gain deep expertise in a narrow discipline through years of doctoral study and research.	Narrow expertise leaves many faculty unprepared to teach broad introductory survey courses effectively.
Professors build long-term mentoring relationships with students across multiple years of study.	Advising loads can exceed 50 students per faculty member at large public universities.
Faculty enjoy high occupational prestige and intellectual stimulation from constant learning.	Prestige does not translate to pay; starting assistant professors often earn less than experienced high school teachers.
Non-tenure teaching faculty focus purely on pedagogy without research publication demands.	Non-tenure faculty receive lower pay, fewer benefits, and no job security beyond a single term.
Faculty sabbaticals provide paid leave every 6-7 years for focused research or new skill development.	Sabbaticals are often denied due to budget cuts, understaffing, or administrative resistance.
Faculty contribute to society by training the next generation of professionals and researchers.	Adjunct faculty frequently work multiple campus jobs without health insurance or office space.

What Is Staff?

Staff are the non-teaching employees who keep an institution running. They handle administration, maintenance, technology, and student services. Staff exist to provide the operational backbone that supports teaching and research. Their work ensures the campus functions daily.

Definition of Staff

Staff refers to salaried or hourly personnel employed by an educational institution to perform administrative, clerical, technical, or service duties. Unlike faculty, staff roles do not require teaching or research responsibilities. Staff contracts typically follow a twelve-month work calendar with defined job descriptions and reporting structures.

Key Characteristics of Staff

Characteristic	What It Means in Practice
Non-teaching roles	Staff do not deliver classroom instruction or grade academic work.
Twelve-month contracts	Most staff work year-round with limited summer breaks.
Hourly or salaried pay	Compensation is based on position grade, not academic rank.
Defined job descriptions	Duties are specific, measurable, and tied to a department.
No tenure track	Employment is at-will or governed by union agreements.
Operational focus	Work keeps buildings, records, and systems functioning daily.
Supervised hierarchy	Staff report to managers, directors, or department heads.
Professional development	Training focuses on skills, software, and compliance.
Direct student contact	Staff often handle registration, advising, and financial aid.
Shared governance role	Staff councils advise on non-academic institutional policies.

Common Examples of Staff

Registrar – manages course schedules, transcripts, and enrollment records for students.
IT Support Technician – troubleshoots network, hardware, and software issues across campus.
Financial Aid Officer – processes student loan applications and verifies eligibility documents.
Facilities Manager – oversees building maintenance, custodial services, and campus safety.
Academic Advisor – guides students on course selection and graduation requirements.
Human Resources Coordinator – handles payroll, benefits enrollment, and employee relations.
Laboratory Technician – prepares equipment and materials for science classes.
Library Assistant – manages book circulation and assists patrons with research queries.
Groundskeeper – maintains lawns, pathways, and outdoor campus areas.
Administrative Assistant – schedules meetings, answers phones, and files departmental paperwork.

Advantages and Limitations of Staff

Advantages	Limitations
Provides stable institutional memory across leadership changes.	Pay scales often lag behind comparable private-sector roles.
Offers predictable schedules with clear daily responsibilities.	Career advancement can require waiting for someone to retire.
Delivers essential services that directly improve student retention.	Work is frequently undervalued in budget allocation decisions.
Creates diverse entry points for local community employment.	Overtime is sometimes expected without additional compensation.
Enables faculty to focus on teaching instead of logistics.	Staff voices carry less weight in academic governance structures.
Provides year-round job security compared to nine-month faculty roles.	Funding cuts often hit staff positions before academic programs.
Builds specialised expertise in compliance and regulatory areas.	Repetitive tasks can lead to low morale and high turnover.
Supports institutional growth through scalable operational processes.	Technology automation threatens many routine clerical positions.
Offers clear performance metrics tied to job descriptions.	Limited research or sabbatical opportunities for professional growth.
Creates a welcoming first impression for prospective students.	Staff are often excluded from academic decision-making meetings.

Similarities Between Faculty and Staff

Shared Aspect	How Faculty and Staff Are Alike
Institutional Employment	Both faculty and staff are employed by and contribute to the same educational institution's daily operations.
Shared Mission	Faculty and staff both work toward the shared institutional mission of student education and success.
Compensation Structure	Faculty and staff both receive a salary or wage for their work from the institution's budget.
Benefit Eligibility	Faculty and staff are typically eligible for the same institutional benefits like health insurance and retirement plans.
HR Policies	Faculty and staff must both adhere to the same human resources policies and code of conduct.
Performance Reviews	Faculty and staff both undergo regular performance evaluations to assess their work and contributions.
Professional Development	Faculty and staff often have access to the same institutional professional development and training opportunities.
Campus Presence	Faculty and staff both typically work on the institution's physical campus or in its facilities.
Student Interaction	Faculty and staff both regularly interact with and provide services directly to the student body.
Resource Dependence	Faculty and staff both rely on institutional resources like technology, facilities, and administrative support.
Email Systems	Faculty and staff both use the same institutional email and communication systems for official business.
ID and Access	Faculty and staff are both issued institutional identification cards for building access and verification.
Event Participation	Faculty and staff both participate in and support major campus events like graduation and orientation.
Budget Constraints	Faculty and staff positions are both subject to the same institutional budget limitations and cycles.
Compliance Requirements	Faculty and staff must both comply with the same state and federal education regulations and laws.
Team Collaboration	Faculty and staff often collaborate on cross-functional teams to achieve institutional goals and projects.
Safety Protocols	Faculty and staff are both required to follow the same campus safety and emergency procedures.
Title Hierarchy	Faculty and staff both have defined job titles and positions within the institution's organizational structure.
Work Schedules	Faculty and staff both adhere to set work schedules, whether standard hours or academic calendars.
Dedication to Education	Faculty and staff are both dedicated to supporting the institution's educational mission and student experience.
Meeting Attendance	Faculty and staff both attend departmental and all-institution meetings for updates and planning.
Conflict Resolution	Faculty and staff both utilize the same institutional channels for reporting and resolving workplace conflicts.
Recruitment Process	Faculty and staff both go through a formal institutional hiring process with interviews and background checks.
Onboarding Experience	Faculty and staff both complete a similar institutional onboarding process to learn policies and procedures.
Termination Procedures	Faculty and staff are both subject to the same institutional policies and procedures for employment termination.
Data Security	Faculty and staff both must follow the same strict protocols for handling sensitive student and institutional data.
Recognition Programs	Faculty and staff are both eligible for the same institutional employee recognition and awards programs.
Commitment to Quality	Faculty and staff are both committed to maintaining high quality standards in their respective institutional roles.
Alumni Relations	Faculty and staff both often engage with and represent the institution to alumni and the broader community.
Institutional Identity	Faculty and staff both represent the institution and its values to external stakeholders and the public.

Faculty or Staff: Which Should You Choose?

The deciding variable is your primary function: teaching and research versus operational support. Faculty members hold academic appointments and create knowledge. Staff members run the institution's daily operations. If your role directly delivers academic instruction or scholarly output, you are faculty. If you enable that work through administration, facilities, or student services, you are staff.

When to Use Faculty

Choose Faculty when your contract specifies teaching loads, research output, or tenure-track status. Use this term for professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and instructors who design curricula. It applies to academic advisors with teaching duties and postdoctoral researchers publishing studies. Faculty roles follow the academic calendar, with 9-month appointments and sabbatical eligibility.

When to Use Staff

Choose Staff when your position is non-academic, hourly, or classified under administrative codes. Use this term for registrars, IT technicians, librarians, custodians, admissions officers, and financial aid counselors. Staff roles operate on 12-month contracts with defined office hours. This category covers exempt and non-exempt employees who support campus functions without delivering graded instruction.

Common Misconceptions About Faculty and Staff

Common Myth	The Reality
Faculty and staff are the same thing at a university.	Faculty teach and conduct research, while staff handle administration, operations, and student services in separate roles.
All faculty members have a doctoral degree.	Faculty include instructors and lecturers who hold master's degrees, though tenure-track faculty typically require a PhD.
Staff members never interact with students.	Staff include advisors, librarians, and counselors who work directly with students daily in support roles.
Faculty only work during class hours.	Faculty spend many hours on grading, research, office hours, and committee meetings outside scheduled class time.
Staff have more job security than faculty.	Staff are often at-will employees, while tenured faculty have stronger contractual job protections than most staff.
Faculty are always the boss of staff.	Faculty rarely supervise staff; department chairs and administrators manage staff, while faculty focus on academic duties.
Staff get summers off like faculty do.	Most staff work year-round on 12-month contracts, while faculty often have 9-month appointments with summer free.
Faculty and staff have identical pay scales.	Faculty salaries are often based on rank and discipline, while staff pay follows separate administrative salary bands.
Staff cannot become faculty members.	Staff with advanced degrees can transition into faculty roles, though they must meet teaching and research qualifications.
Faculty do not need to follow university policies.	Faculty must follow academic policies, but they have shared governance rights that staff typically do not possess.
Staff are less educated than faculty.	Many staff hold master's or doctoral degrees, especially in roles like advising, IT, and student affairs leadership.
Faculty never handle administrative paperwork.	Faculty complete grade submissions, curriculum proposals, grant reports, and accreditation documents as part of their duties.
Staff have no say in academic decisions.	Staff participate in university committees, but faculty hold primary voting power on curriculum and tenure decisions.
Faculty are only found in classrooms.	Faculty work in labs, clinics, field sites, and offices, conducting research and mentoring students beyond classroom walls.
Staff cannot earn tenure at a university.	Staff do not earn tenure, but some senior staff have multi-year contracts that provide similar employment stability.
Faculty and staff have the same holidays.	Faculty follow the academic calendar with winter and spring breaks; staff often work through those periods.
Staff are not part of the academic mission.	Staff directly support the academic mission through registration, advising, and maintaining research infrastructure for faculty.
Faculty do not attend university events.	Faculty attend commencements, convocations, and departmental events, though attendance is often expected rather than optional.
Staff have more vacation days than faculty.	Faculty often have flexible schedules but fewer formal vacation days, while staff accrue fixed paid time off.
Faculty cannot be fired from their jobs.	Faculty without tenure can be dismissed, and even tenured faculty face termination for cause or financial exigency.
Staff only work in offices, never outside.	Staff include groundskeepers, facility managers, and field researchers who work outdoors across campus properties regularly.
Faculty all have the same teaching load.	Faculty teaching loads vary by institution type, rank, and research expectations, ranging from 2 to 5 courses per semester.
Staff are not required to publish research.	Some staff in research administration and labs do publish, but most staff have no research publication requirements unlike faculty.
Faculty work only nine months per year.	Many faculty teach summer courses or run funded research projects during summer, making their work year-round in practice.
Staff cannot use university facilities freely.	Staff access libraries, gyms, and parking with IDs, though faculty often receive priority access to research facilities.
Faculty are all tenured or tenure-track.	Over half of faculty are adjunct, contingent, or non-tenure-track instructors without tenure eligibility or job security.
Staff have no academic rank system.	Staff have grade levels and titles like coordinator, manager, and director that mirror hierarchical rank structures.
Faculty never do fundraising for universities.	Faculty frequently write grant proposals and meet donors to secure research funding and endowed chairs for departments.
Staff are paid hourly, not salaried.	Many staff are salaried exempt employees, though entry-level staff in food service and custodial roles are often hourly.
Faculty and staff cannot be friends socially.	Faculty and staff collaborate and socialize professionally, though power dynamics require caution in supervisory relationships.

Conclusion

Difference Between Faculty and Staff comes down to role: faculty teach and conduct research, while staff handle operations and support services. Choose faculty if your work involves students and academic instruction. Choose staff if your work involves administration, facilities, or student services. Both are essential to institutional success.

FAQs on Difference Between Faculty and Staff

What is the main difference between faculty and staff?: Faculty are employees who teach, conduct research, and hold academic ranks like professor, while staff are non-academic employees who handle administrative, technical, or operational roles.
Are faculty and staff the same thing?: No, faculty and staff are not the same because faculty focus on academic instruction and research, whereas staff provide essential support services like admissions, IT, maintenance, and finance.
Which is better, being faculty or staff?: Neither is better because faculty typically enjoy academic freedom and flexible schedules, while staff often have more predictable hours and lower pressure to publish research.
Do faculty and staff get paid differently?: Yes, faculty generally earn higher salaries than staff because faculty positions require advanced degrees and research output, while staff salaries vary widely by role and department.
Can a staff member become faculty?: Yes, a staff member can become faculty if they earn the required graduate degree and secure an open teaching position, though institutional hiring policies still apply.
Can faculty and staff date each other?: Yes, faculty and staff can date, but many institutions require them to disclose the relationship to HR to avoid conflicts of interest or perceived favoritism.
What is a common mistake people make about faculty and staff?: A common mistake is assuming all university employees are faculty, when in reality staff outnumber faculty and include everyone from custodians to IT specialists.
Do faculty and staff work the same hours?: No, faculty often work irregular hours around classes and research deadlines, while staff usually follow a fixed 9-to-5 schedule on campus.
Are faculty and staff both considered university employees?: Yes, both faculty and staff are university employees, but faculty hold academic contracts tied to teaching and research, while staff hold administrative or operational contracts.
How do faculty and staff interact in a real university setting?: Faculty and staff interact daily when professors request IT support, submit travel reimbursements, or coordinate classroom logistics with administrative coordinators.