An honorary professor (also adjunct professor or honorary professor) is an academic position at a college or university that is usually awarded without a fixed contract and without the obligation to take on administrative tasks or to carry out research. An honorary professor is often appointed for specific teaching activities or special expertise.

The main characteristics of an honorary professor are:

1. Teaching Duties:

• Teaching: Honorary professors often teach in specific areas where they have particular expertise or practical experience. Their teaching may include lectures, seminars or tutorials.
• Professional Expertise: They are often selected to teach at the university because of the specialised expertise they have gained from their professional career.

2. No permanent position:

• Honorary professors do not have the status of a regular civil servant and are not integrated into the typical professorial system of the university. They are usually not responsible for administrative tasks, research or student supervision.
• They have a limited teaching commitment, which is contractually agreed upon, but no continuous academic obligation.

3. Remuneration:

• The adjunct professor is remunerated for his teaching, usually through an expense allowance or a fee paid for each course taught. This remuneration is usually lower than the salary of a regular professor.
• A long-term appointment or permanent professorship is not usually intended.

4. No fixed research obligations:

• While full professors also carry out research projects, raise research funds and produce scientific publications, honorary professors usually have no research obligations.
• However, they may write scientific papers in a particular field or participate in projects if these are related to their teaching.

5. Academic title:

• The title ‘professor’ is also awarded to an honorary professor, although this is not the same as a regular professorship.
• title is usually retained for the duration of the engagement at the university or higher education institution and is a recognition of the professor’s professional and academic qualifications.

6. Target groups and selection:

• Practical orientation: Honorary professors are often people with many years of practical experience in their field, such as entrepreneurs, managers, artists or industry experts.
• Prerequisites: Selection and appointment as an honorary professor usually occurs on the basis of outstanding professional or scientific achievements, without the requirements of a traditional academic career such as habilitation or professorial appointment procedures.

Conclusion:

An honorary professor is a kind of ‘external’ professor who is mainly involved in teaching, but without the extensive obligations and tasks associated with a regular professorship. This position is often awarded to benefit from the practice and know-how of experienced experts in the academic field, without fully integrating them into the university system.