What is the difference between faculty and staff?
Many educational institutions use staff and faculty interchangeably. This is a common confusion of word suit usage among people.
The main difference between staff and faculty is that staff refers to the members of an organization whereas faculty refers to members of academic staff such as teachers, lecturers or professors
The article provides more differences between faculty and staff in tabular form as well as a podcast to highlight their usage. Let’s find out:
What Is a Faculty?
Faculty refers to the teaching staff in a school, universities and any other private educational institutions. They are responsible for disseminating knowledge to the students.
Examples of faculty are teachers, instructors, lecturers, researchers and professors. These are individuals who are dedicated to imparting knowledge to the students.
Also, they specialized in different areas of study and they normally teach different subjects according to the area of specialization.
However, in universities and colleges, faculty refer to the divisions according to the subject area or a number of related subject areas.
Examples of faculties in universities are faculty of law, faculty of engineering, faculty of medicines, faculty of commerce, and faculty of arts among many others.
What Is a Staff?
Staff refer to the employees of an organization grouped according to their functional divisions. They are normally in charge of the internal operation of the organization.
Examples of staffs are administrative staff, accounts staff, counselling staff and marketing staff among many others.
The core role of the staff is to perform administrative and related functions in the organization. They can also refer to hired people in a university.
However, university group staff as academic staff and general staff. Where general staff refer to the employees while academic staff refer to the faculty.
Comparison Table( Faculty Vs Staff)
Basic Terms | Faculty | Staff |
Meaning | Refers to the academic professionals responsible for imparting knowledge to students | Refers to both teaching and non-teaching members of educational institutions. |
Core Function | Teaching and imparting knowledge to students | Responsible for administrative and related functions in an organization. |
Example of Members | Teachers, instructors, lecturers, professors, doctors, researchers, lab assistants, demonstrators | Administrative officers, managers, secretary, registrar, accountants, clerks, etc |
Working Hours | Do not have specified working hours | Have regular and specified working hours |
Salary | Based on the educational rank | Based on the position in an organization |
Core Difference Between Faculty and Staff In Point Form
- Faculty is the teaching staff of an educational institution while staff refer to the non-teaching staff.
- The core role of faculty is to impart knowledge to the student while the staff is for an administrative role.
- The salary of the faculty depends on the rank in the educational institution while the staff is based on the position in the institution.
- The requirements of the faculty are based on the standards and criteria of the institution while staff on educational qualification in the designated position.
- Examples of faculty members are an associate professor, assistant professor, substitute professor, lecturer, researchers, and teachers while staff are secretaries, assistant, dean, president, registrar, and clerk.
- The faculty have irregular working hours while staff have regular and specific working hours.
- Faculty is an institute hired at different positions while staff are employees hired for designated positions.
Read More: Difference between Training and Education
Similarities between Faculty and Staff
- Both represent members of an organization
- Both members have certain academic qualifications
- Both members help to run and manage an organization
Faculty vs Staff Frequently Asked Questions
Is Faculty and Staff the Same Thing?
No. Faculty refers to members of academic staff whereas staff refers to members of an organization
What is the Difference between Teacher and Faculty?
A faculty is a group of teachers in a specific field such as engineering, medicine and business
Who is Considered Faculty at a University?
Faculty is a term commonly used in the United States of America and Canada. Professors are the academic personnel in a faculty.
Are Instructors Faculty?
Yes. They are members of academic staff in a University or a College.
Read More: Difference between Training and Development
Comparison Video
Summary
The core difference between faculty and staff is that faculty refer to the academic professionals in an educational institution while staff refer to the non-teaching professions in the institution.
More Sources and References
- Academic Personnel. Wikipedia
- Faculty Roles and Responsibilities. State University