Criteria for Teaching College Courses
The requirements for college are not like those for teaching high school because there are no specific certification requirements for college teachers. Colleges simply try to hire the best-qualified people they can. Therefore, there is considerable variability in backgrounds of college teachers, particularly at community colleges and at some smaller liberal arts colleges. At major research universities, nearly all faculty will have the Ph.D. or other terminal degree.
Other People Are Reading
-
Master's Usually Required
-
In almost all cases a master's degree is required to get hired to teach college classes. The college will prefer that the master's be in the discipline that is to be taught. But market forces are sometimes such that a person who majored in the discipline as an undergraduate but has a master's in a different discipline can still get hired. Requirements are generally less demanding for part-time, adjunct professors. As listings for the City College of Chicago make clear, some technical or professional degree programs may require a professional certification or license.
Ph.D. Is Preferred
-
Because they need to meet accreditation standards, colleges and universities want to keep the percentage of faculty with Ph.D.s as high as possible. For the traditional academic disciplines, if they have a choice between two applicants, they will generally hire a Ph.D. over a non-Ph.D.
-
Education Exceptions
-
In some areas, especially artistic ones, a person may be hired to teach college classes, even graduate students, without a master's degree. For example, people who are well-known poets or visual artists are sometimes hired to teach about the practice of their art form. This exception is not typical for areas of art or literary criticism.
Teaching Experience
-
Colleges prefer that candidates have teaching experience. For some, the experience may be in form of working as a teaching assistant while earning their own graduate degrees. Some people who have worked as trainers in the business world list that as relevant experience on their resumes when applying to teach college.
Desirable Personal Skills
-
Colleges look for teachers who are able to fit well in the department in which they will teach and who are able to get along at least passably with students. It is expected that the college teacher will be above average in writing and speaking in order to give effective lectures and to be able to serve as a communication role model for students.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit college image by Chad McDermott from Fotolia.com
