How to Teach in a Doctoral Program
Doctoral degrees are awarded after a candidate has exhibited a sufficient degree of knowledge in her field of study and has conducted research culminating in a dissertation that constitutes a significant contribution to the field. The dissertation is defended in public before esteemed academics with expertise in the subject area who have read the dissertation and have determined whether it is sufficient. Consequently, professors in doctoral programs must be known in the field and must engage regularly in cutting-edge research and scholarly writing.
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Instructions
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Identify doctoral programs in your area of study and check the professional background of the professors and lecturers. Most doctoral programs provide biographies and curriculum vitae for their professors online. Read the biographies to see the education and work experience of the professors. Note their achievements and the types of degrees they possess and the quality of their scholarly writings.
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Obtain the necessary education degrees in your field, the required work experience and record of scholarly publications. Most fields of study require professors or lecturers in doctoral programs to have a Ph.D., though some fields, such as law, allow professors to have earned a J.D. Publications should be in journals that are reviewed by peers in the field. Some fields of study prefer people who have practical experience working in the field; for example in a doctoral program for psychology, individuals who have worked as psychologists may be preferred over persons coming directly out of a degree program.
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Determine which level of academic position you are interested in. After you meet educational and other requirements, you must determine whether you wish to be a lecturer, with no prospects of becoming a tenured professor, or if you wish to teach in a doctoral program and be considered for tenure after serving a specified time period as an assistant of associate professor. This is a personal choice because tenure positions require frequent research collaboration and scholarly writing and the tenure track can last for as many as six years depending on the faculty and discipline, while lecturer positions may not carry as many demands.
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Apply for suitable openings on university faculties. The Journal of Higher Education and Higher Ed Jobs provide career advice and job listings in all disciplines in higher education institutions around the globe.
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Interview with faculties in your discipline. Most faculties conduct at least two rounds of interviews before extending an offer of employment. The first interview is designed to develop a short list of possible candidates. The second interview, commonly referred to as a "job talk," is generally held before several faculty members. You are expected to talk about your research agenda and answer probing questions designed to determine the soundness of your research methodology.
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Negotiate the terms of employment before accepting the offer of employment. When the university offers a position in the doctoral program, review their offer carefully and negotiate additional research funds, access to research assistants and a higher salary, if desired.
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Tips & Warnings
Positions on U.S. faculties are competitive. You will compete against hundreds of candidates with excellent credentials.
References
Resources
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