Olivia
What type of schooling do you need to be a college math professor?
I am a senior in high school and have thought a lot about what I want to go into when I go to college. I have thought about becoming a math teacher, physical therapist, or something involving computers. I have recently started tutoring a couple of students. They have been more successful in their math classes and I found out am good at teaching math. I have enjoyed helping them understand these concepts. I have thought a little bit about teaching at a high school and then moving to a college. #teaching #professor #mathematics
2 answers
Stephanie Adams
Stephanie’s Answer
The level of education that you need will depend on where you want to teach. If you want a tenure-track faculty position at a four-year college or university, you will most likely need a PhD in mathematics or a closely related field. You could probably teach as an adjunct (part-time) or get a lectureship (usually a 3-year contract, sometimes renewable) at a similar school with a masters degree in math. Community colleges generally do not require a PhD to teach full-time. I worked with several math professors at a community college who had masters degrees. In order to get a pay raise, many of those professors pursued online doctorate of education degrees while teaching math. Teaching at community college vs. four-year colleges or universities will also determine how many classes you teach and what other responsibilities you may have. Most full-time community college professors teach 5 classes each semester, but are not required to do research or publish. Tenure-track four-year college or university professors often teach 2 or 3 classes per semester, but they are required to do a significant level of research and publish book chapters or articles in scholarly journals.
Math professors also get to do some fun things like coaching math league and taking students to regional and national competitions.
I hope this helps!
Jeff Sloan
Jeff’s Answer
Hi Olivia. Good question!
To teach at a high school level, most school districts require a teacher certificate or classes. You can check with your local school board by calling administration and asking what the requirements are. A Bachelor's degree is required but the more education you have, the higher your pay.
At a university level, Texas requires a minimum of a Master's degree in your field or any Master's degree plus 18 hours of graduate work in your field. I suspect that most states would have similar requirements and all of the sanctioning bodies require it. Many universities prefer PhDs but you don't necessarily need it.
I have absolutely no knowledge of physical therapy so can't help there but if you have other questions about teaching or computers, I am happy to help. I've been in the high tech industry for decades with 13 years in academia as a professor.
Best of luck!
Jeff