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In order to become a post secondary teacher, will it always require having a PhD?

I am a senior and soon I will be going off to college. I want to be a post secondary teacher, yet I am not sure of the steps to actually get there.

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Jared’s Answer, CareerVillage.org Team

What do you mean by post secondary? Technically the answer to your question as phased now is: "No you do not need a PhD to teach in many post secondary situations". Lecturing at a smaller college, teaching in a trade school, or teaching skills to adult learners (a growing industry actually) can be done quite successfully without a PhD. If you want to be a professor at a major university for your long term career then a PhD is expected.


I think what you ought to ask yourself (and maybe tell us) is what aspect of teaching appeals to you. I suspect, given how you phrased your question, that we could come up with lots of ideas for teaching roles that you'd enjoy if we had more info about your interests and expectations for teaching.

Thank you comment icon Thank you! You actually answered my question really well. However, I have a follow up question. I know I want to be a college proffesor, yet I was wondering if to teach at lets say at smaller colleges will I still need my PhD? Leslie
Thank you comment icon Definitely helpful to have a PhD. In fact, it would be extremely hard if you didn't. Here's the thing though that comes across as strange about your question: Are you hoping to avoid getting a PhD? Because if so, why would you want to be a professor at all? Jared Chung, Admin
Thank you comment icon *Amendment to my last comment: It would be really difficult (maybe impossible?) to sustain a long term career as a college professor even at a small school without a PhD in most social science fields. It may be different if your field is art, for example. Do you know your field? Jared Chung, Admin
Thank you comment icon I am not sure of the field in which I want to go to yet because I want to explore my options but most likely psychology. Also, I am not trying to avoid getting a Phd at all is more like that as a first generation student I am not well aware of the process. All the time I hear about not having to need a Phd, so I was not sure. But I am aiming for my Phd. Leslie
Thank you comment icon Two thoughts: (1) There are two types of professors to consider. Professors at research universities consider research their #1 priority and teaching a second priority. Professors at teaching colleges focus much more on teaching. If you're focused on teaching, then focus on teaching colleges. (2) Consider alternatives teaching in other contexts as well (e.g., high school, adult learning centers, etc.). Jared Chung, Admin
Thank you comment icon And I also feel compelled to forewarn you that the job market for professor positions is <em>very</em> tight. Every year there are more PhD graduates than there are professor positions. That makes it competitive. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue it, but it does merit making sure you stay focused, stay hungry, work hard, and keep your options open in case the market doesn't go your direction. Jared Chung, Admin
Thank you comment icon Thank You for you help and advice Leslie
Thank you comment icon thank you for kind informetion Sharmila
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