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> I have spoken with several professors in the Twin Cities area
> about the chances of a full-time teaching position at a community
> college with a master's degree in STC. I was wondering if this
> may be a platform to 'rest' on while pursuing a PhD. Several
> professors said absolutely not--at least not in the Twin Cities.
> They seemed to infer that a PhD was required for teaching
> tech comm at a community college. However, others said an
> MS is fine, as long as you have the suitable background they
> are looking for. So, my question is: In your locale, is an
> MS sufficient for community college teaching?
> Thanks in advance!
> --Joseph Little
> Scientific and Technical Communication
> University of Minnesota
Here in central Iowa, most of us teaching at community colleges have only
masters degrees.
I can't imagine teaching under a full time contract at a junior or
community college while you're pursuing a PhD, however. A full time load
in English in this neck of the woods consists of five three-credit
courses. Some terms this can be all composition with an enrollment of
twenty-five in each class. You can imagine what a load that is and that
it would be impossible to pursue studies at the same time.
Another problem I've found, is that contracted positions aren't readily
available unless you're willing to relocate. At the local community
college here in Ames and Des Moines, almost two-thirds of the classes are
taught by part-timers. It's no secret that the college profits on each of
the classes it offers taught by part-timers. And it's no secret that the
average pay per class per term around here is below unemployment
rates--well below. In fact, I have recently discovered that graduate
assistantships often pay more than adjunct faculty positions--yikes.
So while teaching may sound like something you could fit in three hours
north of here, It doesn't always work well down here.
