Hey Everyone, I am in desperate need of some advice since I feel as though I am at a crossroads... Currently, I am doing my MA in English Literature online and about halfway done... I want very much to teach at a college (preferably in Florida) in the US as soon as possible because there are problems where I currently work... I am wondering if some colleges (Junior Colleges) would hire me even though I have not completed my MA (I hope and pray to be done by September 2009) ?? I am also thinking of starting an online PhD in September to improve my chances of finding employment...My passion is for film though I am not sure that there are that many teaching positions in that field so I not want to limit my opportunities so I am thinking that I should continue in English Literature... As mentioned, I am pretty desperate to relocate and want very much to secure some sort of full-time position as soon as possible so I would be extremely grateful for any and all advice you can give... Thanks in advance...
Old Dominion University www.odu.edu offers a PhD in English online. The Union Institute & University www.myunion.edu offers a PhD in Humanities & Society in which one can create a concentration in English Literature Indiana University of Pennsylvania www.iup.edu offers a summer-only PhD in English Literature & Criticism. Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning lists the University of Melbourne www.unimelb.edu.au, the University of New England www.une.edu.au, and the University of Teesside www.tees.ac.uk as offering the PhD in English by dissertation only.
Thanks ... I will definitely check them out and hopefully some members can share some experiences of these institutions of they have them...
As someone who is completing a B&M PhD in Florida and have applied for teaching positions, I can tell you that finding a full-time teaching position will be next to impossible, particularly with the budget problems Florida colleges and universities are having. Yes, a PhD will make you a little more competitive, but looking at the time and money a PhD will cost against the little benefit in pay and opportunity, the return on investment to getting a PhD is not worth it. My advice, finish your MA, and apply for teaching positions with only that. Do not pin your hopes of full-time employment on teaching. Most colleges use part-time adjuncts. Look for full-time employment outside of academia, and try to get your foot in the door with part-time teaching on the side.
thanks for your advice... I am abit confused about sticking with my MA and trying to find a job that way as I feel as though I would be at a severe disadvantage when it comes to competing with others who have their PhD's. Also, when I subscribe to different job posting services I regularly see some employment opportunities in my field which makes me think that there are some positions that are available. I know that the competition must be quite fierce which is why I really want to improve my chances of gaining suitable employment
In that case, you really need to get a PhD. However, the return on your investment probably won't be worth it. There are a glut of PhDs looking for work in various humanities fields. That said, the jobs that are available are starting to be adjunct positions that have terrible pay and no benefits.
Read this now-famous column, published earlier this year in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Note that the author works at a B&M institution, and is writing for prospective PhD candidates at B&M institutions. For PhD candidates at online schools, the situation is even worse. Online PhD programs are generally much less selective than top B&M PhD programs, and so online PhDs are typically much less prestigious or marketable. In a forum such as this one, it's almost sacrilegious to suggest that pursuit of higher education by distance learning could ultimately be a poor investment. Unfortunately, the fact remains that a PhD in the humanities from an online school currently has little market value -- and the market appears to be deteriorating. Given the high economic and opportunity costs of pursuing such a degree, and the low expected return, the winning strategy may be not to play. There is a good chance that an online PhD in humanities could be leveraged into part-time adjunct work, at either B&M or online schools. However, the pay, benefits, and job security for such positions are typically quite low, and show no signs of improving in the future.
Yep. If you go for a Ph.D. in the Humanities, you should do so because this is something you really, really want to achieve, and NOT because you think it means a better job. It can, but often it doesn't. There are still a lot of rewarding things in having a Ph.D. of course, but you initial post sounds as if you are primarily interested in career advancement. As for the CC teaching, I would not recommend an online degree. In order to get jobs, you need to know people. And you meet these people through classes, TA positions, teaching observations, practica etc. In short, you need a physical network of people around you to get into teaching classes.
The ROI for a PhD increases greatly if you look at schools outside the US. for example, take a look at the offerings from the University of South Africa (http://www.unisa.ac.za). UNISA offers a DLitt (Doctor of Literature & Philosophy) in the Theory of Literature, that might be of interest to you.
I want to thank everyone for their advice as it I found it very helpful... My current situation is that I do teach at a CC that is outside the United States. While I enjoy my position, I miss the standard of living in North America which is why I wish to return and teach at an American CC. I am hoping that the combination of my teaching experience and academic background will help... I must admit to being somewhat upset because I truly thought that online MA's from accredited institutions would help me land the position I seek... Now I find out that this is not necessarily the case and that I may now have problems transferring my online MA to a regular B & M institution. I have one other option that I am considering which I hope some can give advice on... Where I am located there is a satellite campus (more or less) that is affiliated with Kent State University which offers an MA in School Counseling...My thinking is, even though I have an online MA, would it help my chances of being accepted into a PhD program and/or finding work with a second MA from a regular B & M school? I really do love film and wish to someday teach it and the CC level which is why, crazy as it seems, I am considering all my options... We also have Nova Southeastern here but the one that thing that scares me is that when I look at the faculty of some schools in Florida, hardly any have received their PhD from Nova... thoughts??
Technically, in order to qualify for teaching at the CC level, you only need 18 hours of graduate level courses in a particular subject area. Nearly all schools that offers online courses need English majors to teach English Comp. 101/102. If you have 18 hours completed in English Lit., then I would suggest that you start applying to every Community College out there that offers online English courses (which is just about every single one in the nation!). Best of Luck!
Thanks... I will definitely look into this. I really don't mind where I work in terms of the size of the school or what courses that I am required to teach as I pretty much am asked to teach a variety of classes where I am at now. I wish to complete my online MA as soon as possible and then see if I can find some work even if it is only adjunct because that would at least be my foot in the door. I am also thinking that if I were to do adjunct work then perhaps that would be way for me to do a PhD part-time. I know this may sound crazy but I am trying to look at all my options and I just feel as though a full-time PhD at a regular B & M institution is beyond my means.
I live in Florida and adjunct at the college level here. Firstly, you probably know you need a Masters degree to teach in college. If you want to teach outside of your Master's field, then you need at least 18 credit hours in the other field. I am assuming that you do not have another Master's degree that you can add the graduate hours from your English Master's degree to. In Florida (at least in the area where I live) there are at least three types of colleges. The first one is the career/technical college. The seem to pay the lowest but are always looking for faculty. I find they have more full time openings than community colleges or four year colleges. They offer diploma and associates degrees. Some are accrediated, others are not. You will more than likely be teaching developmental English classes. These schools just seem to pop up everywhere, especially in this economy. Then there are community colleges. There are less of these than the former. Competition can be high. But English is a required part of just about everyone's degree plan, so there are always positions. Whether they are full time or not is another story. It is possible to teach full time without a PhD. If you look at the Deans, many of them do not have PhD's, but were once full time professors who moved into the position!! Lastly there are the four year research universities. I would say that one needs a PhD to even get in the door here. It seems as though permanent adjunct positions are available for Master degree holders. I base my responses on conversations with professors and deans whom I have spoken to over the years while living here and trying to get my foot in the door. After about 1 year of really trying and qualifying . . . it has paid off. I have a Masters degree in an unrelated field and 18 hours in the subject I teach. I would say, if you want to work at the community college level as a start, finish your degree in English. Look at your target schools. See what classes they offer. Tailor your classwork around that. If they teach many sections of Composition, make sure you have courses that might help you with this. I think this type of preparation is what will seperate you from others. It has worked for me. I specialize in an area that many people do not like to teach, therefore I get job offerings based on my coursework, previous job experience and volunteer work in this area. Build your niche! If you want to start at a four year research institution, get that PhD! I hope this helps.
I found this Ph.D. through another post on degreeinfo http://www.international.qut.edu.au/courses/course-major.jsp?major-id=4105&structure=all&parent-count=1#all You would have to research it to see if it includes film.
This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education give you some more insight (you might need to register to view.) It's aptly titled, "Community College Teachers Don't Need a Ph.D." http://chronicle.com/jobs/news/2009/05/2009052901c.htm?utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
