I was curious if someone can shed some light on a couple issues/concerns I have. I was wondering if one could obtain an adjuct faculty teaching position at a local community college with a Masters of Science in Science Education degree that would be obtained via distance learning??? As say obtaining an adjuct faculty teaching postion at a community college with a regular Masters of Science degree in(science major) via distance learning??? Which route would more likely assist one in obtaining a postion at the community college level, if that person has had xxx amount of experience teaching..........Masters in Science Education or Master of Science in ______??? Thanks Jay
I don't know exactly what the situation might be but I can tell you from my own experience that community colleges here in the Southwest are thick with M.A.s and M.S.s The masters degree seems to be the preferred teaching credential. This also seems to be the case for satellite campuses of four year institutions, public and private.
Most community colleges prefer to hire professors with teaching experience. A MSc in Education will definitely get you an interview, but you will need a couple of years of teaching experience to land a job. Your best bet is to get in through the back door - that is, as a part-time or sessional professor. Once you have taught several courses you will be in a better position to apply for an adjuct faculty teaching postion.
What roysavia said. The degree will keep the door from being slammed shut, but it won't open it. Master's degrees are a dime a dozen. The school isn't going to see your master's and jump at the chance at hiring such a qualified person. Rather, you'll have to be someone they really want, then they'll be glad you have the degree so they can hire you. This is also true for the doctorate; it isn't an automatic ticket to employment at any academic level. You still have to be someone the school really wants; the degree just makes it easier for them to hire that person.
A Master's is pretty much required to teach most courses based on the RA guidelines. There are exceptions - as an example, I teach some business courses and I only have a Bachelor's. However, I'm working on my Master's and have 7 years of full-time experience in the field that I'm teaching. Regarding distance learning - I don't think anyone will care that your degree was earned online. They won't even know unless you tell them. In my position, I've told the school that I'm earning my Master's online, because I'm applying primarily to online teaching jobs and feel that since I've been an online student it gives me an edge over other adjuncts who have never taken an online class themselves.
