Teaching while in a doctoral program?

Hey everybody!

I'm finishing up my BA and looking ahead to applying to doctoral programs. My question is: can you adjunct while in a doctoral program? This is strictly from a hiring perspective rather than a student policy question.

Thanks!

 

Yes, why not? As long as you have the masters and required classes to teach.

 

I have been doing it for almost three years now. I find that I can bring more to the classes I teach by being immersed in the current literature and theory in the field.

 

Teaching US 1 and 2 helps me with my own comps studies, but it is time consuming.

 

I don't know where that post went, but to repeat,

teaching US 1 and 2 has helped me prepare for my comps, but it is time consuming.

 

I am currently doing this and have for the past 2 years. Of course I am in an online doctorate program and an online adjunct. I do know of some brick and mortar campus programs that restrict how many hours a person can work, if they are attending the program on campus full time. A friend of mine is in an engineering doctorate program a university here in NC and since hes on a fellowship he is limited to the type of work he can do outside of the doctorate program.

 

I've been teaching online for the past 3 years, while in a doctoral program. Adjuncting at a certain university allowed me to be qualified to apply for the internal job posting for the FT position I currently hold.

 

I don't think I was too clear on that part hehe. I won't have a master's, but will be gaining quite a lot of credits for the first 3 years of the doctoral program.

So maybe the better question is can you DL adjunct while in a doctoral program?

I'll be in a B&M program, but looking to adjunct for DL classes.

I'm applying to quite a few programs, some that don't allow you to do anything outside of their TA positions. Most allow you to work part-time, but some ONLY allow you to work in academia while there.

In terms of financial aid: Some are unfunded but give partial funding to some students, some are partially funded and some are fully-funded. That basically means that I'll be trying to make money for most programs I'm applying to (and they know it based on their policies).

Never to early to start thinking about logistics!

 

A Masters is required, usually with a minimum of 18 grad level credits in the specific field you're looking at teaching.

 

Another yes vote: I have been doing this for the past three years. However, the minimum requirement to adjunct is a master's degree.

 

I would like to add that depending on your area/state's rules, you can teach some community college with a bachelor's degree (or even no degree, with the proper background.) As far as I've seen in OK, this mainly applies to technical (computer) courses. But since your question was DL adjuncting, I'm not sure how they'd handle that.

 

Excellent points all around. I wasn't sure because I commonly see the 'I've got 18 credits so I can..." Good clarification.

 

I also teach online while pursuing higher education in addition to working my full time job and I'm a drilling reservist! Now that's a lot of hats to wear My only suggestion is to pace yourself and manage your time wisely. For example, I only pursue course at a time and I try not to teach more than two courses online, preferrably only one. But that's just me.

 

That is a full plate! I'm going into this knowing that having a TA-ship or fellowship will eat 20-24 hours per week of my time, with partial funding not being much better. Work-study is the same situation but not guaranteed beforehand (ie scary haha). So those are the numbers I'm working with.

I'm also applying to ten tons of scholarships in preparation, and of course looking at the impact that business funding would have. I can realistically work a bit, but web development isn't too doable in a full-time program -- and payment can be fickle depending on the client.

So it doesn't hurt to look at my options.

 

Looks like things will get exciting with you Griffin just keep forging ahead, that's what I keep telling myself. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of balance and time management even if it seems you may not have enough opportunities at the present moment. Last year I was teaching as much as 3 courses per term, I sinced backed off and now only teach one maybe two but that's about it so I can spend more time with the wife and son. I even take a term off now and then from my studies. Enjoy this ride we call life.

 

I know a young lady who went from her BS into a PhD program (both in biology) at a UC school. She was required to teach an undergrad class as part of her doctoral program (which she did and enjoyed).
Similarly I just took a biology class at UC Riverside taught by a PhD student.
(I believe the term TA is used in the UC schools - I'm do not know if there is pay involved.)

 

i think it would be okay to adjunct while you are in a doctoral program.. like for example you can teach, which also serves as a sideline..

 

In my experience at a tier I research university, plenty of courses were taught by first and second year straight-from-undergrad PhD students. Including me! In fact, by the time I got my MS, I was on a grant and wasn't teaching anymore. TAs are more expensive than adjuncts usually, but dept budgeting counts the "funds" gained from grad classes, even when "paid" with tuition waivers.

So, yes you need a masters with 18 graduate hours to teach AS AN ADJUNCT, but at doctoral institutions, you've got almost no chance of adjuncting unless you're a former student.. most of the extra sections go to funding graduate assistantships (in disciplines with enough money to pay their grad students, that is - science, some social science, engineering...)

 

I've elected not to apply to programs where I'd be mostly used to generate research, instead aiming for more clinical-oriented programs (I'm a psyc major). We shall see. Weirdly, if I got into Harvard or Princeton, I would be more-or-less taken care of financially, it's these smaller colleges that are making me wrack my brain.

The range is huge. At school A, I'd live like a king and graduate with no student loans. At school B, I'd be okay, but live lean and graduate with about $60k in loans. At school C, not even worth applying because I couldn't make it without substantial GradPLUS loans ($160k+++ over 5 years).

"School B" is both Gallaudet and Widener, and they are my top-2 choices. Gallaudet PhD is crazy-cheap at $13k plus living, and they give you a TAship for $5k+. Downside is I'm competing for 1 of 8 slots. Widener PsyD is $30k plus living, but they have good institutional aid (so I hear).

Not a lot of schools award Master's degrees mid-stream, and there's a trend where school's won't accept Master's degrees in transfer (even their own!). So looks like getting my doctorate first is the better long-term strategy.

 

From my own experience, I was an adjunct while I was in my doctoral program (at the same school), but I also already held a master's with >18 hours in a discipline (and a different discipline than my doctoral program, so I was working out of a different college and department).

The majority of TAs at my school are master's level students (as there is only one doctoral program, in education, with limited enrollment). When I was an undergrad in psychology, TAs mostly graded papers and the like; rarely did one teach a class in which I was enrolled and that was only when the instructor or professor was otherwise occupied (was, for example, ill or at a conference).

As soon as I received my master's degree, I was offered a class as an adjunct. Almost 10 years later, I'm still doing adjunct work for them, although I do, mostly, online sections with an occasional on campus gig. Between various institutions (4 at this point) and in the last couple of years of my doctoral program (while in dissertation), I usually worked (and continue to work) about 5 classes at a time, mostly online (which is a lot of work). All, whether online for profit or traditional, require the master's with 18 hours in a discipline.

Looking at others' comments, though and particularly in programs wherein one goes from an undergraduate degree to a doctoral program, I'm thinking that it likely depends on the institution and the program.