Re: Teaching in America

[Joe Heafner <heafnerj@VNET.NET>]

> From: Michael Edmiston <edmiston@BLUFFTON.EDU>
>
> Getting a "teaching license" or "teaching certificate" for teaching in US
> High Schools requires a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS)
> degree in the field you plan to teach, and also requires some number of
Not here in North Carolina (unless the standards have changed in the past 3-5 years). One doesn't have to have a degree in the subject taught. One only has to have a degree in "education" and some courses in the subject area. However, once hired the school system here can make you teach anything they want you to teach regardless of your course preparation.

> (1) Two-year community colleges or junior colleges or technical colleges.
> These grant "terminal degrees" where the student does not go on to further
> education after the two-year degree.  This degree is typically called an
> Associates Degree.  Some of these students do continue (with varying
> success) to four-year programs.  Teaching science at these schools typically
Tracking studies have shown that students who take their first two years at a community college do significantly better at the four year schools than those who do not. One of my former students is now doing undergraduate research in chemistry at NCSU.

> (2) Two-year or 4-year branch campuses of larger universities.  The two-year
> branch campuses typically provide the first two years of the main-campus
> four-year degree.  The four-year branch campuses provide the same full
> program as the main campus.  Teachers at these places typically must have
> the same degree as the parent institution, and that would be a Ph.D. for
> people teaching in science areas.
Not according to SACS standards.

> (3) Four-year colleges and universities.  These typically require a Ph.D.,
> and post-doctoral experience is either an advantage or required.
SACS only *requires* a Master's degree to teach at any college or university, unless one is specifically teaching graduate level courses. Even then, experience can count in place of a PhD. The hiring of PhD's is more for political appearance than for teaching quality.




Cheers,
Joe

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