Post-secondary teaching is a term that covers not only colleges and universities, but also technical and vocational schools. Training facilities like technical and vocational schools offer career specific courses of study that prepare students for jobs that don’t necessarily require a four-year degree. Software and hardware specialists as we as welders, auto mechanics, cosmetologists and dental hygienists may have gone to such a school.
The teaching staff at technical and vocational schools are normally required to have both degrees and experience in their industry. Sometimes only certification and experience is needed, such as in the field of cosmetology. In some cases, an associate’s degree is needed in addition to work experience and certification. In order to be eligible to teach in the computer field, however, a bachelor’s degree, and sometimes a master’s degree, is required. Still, experience is needed.
Community colleges or two year colleges require faculty to possess master’s degrees. As time passes, more and more community colleges are seeking professors who have some experience in distance learning or other teaching experience. More than one master’s degree is beneficial, as teaching more than one subject is possible.
A majority of the faculty at four-year colleges and universities hold doctorates in their field. There are four classes of faculty in such a college: professor, associate professor, assistant professor and instructor. Often, graduate assistants hold teaching positions at universities.
Sometimes four-year schools will hire people with master’s degrees or doctoral candidates as part-time or temporary teachers to teach in the liberal arts category. Even so, members of the permanent faculty hold doctorate degrees.
Faculty members at the university level are expected to participate in extra-curricular activities. They are also often required to become involved in research and to publish in academic publications. Many teachers on the college level also become accomplished authors.
Professors that have outside academic interests and a certain amount of seniority have their graduate teaching assistants take care of the in-class sessions. Typically, these assistants are doctoral candidates.
Doctorate degrees do not always lead to th teaching profession. There are many businesses who are seeking individuals with PhDs today. This is particularly true in the biotech and high tech industries. Those with PhDs who have started to teach on the college level have an increased opportunity in the business world today.