Lor's from non-PHD Holder's

[Manoj_Rocky]

Does Letter of recommendation can be obatained from a Senior Lecture who is an assistant professor, as they have personally handled classes for me. I see that every graduate program asks for a average of 3 letters. I have planned to obtain my Lor from a PHD prof (under whom i have done my project),Asst. Prof(Who has the Head of myDepartment) and a Senior Lecture (also n Asst Professor) who has handled classes for me. Will this weaken my Profile or does Letters from non-PHD ppl still count ?

And how to make an Lor's to a strong one ? I have had good acads in all their subjects , but i didn't get any chance to make research during my undergraduation .

Thanks and regards,

Manoj

[rising_star]

Does the Senior Lecturer not have a PhD? It's unclear to me from what you've written.

[Manoj_Rocky]

Ya , some senior lectures and Asst. Prof are currently pursuing their PHD's . Will it ok be to get a Letter of recommendation from them ?

[db2290]

If you list all their titles as Assistant Professor then the adcoms will probably assume them to have a Ph.D. I know I did! I find it strange that someone can be an assistant professor without a Ph.D but anyway.

In my applications there is only a space to put a title rather than qualifications.

[Str]

Hey,

I'm kind of going through the same problem actually and was wondering the same. I really would like some clarification on this matter. I don't think I have the liberty of choosing only a title rather than a qualification. So could someone please specify whether it's okay to get the LOR from a non-PhD holder?

Thanks and Cheers.

Edited October 27, 2010 by Str

[DariaIRL]

I would say that LORs should come from PhDs if possible, but more weight is given if the individual is well known in the field, has connections, etc. Usually the big reputation = having a PhD though. On the other hand, if you have PhD/big name writer who writes a weak recommendation, that wouldn't help as much as a non-PhD could have written an amazing letter.

Letters that attest to your academic success are kind of redundant with your transcript. If the letter can maybe explain a particular subject matter or technique that you did well in or something, that would be more helpful than "so n so took my class and did well, I think s/he would do well in grad school." Overall, letters that talk about your aptitude/success for graduate level work in research are extremely helpful because that's what will set you apart.

[Manoj_Rocky]

Thanks buddy . Hey that's the Problem i had , thaks for the info Actually my scenario is like , i have 3 Ph.D Prof who can give me Lor's . But out of them i have worked closely with only one Prof, who has promised me a Strong Lor. The other two prof have said that they could provide a general (a moderate Lor i guess) one . But i have two other Asst. Prof (pursuing-Ph.D) with whom i have worked closely and provide me with good Lor's . So my dilemma was , whether it was to 'Ph.D with moderate Lor' or 'Asst. Prof with Good Lor' . What do you say >?

[elreb]

I assume it is totally off- limits/ a bad idea to seek a recommendation from a grad/PhD student TA? I took a class in undergrad in which I had a great rapport with the TA who instructed my discussion section, but no relationship with the professor (lecture of 150+).