Tenure Track Position or PhD Program?

[unearthedlurker]

what would you do? I interviewed/demo'd for a TT position at a CC and will know the results April 5th. I'm on the PhD wait list at a school I've applied to several times over and made wait list each time. If offered the TT position, do I take it and turn down a possible PhD acceptance offer, or do I wait it out, take the TT (we all know those come around few and far between) and apply again to the program in a few years? I have a Masters degree (not terminal in my field) and would like to make $10k more the PhD would yield; I would also like the portability that a PhD *might* offer that the Masters wouldn't. Then again, a PhD might not get me a TT position any better than or faster than a Masters would get me.

Sadly, both of these situations are hypothetical... but they ARE causing me great stress. I'm curious to see what my peers would do in this situation (let's say it isn't hypothetical and you were offered both the position and the admission).

Cross your fingers at least one of these comes to fruition.

Edited March 15, 2011 by unearthedlurker

[Strangefox]

Oh, I haven't even known that you can get a TT position without having a PhD

Is it possible??

[runonsentence]

Oh, I haven't even known that you can get a TT position without having a PhD

Is it possible??

It would be possible with an MFA, as that's often seen as a terminal degree in creative writing. Could also be possible with an MA at a community college? I know that I'm eligible for full-time instructor positions at the community college near me once I have an MA (and they might be tenured, but I'm not sure).

[oldfogey]

I'd take the TT position, but would check for sneaky clauses that require PhD after X number of years or how the review for the TT position would be done. In the humanities, TT positions are not that easy to come by, I am told, so if my MA got me the TT position and there weren't any "pull the rug out from under you" type of clauses in the contract, I would take it. Most universities have educational credits that you can use to get the course work towards PhD taken care of, while you are working your b&^% off during the tenure review period and then take a sabbatical and finish your PhD You of course, will not spend any time on essentials like sleep or eat, and but of course, no socializing.

[unearthedlurker]

I didn't think it was possible, and I thought applying would be a crapshoot. However, they're actively considering me for the position (don't know if I'll actually get it going up against PhDs). I have worked at this CC full-time for a while and the faculty is familiar with me. I have stellar evaluations, I'm not afraid to communicate with administration, and I'm pretty active in the community. These could be a few reasons they didn't simply reject my application off the bat.

I left the interview and teaching demo feeling pretty good. I got a few jokes in, the faculty laughed quite a bit, and I showed both my professional teaching side and sympathetic/personable side.

[unearthedlurker]

I'd take the TT position, but would check for sneaky clauses that require PhD after X number of years or how the review for the TT position would be done. In the humanities, TT positions are not that easy to come by, I am told, so if my MA got me the TT position and there weren't any "pull the rug out from under you" type of clauses in the contract, I would take it. Most universities have educational credits that you can use to get the course work towards PhD taken care of, while you are working your b&^% off during the tenure review period and then take a sabbatical and finish your PhD You of course, will not spend any time on essentials like sleep or eat, and but of course, no socializing.

Ahhh, that's one thing I forgot to ask about (educational credits toward PhD) during the interview. I think finishing the PhD during sabbatical would be doable; I do know that they ask first year TT's not to do any academic coursework and focus solely on the 160 faculty development hours required for the position. I'm not sure how that would work out with a PhD. I'm so confused at this point. Thanks though, Oldfogey, for offering your thoughts

[Golden Monkey]

I think I'd take the PhD and think that, for once, two birds in the bush might be better than one in the hand, but it really depends on your financial situation. I would guess (and it's only a guess mind you,) that a PhD in English would open more doors long-term.

Oddly enough, I found myself in nearly the exact situation today, so this is a really timely subject. I had an interview today for a job (I don't know if I got it, mind you,) but if I did, the income would be orders of magnitude more than the stipend I've been offered to pursue a PhD. The job, at a company that seems great overall, is using the same technology I'd be developing in the PhD program. The difference is the job is in advertising, and the PhD would be using the same technology for educational purposes. So if I get a job offer (maybe they won't, and that will make things a lot easier,) it will be developing methods to convince people to buy more useless crap, as opposed to developing methods of learning. Of course, one route pays about 3-4 times as much as the other route. If the company offers me a job (I'd almost be relieved if they didn't,) I will have to listen to "Crossroad Blues" repeatedly.

[runonsentence]

I think I'd take the PhD and think that, for once, two birds in the bush might be better than one in the hand, but it really depends on your financial situation. I would guess (and it's only a guess mind you,) that a PhD in English would open more doors long-term.

It could possibly open more doors, and give more flexibility if relocating or looking to move to another institution down the road...but then again, the TT position is the actual goal of the PhD, and like other said, they're not hard to come by, especially in the humanities, and more especially in English.

If you like the institution, and it sounds like you could work toward the PhD on sybbatical, maybe go for the job.

[FingersCrossedX]

I would say it depends on your long term goals. If you want to be a tenure track professor and you would enjoy staying at the CC level, then take the job. If you will want to go on to large research focused universities and all of that, I'd say wait. I'm sure the decision is much more complicated than that, so if offered the job you may be able to tell the school that you will be able to come to a decision in a few weeks or something along those lines.

Good luck with the decision. If I were in your shoes I personally would wait for the PhD. I'm not looking forward to teaching as much as researching, so the teaching position wouldn't excite me.

[RockDenali]

It could possibly open more doors, and give more flexibility if relocating or looking to move to another institution down the road...but then again, the TT position is the actual goal of the PhD, and like other said, they're not hard to come by, especially in the humanities, and more especially in English.

If you like the institution, and it sounds like you could work toward the PhD on sybbatical, maybe go for the job.

Would you be happy at the CC for the rest of your life? That's really the question you need to ask yourself. If you're PhD will be in rhet/comp, you won't have any trouble finding a TT position at a 4-year school. I don't know of a single program that doesn't have an almost perfect placement rate for their graduates. But then, that's 4 more years of not making a lot of money . . .