Community College Job Market

[Prospectus22]

Hey all,

I had a couple of questions I hoped could be answered. I am about to start my final year at a top 25 undergraduate school, and have approximately a 3.8 overall GPA, as well as above a 3.9 in History. I am primarily interested in teaching and learning more about American history. I am open to teaching in high school, but my primary goal is to teach history at the community college level. My plan is to apply to M.A. programs, get my feet wet, and then decide whether or not to apply to Phd programs. If not, I will apply to teach at the community college level, or if all else fails, teach history at the high school or junior high level.

Given the current job market, how viable is it to get a tenure track community college teaching position with only a M.A. degree?

What do you guys think of my general plan?

Any and all comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[thepoorstockinger]

Given the current job market, how viable is it to get a tenure track community college teaching position with only a M.A. degree?

Not very viable at all.

[kent shakespeare]

The CCs around here are only hiring adjuncts; nothing f/t.

here's a thought: go to the PhD program, and get your foot in the door as an adjunct while working on your PhD. It'll get your name higher on the list when a f/t opening does arise. At such a time, you can decide whether/how to continue your PhD.

[Prospectus22]

Thanks for the advice. However, I often look online and see job postings for community college teaching jobs in history that only require a master's degree, though phds are preferred. Are these positions typically saturated with PHD level applicants? I am pretty flexible as to where I am willing to work. For example: http://njepadeherc.org./c/job.cfm?site_ ... jb=5818473.

[StrangeLight]

yes, the MA-only/PhD-preferred jobs are saturated with PhDs. it's not impossible to get a position at a community college with just an MA, but it's extremely difficult.

[natsteel]

Prospectus, I will wholeheartedly concur with the previous posters and encourage you to take what they say seriously. I'll be going to graduate school for American history in two years despite knowing that perhaps no field is more saturated with PhDs willing to take any adjunct position at a CC possible and be grateful for it. I would say either get your state certification or go for the full PhD... though I should pass on the same warnings to you about going for a PhD as I've gotten.

1) There are no jobs. American history PhDs are a dime a dozen and jobs aren't.

2) You should never, under any circumstances, take on debt for history PhD. If a school isn't willing to offer you full funding + stipend then they don't want you or, worse, only want your money.

There are many more but these two are the most important. If you absolutely can't imagine yourself doing anything else, then consider it, but if you think you might be just as happy teaching high school then by all means, do that. You'll have more job security and make far more money.

Good luck!

[rising_star]

Community college tenure-track jobs aren't all that abundant from what I understand. That said, I have a friend that has one, and he actually left his PhD program before finishing all of his exams. BUT he's a math professor and had a bunch of teaching experience when he got the job. Now he's actually working on a PhD in math education, not because he needs it, but because he wants to pursue it. So I guess what I'm saying is that yes, you can get the CC t-t job with a master's but you better have a boatload of teaching experience to go along with it because you'll be competing for the job against people that have 4-5 years of teaching experience (even those that haven't finished a PhD or even reached ABD status may have that much teaching experience).