Seeking Advice for first Academic application

[ace589]

Hello, 

Any advice  is appreciated 

I only have a Master's in my field, NO teaching experience, and NO publications.

I recently noticed an opening for an assistant professor at a local university.  There is only 1 other professor for the program and he is heading the search committe. The ad says that a Phd is required, but I suspected that was only for the ideal candidate.  I inquired and I was encouraged to apply if I was interested.  I feel that I am a great fit for the program.

What should I include in my CV?

Should I only include academic references or are industry references ok?

I can manage to write a strong cover letter, teaching philosophy, and research statement.  But the application also asks for evidence of teaching excellence.  Do I just omit this?

I don't expect much, but at the very least it is a good exercise.

Thanks in advance

[Gvh]

Erm, I'm pretty sure you need a PhD if it says a PhD is required. I've never heard of anyone achieving the title of "assistant professor" without a doctorate. A lecturer, sure, but a professor? Doubtful. Just my $0.02. 

[ace589]

Generally I would agree.

As stated I emailed the head of the commitee and he responded "although the ad says a Phd is required please apply if you are interested".

I inquired with the commitee because I suspected there is a shortage of qualified or interested Phds in my subfield.  Maybe this is due to competition with larger programs or industry jobs?  

[TakeruK]

I think most HR departments separate requirements into two categories of "basic" and "preferred". Out of the "basic" category, it's up to the hiring committee to decide if any of these basic qualifications are going to be used to screen candidates (i.e. if you don't meet it you will be auto-rejected and the committee won't even see it). So it's possible for a job posting to expect the candidate to have a PhD but the committee can still choose to review your application if they don't want to make it one of the screening criteria.

Without a PhD, it would make you a lot less competitive and I would not interpret the head's response as anything more than you won't be auto-rejected if you apply. I would imagine that the safest answer you can give to a candidate is "Apply and we'll see". 

Finally, "assistant professor" (or "professor" of any kind) is not a protected title. A school can bestow this title on anyone they want. In Canada, I know that 2-year colleges hire people with Masters to teach and for many schools, the job title is Professor.

[rising_star]

If you don't have any teaching experience or publications, it's probably going to be hard to write a strong teaching philosophy or research statement. I recommend looking on the Chronicle's website for advice on how to write these documents. Academic cover letters are their own convention, so I'd read up on that too. Instead of including evidence of teaching excellence, I'd include a statement saying that you haven't taught yet and maybe a syllabus that you would use. You really want only academic references for this kind of thing. I'm honestly surprised that you were encouraged to apply given your lack of experience and lack of a PhD. Good luck!