Don’t most professors have a doctorate degree? The answer is yes, most professors do have a doctorate degree – but a few do only hold a Master’s degree. Technically, I’m not a professor, I’m simply an instructor due to my lack of a Ph.D. and the fact that I do not have enough consecutive years experience at one college or university full-time to earn the rank of professor at this point.
I’m often asked if I plan to continue my education and obtain a Ph.D. in order to continue advancing within my field as an online instructor and pursue the coveted title of professor.
Truthfully, the thought is simply overwhelming. As with nearly all teaching positions, I am constantly attending trainings, webinars, and conferences to help enhance and develop my skills as an online instructor. Most online schools offer their own trainings and refresher trainings several times a year. One of my colleges even offers bi-weekly webinars on topics that interest faculty to help them to increase student retention, increase student engagement, more effectively manage their time, etc. Outside of individual colleges, there are a plethora of online webinars and trainings available elsewhere that can help online instructors enhance their knowledge.
While I do feel that I am continually learning and growing within my profession, there is no doubt that obtaining my Ph.D. would be beneficial for me in the future. Many online schools are slowly moving away from hiring full-time instructors with a Master’s degree and acquiring my Ph.D. would make me infinitely more marketable.
I’ve given a lot of thought to returning to school and for me, the only option (due to location, children, etc.) would be to attend school online. I’ve done some research and I have found several programs that I’m interested in but biting the bullet to start the journey has proven to be more difficult than I had originally anticipated. I’m at the stage of my life where I feel I should be saving for my children’s college funds – not investing in more education for myself. All of the programs are quite pricey and figuring out how to pay for the program on top of when I would be able to complete the course work in the midst of three jobs and three children is a mystery.
That said, I do think that pursuing a Ph.D. will be vital to me if I want to continue in this profession and most likely, I will start within a program over the next few years.
For anyone considering a career in online education, I would highly recommend that they obtain their Ph.D., perhaps while they are already teaching and building teaching experience in their field of expertise.
About the Author
Jamie Weitl is a WAHM teaching for several online universities and raising three precocious little ones. In her spare time she enjoys writing, baking, and running. For more info, see my Google Plus Profile.
