I am going to Capella University (online) for a Phd, can I teach at a university?
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Answer:
Many universities will not take you seriously.
Technically, there is nothing stopping a university from hiring you if you have a PhD from an accredited university. However the truth is that the quality of your PhD is a huge factor in hiring professors. Most universities will not even look at you.
There are two alternatives to this. One is to transfer to a more prestigious university. The other is to publish your research in the top journals. If you can get a few papers published in the top journals, they won't care if you got your degree from a Crackerjack Box (which is only a slight step down from an on-line university).
If the college is accredited by a regional accrediting agency that accredits state funded colleges and universities than you are probably safe with Capella University.
What you should do is call a few Colleges and Universities personnel offices and ask them if they would accept a PhD degree from Capella for hiring purposes.
Check out the faculty pages of the types of universities at which you wish to work. See where their teachers graduated from.
Honestly, you can teach at the community college based solely on your MS. You don't need a PhD for that qualification. And I think one of the few places you will be able to work as a professor post online PhD is a cc or a low level 4 year school. Because for the most part, the reputation of a school within your academic field is the be-all, end-all in terms of getting a professorship post PhD. Especially in competitive fields with a lot of graduates (I don't know if yours is one of these), it pays to go to a very well reputed program.
Do you personally know anyone working as a professor in your field? Other than at Capella, of course. If so, see if you can have an honest conversation with them on what the view of your school is within your field.
I can only speak in generalities. And generally, it wouldn't work very well for you. But at a cc or a lower level school? It might. But again, the CC would be hiring you mainly for your experience and that MS.
My advice - go ahead and get your MS. But don't go on for the PhD until you've spoken to some people about it.
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