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Several psychology majors have asked me how much schooling and other preparation they would need to work as a Psychology Instructor at the college level. The answer is: It depends.
If you want to teach as an adjunct (part-time) faculty member at a community college or small college, you may be able to do so with a Master's degree and some teaching experience. In fact, it is theoretically possible to teach full-time with a Master's degree at the community college level, although it is very uncommon since the psychology field is so competitive and the doctorate is the degree most desired by college and university employers. Working part-time as an instructor may be perfect for some and can be quite rewarding. However, it does not usually provide job security or full employee benefits depending upon the region of the country in which you work.
If you are considering becoming a full-time psychology professor, you should decide whether you would like to work at a research-oriented or teaching-oriented college since each work environment requires different duties and, therefore, different preparation.
Full-time faculty at teaching-oriented institutions, including 2-year community colleges and 4-year colleges, usually hold a doctorate degree. These faculty spend the majority of their time on teaching courses and interacting with undergraduates. Teaching duties may include developing lesson plans, grading/evaluating student work, and reading journals and attending conferences to stay abreast of the field. Other related duties include serving on college committees that deal with academic, curriculum, budget, and hiring, policy etc. Some 4-year teaching institutions also require faculty to conduct research in which they involve undergraduates. Many professors at teaching-oriented colleges find it personally rewarding to work in an intellectually stimulating environment and to be able to share their love of psychology with their students. You may wish to focus more on your interpersonal and presentation skills if you are interested in working at a teaching-oriented institution.
Full-time faculty at research-oriented institutions hold doctoral degrees and conduct research in their specialty area within psychology. They run laboratories in which they train graduate students to conduct research. Many of these professors spend much time writing grant applications to fund their research. Professors at these institutions spend less time in the classroom and more time focusing on conducting and publishing research. Some benefits to being a professor at a research-oriented institution include a flexible schedule, high levels of intellectual stimulation, personal satisfaction from researching interesting topics, and professional satisfaction from generating new psychological knowledge. Individuals who are self-driven and have a high degree of curiosity are most likely to be fulfilled in these types of positions. You may wish to focus more on developing your research skills and vitae if you aim to work at this kind of institution.
Competition is fierce for full-time positions at both types of institutions above, although there are more positions available at teaching-oriented institutions. One thing you should be doing now if you are considering either of these career paths is volunteering as a teaching and/or research assistant to find out whether you might prefer teaching or research activities.
