Should I enter an education college to become an English professor?...?

Question

or would an English major be more beneficial?
The University of Florida has a College of Education, and in it a program called Higher Education, which is described as a program for those who wish to become deans, professors, etc. My concern was whether this or a straight English program (which is not offered at that school) would be the more productive route. Thanks!

Answer 1

In my experience you need an English major to be an English professor. An education degree probably won't make any difference. I suspect the program you are describing prepares students to work in the faculty of Education, not English.

Answer 2

Any chance you can double major?

If you know for certain that you want to teach English on a college level then yes you should take the courses in Higher Education that are geared toward that goal.

If you know you like English but aren't certain you want to put in all the work, time and money it takes to earn a PhD and become a college professor, then take English as your major and look into other carreers that might be more suited toward your goals at this time. (You can always earn the PhD while you work someplace with the English degree).

I have a degree in English that I don't use. Looking back I realize that what I should have majored in was Library Science because I would love to work with books and share literature with people.
So consider what you want to do with the education and the best way for you to get to where you want to be.

Answer 3

If you are looking to teach college, getting an undergraduate and then a graduate degree in the field you want to teach is the most beneficial. Education curricula are much more useful for teaching middle or high school because the focus is less on the material and more on the educational process. At a collegiate level, what you know about your field is what will serve you well and having a master's or even more preferential, a doctoral degree will be your best bet. Good luck on your choices!

Answer 4

It depends on what you want to do once you graduate. If you just want to be an English professor, you can work in foreign countries with any degree. If you want to teach literature or creative writing you would need an English degree. You can't do anything else with an English degree though. I'd go for the other degree and combine it with an English certificate like TESOL or TEFL..

Answer 5

I suspect an English professor is hired by a Department of English, who expects a major in English.

Answer 6

I should think that, if you would like to become a professor, entering into a program specifically geared toward being a professor would be more beneficial than your other choice.

Answer 7

Here is what i would do. Never go into a teaching career. You will regret it. It has a horrible pay roll. Become a buissiness owner. I own the compony Things That Go Boom!!! INC.

Answer 8

You look like you could use a little more excitment than that, have you ever considered anthropology? how about archeology, something with travel, going around the world.

Answer 9

Getting a job as a teacher relies more on how well you did in college than where you attended.