Does being a ph.d candidate make one a worse or better professor?

Question

I was just really thinking because I have a professor who is a ph.d candidate nto that he/she doesn't know their stuff but does it make them more critical/more out there in teaching since they are still learning???? Are we being taught at a Ph.d level instead of an undergrad level????

Answer 1

You are being taught by a hyper-critical, crazed maniac. Getting a PhD is really stressful.

Additionally, if this is a younger person they have a need to prove themselves, ie., they are still immature.

You are not alone-this is a common complaint of undergraduates. You would think with the amount of money you are paying in tuition you would have a full professor teaching you, not a trainee.

Answer 2

Being a PhD candidate means s/he has not gotten his/her PhD yet. It means s/he is busy writing his/her dissertation (hopefully).

S/he's not really "still learning" his/her field, since s/he's done with coursework, finished with qualifying exams and language exams, and gotten his/her dissertation proposal approved. (You have to have completed all of this in order to rise to the status of "PhD candidate.")

It is possible that your professor has not been teaching for very long. S/he may be "still learning" how to teach, but your professors never stop learning how to teach. Our experience teaches us more each year.

PhD candidacy does not make a person necessarily an "easier" or "harder" professor. Everyone has his/her own style of teaching, and course requirements. However, I assure you that you are not being taught a course at the PhD level. Your professor knows that s/he is teaching an undergraduate course.

It is true, however, that sometimes it takes some work to realize that one needs to adjust one's level of expectations when first teaching an undergraduate course, especially when one is teaching undergraduates for the first time. (This is probably not your professor's first class, though, especially if s/he was a teaching assistant when s/he first began his/her PhD program.)

I hope that helps!

Answer 3

I think it depends on the professor. I have had teachers that were PH'ds and didn't know anything about the topic but then I have had some with the same qualifications that were terrific! I think the best teacher is not the most educated in the educational background however a person that has real life education. My best teachers in college were the ones that were in the profession before they were prof's. I think without real life situations and examples, a prof doesn't really know what they are talking about on the topic. You can only learn so much from a book but real life is the best education anyone can get. And know, I am not saying to stop your education - just re-enforce it with real life interaction.

Answer 4

I think it makes a better professors. Those who are candidates often have A LOT on their minds, and are busy writing their dissertations and/or taking courses. Those who have gotten their PhDs tend to be more relaxed, open-minded, and often times more knowledgable.