Can I get a position as an adjunct professor?

Question

For a long time, I've wanted to teach as an adjunct professor on a part-time basis. I'd like for someone with experience in this area to tell me, based on my description of my situation, whether this sounds like a realistic option for me.

I have an M.S. in Computer Engineering, and I've worked for five years as a full-time software engineer. I have no formal teaching experience. My goal to become an adjunct professor is more for personal fulfillment than for money or advancement, so I don't care about what it pays or whether the position is prestigious. However, since I intend to continue my full-time job, I would only be available for teaching night classes. If I got to pick, I would prefer to teach a class in programming or computer engineering.

So, does that sound reasonable? Or is there no demand for people in my circumstances?

Answer 1

It seems you have the basic qualifications for an part-time ("adjunct") teaching position in your field....degree and work experience. The courses you would like to teach are more applied than theoretically academic....so your private sector work experience is a big plus. The weak point, as you know, is lack of teaching experience.

I transitioned from environmental consulting engineering to full time teaching. But, there was a 10 transition period of part time teaching during which I worked full time in the private sector and taught at night for about 8 of the 10 years, then did multiple part-time teaching for 2 years before getting a full time teaching position.

So...here is what I did to break into the part time teaching.

Step 1. Make a list of community colleges/college/universities in your area and look at the course that are taught that are of interest to you. These are listed on the websites and in the catalogs. This will also give you the contact info for the relevant departments. Be aware that programming and computer courses may not be restricted to the obvious departments bearing those names....

Step 2. Find the schedule of classes to see if the classes you are interested in teaching are offered when you are available. Track this for a couple of semesters, as not all classes are offered each term. Also get the school calendars so you can coordinate your work schedule to the college schedule...and be aware not all schools follow the same schedule.

Step 3. Request the syllabus for the courses you want to teach...sometimes you can find these online. This will give you the background on what is being taught, in what sequence, the timing/pacing of the course, number of exams, etc.

Step 4. Tailor resumes to the college course you want to teach and send them to the dept chairs AND to the Human resources depts at the colleges...and request to be put in the "part time" pool in case they need short term subs or part timers for regular sessions or summer sessions.

Step 5. Find out which colleges offer non-credit community education classes (many community colleges have such programs). Many classes are enrichment classes (e.g. flower arranging, etc.). Find out the procedures to propose a class. The idea is to set yourself up to teach a non-credit class related to your field....and with so many folks at home struggle with computers...there's got to be something...and if you can find a way to merge key points in a non-credit class to the credit classes...so much the better). If nothing comes of the regular college credit classes, the non-credit classes give you time to gain practical teaching experience that will help build your resume.

Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Answer 2

You may be able to teach part-time, especially if there aren't a lot of Ph.D's working in industry in your field (most schools would prefer to hire someone with a Ph.D. if possible). There are a few potential problems, though. One is your time limitation. Not all programs hold classes in the evening, and since you only have a master's degree, you would only be able to teach undergraduates - a lot of schools only offer undergraduate courses in the daytime.

Another thing you should know is that the term "adjunct" at many schools is earned - for us, it is usually only given when someone has been teaching part-time continuously for about ten years. Oddly, at our law school, all part-time faculty are called adjuncts. You can send a resume to the chair of the relevant department at your local schools, letting them know that you are interested in teaching part-time. If you start suggesting titles for yourself, you may turn them off.

Answer 3

Actually my chemistry professor who was a Phd from University of Florida was an adjunct teacher for me. It was a TuTh class 7-10, he was only available at night due to his job as a chemist at Gentex. I would say it is definitely possible for you to get that position, I would look into community colleges, that will be your easiest chance at getting in as an adjunct and quite possibly the best pay.

Answer 4

Since you have a master's degree and experience that is related to the field, I don't see why you can't teach.

Get in contact with the computer engineering chair at an university. They would be able to help.

Answer 5

you would need to speak to the staff at the school your
interested in working at, the thing is that sometimes if they
need extra help they may 'change their requirements'

however you will still need some sort of teaching degree
(which has to do with your teaching abilities and not your knowledge about the subject)