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[anon]

When you are reading job postings, how do you know whether the place is a teaching institution or a research instution?

[Pecos]

Although some ads will give you an indication of which way an institution leans, you can also look up the school's Carnegie classification:


http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/Classification/CIHE2000/PartIfiles/partI.htm

[some guy]

You can try to tell by the teaching load.  In my field, the standard teaching load at many of the best research places is 1-2, and at other places that really are research schools, it is 2-2.  If I were looking at a place that I didn't know much about, I would go to the department's web pages and try to figure out how many courses the faculty teach.  In my field, if it's 3-3 or more, I would call it a teaching school.  [Of course, the load at both kinds of schools varies by discipline.]

[%sig%]

[history anon]

Good advice thus far.  I would just add this caveat...there are a wide range of institutions scattered along the spectrum between the flagship research university and the 4/4 (or more) small teaching college.  Regional  comprehensive universities, big urban commuter universities, and elite liberal arts colleges all expect a balance of research and teaching (which is what it's supposed to be all about, right?)   If you're fortunate enough to be in a field in which you have the luxury to choose where you want to work, think about what kind of environment you will feel comfortable in, and what the expectations and demands will be for each alternative.

[five]

As "some guy" recommended, I usually begin at the dept site, looking at faculty pages, etc, but sometimes these are incomplete or ambiguous... for example, you can't tell if they teach 1 or 2 sections of a course for which they have a syllabus posted, or you can't tell if the courses they list are for the current semester or *everything* they regularly teach (or sometimes, have ever taught).  You can also look at the university course schedule to tell how many courses faculty members teach.  This can usually be found through the registrar's webpage or through some kind of link for "info for current students."  

If possible, look at the schedules for multiple semesters.  Doing this also gives you an idea of the things they might ask you to teach in your first semester--they will be listed as taught by "staff," "TBA," or something similar.

[%sig%]

[ask]

If you see an ad for a position that you like, you can always call and ask. Although I have learned in this forum that there are committee chairs who would rather not hear from you or talk to you, it has usually worked for me. If they know you already they will look at your application.

[anonee]

This may be getting off the subject, but I have a related question:
who or what makes the distinction between Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 and so forth, and is this information published anywhere?
I remember hearing (during grad school -- in the humanities) that one can expect to teach (at the entry level just after the PhD) at a school one or two tiers below the position of the  university where one earned the PhD.
Then, if one publishes well, is active in the national organization for one's specialty, receives prestigious grants and good reviews of one's books, etc., one might then move on to  a higher-tier school.
Is this a fairly accurate understanding of the process -- at least in the humanities?

[%sig%]

[to anonee]

In the humanities, you have to begin with the caveat that up to 50% of graduates, depending on field, won't get permanent academic jobs.  And that for those who get jobs at lower-tier colleges, it is possible to move to higher tier after publishing, but it is difficult because there are always loads of equally or better qualified people.  For example, I sat next to a search committee chair at the American Historical Association who told me he was conducting 9 conference interviews for an absolutely "entry level" position, and the "weakest" of the 9, so to speak, already had a first book in press.  Assuming that at least 10 of the applicants had a book out, that means at least one person was finding a book not enough to make a "long-short list" at a southern flagship state university with a 2-2 load.  With these caveats in mind, anonee, I think you're description is pretty accurate.

[Other Senior Prof]

If you hadn't heard of it, it probably is not a research school . . . if they have a compass point in their name (and it isn't part of the name of the state), it is probably not a research school . . .  

But the easiest way to tell is to look at the teaching load in the job description . . .

[Visiting ass't. prof.]

Then there are the schools that bill themselves "teaching schools" but have light course loads (2/2 in the humanities) and require their faculty to really keep up with their research.  These are mostly the elite liberal arts colleges.

So the long and the short of it is to do some poking around on the school's website to discover its mission.

[Other Senior Prof]

Visiting ass't. prof. wrote:

> Then there are the schools that bill themselves "teaching
> schools" but have light course loads (2/2 in the humanities)
> and require their faculty to really keep up with their
> research.  These are mostly the elite liberal arts colleges.
>
> So the long and the short of it is to do some poking around
> on the school's website to discover its mission.

yeah, i think they call those research schools . . .

[Compass points]

Other Senior Prof wrote:

> If you hadn't heard of it, it probably is not a research
> school . . . if they have a compass point in their name (and it
> isn't part of the name of the state), it is probably not a
> research school . . .  
>

I disagree with Other Senior Prof's assumption that unless you've heard of it or having a "compass point" in the school's name means it is not a research school.  While they are not Ivy, Northern and Southern Illinois Universities, Western Michigan University, East Tennesse State University, Northern Arizona University, East Carolina University, and University of Northern Colorado are all research schools on the Carnegie list.  (This doesn't inlcude the Centrals either - Central Florida, Central Michigan, Middle Tennessee State).

[%sig%]

[Other Senior Prof]

yes, yes, I'll give you that these institutions are making the jump . . . but look at the vast majority of compass points, and what you'll see is heavier teaching and less research support . . . ECU still has a 3-3-, as does WMU and ETSU (and MTSU) . . . these schools mainly list Carnegie based on an affiliated medical college or engineering program . . . but for you humanities people out there, welcome to teacher's college university . . . exceptions exist, but the rule needn't be universally applicable to be generally applicable.

Of course, East Central State and University of Central Oklahoma are teaching schools, though Central and Centre are private liberal arts colleges . . .

Methinks I stuck someone with a compass point . . . West Texas A&M, Southern Miss, Georgia Southern, Eastern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Central Texas, Texas Southern, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Northern Michigan, North Florida, West Florida, West Georgia, Arkansas Southern, Middle Georgia, Georgia College SU, Northern Kentucky, Central State (Ohio), IU-Southeast . . .

And not to forget all of the University of _____/ _____ State University -- at hyphenplace (SUNYs, PSUs, Wisconsins, Alabamas-at-______,  Arkansas-at-_______, UT-wherever, Texas A&M-wherever,  OSU-at-_______, Cal State Urbancenter . . .

And then there are all the colleges named after people you never heard of:

Francis Marion (AKA Swampfox U) or Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, f'r'instance . . .

The main point was, generally speaking, if you hain't heard of it, they probably make you teach a lot . . .

[Kalamazoo on my mind]

Compass points wrote:


> I disagree with Other Senior Prof's assumption that unless
> you've heard of it or having a "compass point" in the school's
> name means it is not a research school.  While they are not
> Ivy, Northern and Southern Illinois Universities, Western
> Michigan University, East Tennesse State University, Northern
> Arizona University, East Carolina University, and University of
> Northern Colorado are all research schools on the Carnegie
> list.  (This doesn't inlcude the Centrals either - Central
> Florida, Central Michigan, Middle Tennessee State).


I think "Compass points" has touched on an important issue.

At some point, whether a school is a research or teaching institution depends on your point of reference. The folks at the University of Michigan might consider Western Michigan a teaching school, but the people at Kalamazoo College probably view it as a research institution.

[%sig%]