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[darnell239]

Here is my story.  I have a BA in Sociology, a masters in social work and I am also a certified special ed teacher in the public school system.  I am burned out as a special ed teacher and I have always wanted to teach on the college level.  I prefer the community college setting.  Do I need to obtain a ph.d to be taken seriously.  I know the competition even at the community college level is stiff.  I have talked with some community colleges about my MSW degree and basically I am not eligible to teach anything with that masters.  They tell me if I had a sociology or psychology degree I might have a chance. 

1) Should I get the masters degree in sociology or psychology or go for the Ph.D?

2) Should I look at another degree program completely to be competitvie?  For example, should I consider criminal justice, english, political science.  I know that there is a need for math and science instructors, however, that is not my strong area.

I would appreciate some solid advice.  Thanks.

[aneumey]

You can probably get by with a masters.  The exception would be if you were in proximity to a large university which meant a market that is flooded with Ph.D. holding candidates.  Still, they will be most interested in your teaching.  I hold a TT position at a CC, and I know I was hired over several candidates with doctorates because I have a solid track record in the classroom.  I am surprised that they have nothing for you with that masters, but I don't know how much Sociology and an MA in social work have in common. 

One thing that really helps is to be able to teach in more than one department.  I hold two MA degrees and can teach in three departments.  While in practice I rarely teach outside of my "pet" areas, they like the idea that I could fill a gap should the need arise. 

[der_gadfly]

Having a Special Ed certification on top of your MSW is really something that can be helpful. You might not be able to teach intro to Social Sciences (not all colleges have a specific Sociology course sequence), Freshman Seminar (first year experience), or run a tutoring lab.

There are possibilities, and yes, the competition is tough, but keep up hope, be flexible, be creative. Persistence will pay off.

[untenured]

How interested are you, if at all, in pursuing academic research?  I'm guessing the answer is not very much.  However, the more you might be interested in such activities, the greater your incentive to pursue a doctoral degree.

Untenured

[cgfunmathguy]

Do I need to obtain a ph.d to be taken seriously. 

Not usually. That may change depending on location, as Aneumey said.

I have talked with some community colleges about my MSW degree and basically I am not eligible to teach anything with that masters.  They tell me if I had a sociology or psychology degree I might have a chance.

This is usually a function of the number of semester- or quarter-hours of GRADUATE-level work you have in a field. Depending on the accrediting body, that number varies from 16 to 18 semester-hours (24-27 quarter-hours), at least according to my observations. If you can't point to 18 sh of graduate work in a field, then you won't be considered qualified.

1) Should I get the masters degree in sociology or psychology or go for the Ph.D?

As Untenured notes, this depends on your personal desire to do research. More interest in research usually leads to pursuit of the PhD.

2) Should I look at another degree program completely to be competitvie?  For example, should I consider criminal justice, english, political science.  I know that there is a need for math and science instructors, however, that is not my strong area.

Degrees/hours in other areas help, but you should keep in mind that your interest in a particular area will limit how well you will teach it.