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[cruzlc]

This question is for Academic Deans and also members in Search Committees,

I know some countries where a PhD is ascertained under a Professor/Doctor with only a written dissertation as the only requirement.
Does a PhD from abroad matter to you when hiring? Does it matter from what country or institution it is coming from?

[embitteredhistorian]

I think the simple question is "yes", but not because some countries require just a written dissertation; the UK does that and American universities hire UK PhDs rather freely (or they used to, at least).

I have never been on a SC, but I have been told by many, many people that my non-American PhD works against me. I knew this when I started doing it, hoping that my publications would make up for it. Of course, I think this is largely field-dependent; I'm in English lit., so the question of why I chose to do a Ph.D. in English from a non-English speaking country is valid (although it rather ignores the point that English studies largely began in non-English speaking countries such as Germany, but whatever). If you're in German and your degree is from Munich, that makes a bit more sense.

[lorelei]

The issue is not so much "abroad" as where?

A PhD from Oxford or the Sorbonne is a very different thing from a PhD from a country most search committees would struggle to find on a map.

The latter case is pretty much the same as having a PhD from an unknown, marginally accredited institution in the US. (With the additional barriers that most people in that situation are applying from abroad, would need a visa, their English might not be the best, their application doesn't conform to expected North American norms in various ways, and for a combination of these reasons they are ruled out early in the process).

See these threads:
http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=30418.0
http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=58622.5

[categorical]

My experience has been that even if the school is somewhat of a known quantity, it probably won't play well down the food chain.  This will leave you in a poorer condition than if you had graduated from a lesser American school.  A Heidelberg degree, or something similar, isn't going to get you far with a teaching school or a CC.  The only real shot you will have will be for top jobs at R1s and the like, where the competition will be fierce.

[embitteredhistorian]

My experience has been that even if the school is somewhat of a known quantity, it probably won't play well down the food chain.  This will leave you in a poorer condition than if you had graduated from a lesser American school.  A Heidelberg degree, or something similar, isn't going to get you far with a teaching school or a CC.  The only real shot you will have will be for top jobs at R1s and the like, where the competition will be fierce.

This has been my experience, too. The only universities that have seriously considered me have been R1s, whereas I haven't been shortlisted for any CC or teaching school jobs. I assume this is because I've tried to make up for my no-name Ph.D. with publications, whereas my American teaching experience is sparse and pre-internet, thus outdated.

[mended_drum]

My SLAC has hired those with non-American Ph. D.s, including those from Europe, South America and China.  Lack of teaching experience can be a problem, though.  A strong sample teaching talk on campus and/or at least one letter of recommendation from someone who knows academia in the U.S. and can communicate the ways the candidate will contribute to our kind of campus are really helpful to an SC.

[msparticularity]

I have known people with foreign PhDs at both my prior institution and my current one--both third-tier state institutions. However, in all cases they have had US teaching experience and were currently living and working in the US. I suspect that it was the combination of current teaching recommendations from US schools (from people who could easily be telephoned to check references) and the relative ease of getting them in for campus interviews that proved critical.

I also know several European-educated people who did PhDs at non-English-speaking universities and got hired in the US and Canada while still living in Europe. In those cases, their advisors were Very Prominent and were active members of professional associations. The students had accompanied their advisors to conferences here in the US--so they came well-recommended and were familiar to the larger professional community.

[jerseyjay]

My experience has been that even if the school is somewhat of a known quantity, it probably won't play well down the food chain.  This will leave you in a poorer condition than if you had graduated from a lesser American school.  A Heidelberg degree, or something similar, isn't going to get you far with a teaching school or a CC.  The only real shot you will have will be for top jobs at R1s and the like, where the competition will be fierce.

For what it is worth, this is almost the exact opposite of my experience. I have a PhD from a top British university (not Oxbridge), and have had scores of interviews at Community Colleges, and ended up with a VAP at a regional teaching school. I think that my meagre publication record (until recently) certainly made it harder to get a job at a R1, but since my university is not so well known in the U.S., it does not disqualify for a teaching school or CC the way an Ivy degree would.  (Of course an Ivy League degree is not a disqualification, but it does raise certain prejudices/expectations about the bearer that my degree--from an a very prestigious research oriented school--does not.)

I've already written on the other aspects of having a foreign  PhD on other threads so won't repeat myself again.

[lorelei]

jerseyjay: I assume you're a US citizen or resident? Many CCs cannot consider foreign applicants at all, by state law.
An American who happens to have studied abroad obviously is a different situation.

I have read a few applications from scholars based in non-English-speaking countries (tends to be those from a couple of countries in particular) which read like Nigerian scam emails. Endless personal narrative ("I grew up in a house with 12 servants" - I wish I was making this up), bizarre overconfidence and/or hectoring tone ("When you hire me"/"I will need...") and signing off with "blessings to your family".

I'm sure some of these candidates think their foreign qualification was what hurt them, rather than the overall hinky vibe of the application.

[embitteredhistorian]

jerseyjay: I assume you're a US citizen or resident? Many CCs cannot consider foreign applicants at all, by state law.
An American who happens to have studied abroad obviously is a different situation.

I have read a few applications from scholars based in non-English-speaking countries (tends to be those from a couple of countries in particular) which read like Nigerian scam emails. Endless personal narrative ("I grew up in a house with 12 servants" - I wish I was making this up), bizarre overconfidence and/or hectoring tone ("When you hire me"/"I will need...") and signing off with "blessings to your family".

I'm sure some of these candidates think their foreign qualification was what hurt them, rather than the overall hinky vibe of the application.

jerseyjay: I'd also like to know what field you're in.

lorelei: All of those sound quite normal to me; the wonderful world of non-native English speakers produces some truly bizarre idioms.

[cranefly]

I know some places that actually prefer a foreign degree (that is, only one of your degrees, not all foreign) if it's from a respected university. After all, moving to a new culture brings with it a perspective that many who stay in one place don't get.