College Professor – With a Master’s Degree Income
You can become a college professor with a Master’s degree. This is the minimum academic requirement for many schools of higher learning. You can chose between becoming a full-time professor or a part-time one. You can also choose between teaching in a traditional college setting or teaching online. Thus, having a Master’s degree can provide you with great flexibility if you wish to remain associated with academia.
Although it is not necessarily a simple or easy path, anyone can become a college professor with a master’s degree income. In order to accomplish, you must have a plan of action. A plan of action can only be successful if it is based on specific goals. Therefore, you should establish specific goals for yourself and then devise a strategy to achieve your goals.
There is amazingly little difference between a college professor who holds a masters degree and one who holds a doctorate. In fact, there are only two real differences. Professors holding a masters degree usually is not allowed to teach graduate courses. The general rule is that professors must be one level higher than the courses they teach. The other difference is pay. Professors holding a terminal degree usually earn more than do those holding a masters degree. However, frequently this difference is minimal. For full-time professors it may be as little as $1,500 per year. The difference may only be $35 for a course taught by a part-time professor. Of course, this varies from school to school.
Professors I have know who have a master’s degree have become tenured at their institutions. Others have been able to earn a six-figure income as an adjunct professor. Further, they both are treated with equal respect by their colleagues and their students. At times I wonder if it was worth the four extra years I spent after receiving my master’s degree in pursuit of my doctorate. It would be expected that the years of additional study and training would yield much greater benefits, especially to an academic institution. Thus, having a master’s degree provides a legitimate venue toward a steady income as a college professor.
