<p>We can dream. :D</p>
<p>There are no LAC in the UK. Its a sad gap in our system, if we had such institutions, I’d have opted to attend one. So now, I can dream of teaching at one. And why not aim for the cream of the crop?</p>
<p>And ofcourse the ladies!</p>
<p>I have been conducting research into the matter by looking at the Pol Sci/IR dept of numerous US schools which are not “the elite”. The likes of Indiania U [Bloomington], MSU, Colorado [Boulder] etc have served as my samples. </p>
<p>The faculty at these schools have their PhD’s from a huge range of universities. I simply wish to teach at university, it need not be the HYP/Oxbridge set, so am inclined to believe that a PhD from an ok school would leave me in decent stead.</p>
<p>Two university professors told me that unless your PhD is from one of the top twenty universities in your field, you won’t get a job teaching at a university (I don’t know if they included colleges). But since most PhDs work in industry, it’s mostly moot.</p>
<p>That<code>s really obviously untrue. Even if you just do some calculations in your head. That means all the teaching and research faculty in universities is from top 20 universities… HARDLY. Yes, in top places, most people get their PhDs from other top places, but if you just want to teach in a low-teir university (and still make a lot of money!) it doesn</code>t matter that much. </p>
<p>I<code>ve done the same. A lot of profs in Ontario universities no one has ever heard of, probably, that are lowest ranked even if Canada (but the profs still get 80-100 thousand a year), got PhDs from places you probably haven</code>t heard of, like Carleton University. It is more than just university, it is publishing record, it is WHO you did the PhD with. Man, things are not that black and white.
And also in fields like neuroscience, there are more than 20 good universities to do top-notch neuroscience. It is a gigantic field.</p>
<p>My research doesnt seem to suggest that is true.</p>
<p>Look at Uni of Georgia facuty [Pol Sci]. Half of them are FSU PhD’s.</p>
<p>FSU is not top 20?</p>
<p>The arithmetic didn’t seem off to me; the ratio of retiring profs to new PhDs each year must be tiny, such that schools can be choosy. Or I didn’t retell properly what these guys said. I dunno. ;-)</p>
<p>It could have been “unless your PhD is from one of the top twenty universities in your field, you won’t get a job teaching at a top twenty university.”</p>
<p>@ vossron,</p>
<p>Do you think FSU is a top 20 school?</p>
<p>Maybe not even a top 20 public school.</p>
<p>Sorry, I’m not familiar with many schools.</p>
<p>I’d like to weigh in here.</p>
<p>In any given discipline, there are most certainly universities that are clustered at the top. But this will vary considerably by discipline, and by subfield within that discipline.</p>
<p>In my subfield, FSU is firmly in the top 10. So are UCSB, Chicago, Princeton, and Harvard.</p>
<p>Think about it: PhDs from these schools will dominate the subfield, and will find jobs in top tier, second tier, and even mid-field and low-ranked colleges and universities. Some will actively choose lower-ranked colleges because of spousal issues, proximity to family, or proximity to other desired amenities (mountains, rivers, oceans, countryside, etc.).</p>
<p>Speaking in the most general terms, where one earns the PhD (and with whom one studies) will be a strongly determinative factor in where one is employable. In my subfield, Harvard, Chicago and Princeton will most often only hire amongst themselves, but otherwise, a PhD from any program will be employable at universities and colleges with programs one step down in perceived rank. For instance, a PhD in my subfield from UNC might be hired at almost any state U, or any liberal arts college, but not at Chicago.</p>
<p>Even if one is initially hired at a less than optimal place, there is always the possiblity (but never the guarantee) of publishing one’s way up and out.</p>
<p>Oh, and PhD completion rates vary by field, from about 50% - 70%, according to this 2005 study.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/comm_2005_11.pdf[/url]”>http://www.cgsnet.org/portals/0/pdf/comm_2005_11.pdf</a></p>
<p>Finally, I just wish to note that UKDude would not last long at Mt. Holyoke if he is caught hitting on his students. And to tie this back to my earlier point, in my subfield, one would definitely need a PhD from one of the top 10 (or even 5) programs to get an interview at Mt. Holyoke. Or Smith. Or Wellesley.</p>
<p>1) I was joking about chirpsing students if teaching at an all girl LAC.</p>
<p>2) Whats your field?</p>