<p>But most college teachers these days must have good degrees in their field of study–even at a community college in my state, you must have a masters in your subject area field, not in teaching or education. At pretty much every four-year school, a doctorate or end of the line professional degree is a minimum requirement for employment. So given the basic qualifications, I’d take a passionate teacher at a small school over a brilliant academic more invested in his/her research than in teaching. The best, of course, is a teacher who invests time in both undergraduate students and research…something found most often on college campuses with limited graduate programs.</p>