I am interested in Tufts university, and I want to know how I can find out if professors or TA’s teach undergrads. If so, how can I distinguish the professors in a faculty list on a college website?
TAs are not going to be shown in any “faculty list”. It is very rare for TAs (anywhere) to actually teach courses. They may lead break-out sessions or labs or discussion sections.
Thank you, but I heard at Harvard University the TA’s teach the classes for undergrads and professors teach at the graduate level?
Was the person who told you that a Harvard graduate?
There are typically only TAs if the school offers a graduate degree in that particular discipline. Having a graduate program doesn’t guarantee there will be TAs, but not having one means there are no graduate students available to work as TAs.
As stated above, TAs will not be listed on faculty pages. Adjuncts and lecturers are typically called out, but not TAs. No school is going to advertise the use of TAs (unless you’re applying to be in in the graduate program!)
You need to understand the different categories:
- tenured/tenure-track faculty
- non-tenure track instructors who are full-time university employees
- adjuncts who teach a few classes on contract only
- graduate assistants who may teach low level classes or assist with higher level classes
The last number I saw regarding this said that 70% of Harvard’s undergraduate classes are taught by non-tenure track instructors or adjuncts, and 30% are taught by tenured/tenure-track faculty.
HOWEVER: it is very possible that the top researchers may either hand over a class to a graduate student (generally a senior graduate student, only working on their dissertation otherwise) or be absent enough that it looks like the grad student is teaching.
Please understand this - MOST four-year colleges require at least a PhD to teach their courses per accreditation. That would leave grad students out of the picture.
There could be post-doc researchers who are teaching; that would be considered valid.
The one exception I am aware of is that grad students usually teach lab sections, and there is a staff member who is in charge of them. All lectures should be given by someone with a PhD. Some colleges do have grad students do recitations, which are usually homework review and help.
I think perhaps this tells you what Tufts offers in terms of teaching for their grad students:
http://asegrad.tufts.edu/academics/teaching-opportunities-students
I am not saying it never happens, but it is rare other than recitations and labs, and can have huge ramifications if a college is caught having grad students teach 100% of a course.
^^^ I taught 100% of my courses when a TA at a state flagship doing my Master’s work. All of the language teachers were grad students. Profs only taught the lit classes.