Science LOR from a non-PhD professor

[Sean Lee]

One of my science LOR is from a non-PhD part time professor (adjunct faculty, I believe) at a 4-year university. Will any schools have a problem?

It is a science course designed for majors, and the institute is a 4-year university. I don't think I recall seeing any requirement that science LOR writers must have a PhD...

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[gettheleadout]

No.

 

[allantois]

Check if any of the schools you plan on applying say PhD faculty. If none of them do, then it's not a problem. It's more important that the professor is not a TA or someone who's been teaching for a year or so.

 

[Sean Lee]

Check if any of the schools you plan on applying say PhD faculty. If none of them do, then it's not a problem. It's more important that the professor is not a TA or someone who's been teaching for a year or so.

I don't think any schools require science letter writers to have Ph.Ds

She is not a TA but a relatively new faculty member. Is it bad if the writer has only been teaching for a short time?

 

[allantois]

I don't think any schools require science letter writers to have Ph.Ds

She is not a TA but a relatively new faculty member. Is it bad if the writer has only been teaching for a short time?

That's where I read about it. It's of course impossible to get all perfect LORs so if you think this professor can write you a good letter and you don't have another science faculty with more experience, or perhaps do have another faculty but who doesn't know you as well as she does, then you just gotta go with what's available.

Edit: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/letters-of-recommendation.985472/

 

[Essee]

I don't think any schools require science letter writers to have Ph.Ds

She is not a TA but a relatively new faculty member. Is it bad if the writer has only been teaching for a short time?

As long as she taught you in a course and says so, it should be fine.

Highly doubt the medical schools will investigate how long she has been teaching. The only issue I can see is if she's inexperienced in writing medical school LOR's, in which case you can provide materials to help her (I think AAMC made an LOR brochure for writers).