How much would you pay to get taught by a teacher with a Master's?

[abridged]

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So, I'm in a class right now, being taught by some guy with a Master's degree. It's a math class. He's a terrible teaching. And the tuition for this class isn't exactly cheap. And he is the only person teaching this class this semester. The total tuition for this class is about $3,000.

I've had bad teachers before...but this is the first time I have a lecturer with only a Master's degree. Obviously there are terrible teachers with PHD's and great teachers with Master's...but I just feel...robbed

 

[VneZonyDostupa]

So, I'm in a class right now, being taught by some guy with a Master's degree. It's a math class. He's a terrible teaching. And the tuition for this class isn't exactly cheap. And he is the only person teaching this class this semester. The total tuition for this class is about $3,000.

I've had bad teachers before...but this is the first time I have a lecturer with only a Master's degree. Obviously there are terrible teachers with PHD's and great teachers with Master's...but I just feel...robbed

I would probably feel worse if I was the person with the masters who was being told by someone with a high school diploma that I wasn't qualified to teach the course.

 

[bamtuba]

So, I'm in a class right now, being taught by some guy with a Master's degree. It's a math class. He's a terrible teaching. And the tuition for this class isn't exactly cheap. And he is the only person teaching this class this semester. The total tuition for this class is about $3,000.

I've had bad teachers before...but this is the first time I have a lecturer with only a Master's degree. Obviously there are terrible teachers with PHD's and great teachers with Master's...but I just feel...robbed

If you don't feel that you learning what you should be learning, then drop the class and retake it with someone who you feel can help you better learn the material.

Having been a teacher and a student (at the same time), I can only offer the advice that you should do what you can with what you have been given, or move on and find a professor who will better match your learning style.

I had this same issue with General Chemistry II. The prof. was very "math oriented" in his thinking and not very conceptual in his teaching. Most people loved him. I could not follow a thing the man said. I dropped the class (before the withdrawal deadline) and retook it during the summer with a prof. to whom I could relate. I got an A as a result (however, there was a little work put in on my part as well).

Good luck!

 

[bamtuba]

I would probably feel worse if I was the person with the masters who was being told by someone with a high school diploma that I wasn't qualified to teach the course.

Just like how little kids have a knack for bluntly sayin' it like it is (and usually being correct) I guess.

From the mouths of babes...

 

[nick_carraway]

I would probably feel worse if I was the person with the masters who was being told by someone with a high school diploma that I wasn't qualified to teach the course.

I had the same reaction, but let's be honest; some people shouldn't be teachers.

 

[rZyme]

I had the same reaction, but let's be honest; some people shouldn't be teachers.

This is true... but the quality of a teacher/professor does not depend on the degree.

For what it's worth, my Calc II prof had a masters and was one of the best professors I've ever had.

 

[Lukkie]

id pay $2856.31

 

[Sharka]

well, you don't exactly need a PhD (or even a masters) to effectively teach courses like precalc/calc, but i guess it might make students feel better about their education.

 

[nick_carraway]

This is true... but the quality of a teacher/professor does not depend on the degree.

For what it's worth, my Calc II prof had a masters and was one of the best professors I've ever had.

Agreed! Two freshly-minted Stanford PhDs who couldn't lecture or write quizzes at all taught dev bio. I decided to cut my losses after I asked why something happens during office hours and one of them turned to me and said "why is a stupid question."

 

[circulus vitios]

No one needs a PhD in third order partial derivations of polystochastic analytical methods to teach undergraduate math courses.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Yeah, getting a grad student as a teacher for a low-level course is pretty common. It's not ideal, but it's just part of college. Don't worry about it.

 

[mvenus929]

Let's see... my organic chemistry I lab (both the lecture and the lab section itself) were taught by men with master's degrees, as was my microbiology lab (except she was a woman). My general chemistry lab and organic II lab (lab section only) were taught by upper division chemistry students. My History of the Holocaust class was taught by someone with a Master's in History (though I think he had an advanced degree in medicine... I think he was a PA or something). Pretty sure at least one of my geography classes was taught by someone with a Master's.

So... I paid quite a bit to be taught by people with Master's degrees.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

I was taught pre-calc and gen chem by teachers who had only earned their masters. Precalc was awesome, Chem teacher blew balls.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

Let's see... my organic chemistry I lab (both the lecture and the lab section itself) were taught by men with master's degrees, as was my microbiology lab (except she was a woman). My general chemistry lab and organic II lab (lab section only) were taught by upper division chemistry students. My History of the Holocaust class was taught by someone with a Master's in History (though I think he had an advanced degree in medicine... I think he was a PA or something). Pretty sure at least one of my geography classes was taught by someone with a Master's.

So... I paid quite a bit to be taught by people with Master's degrees.

Science labs, and any classes in the liberal arts or humanities, can be taught by a monkey. So those don't count.

 

[rZyme]

Agreed! Two freshly-minted Stanford PhDs who couldn't lecture or write quizzes at all taught dev bio. I decided to cut my losses after I asked why something happens during office hours and one of them turned to me and said "why is a stupid question."

Hah that reminds me of a story from my linear algebra class...

Some girl in the front of the class asked the prof a question (I forget what was asked) and he looked at her a little confused for a few seconds. He responded by saying "Class, remember the first day when I said there's no such thing as a stupid question? Well I was wrong." He then went over to the girl and gave her a dollar since she proved him wrong- this professor was known for throwing spare change at people for asking "good" questions.

 

[mvenus929]

Science labs, and any classes in the liberal arts or humanities, can be taught by a monkey. So those don't count.

Science labs I can agree with. Not so much about the liberal arts or humanities. It's dependent on subject. I hardly think someone with a high school diploma would give a class like History of Ancient Rome justice.

There are lecturers at my school who teach the lower level chemistry and biology classes and only have a masters. I just got lucky to have the head of the chem department teach my gen chem class, and didn't do many lower division courses in the biology department, so I was never subjected to those instructors.

 

[abridged]

The person is not a grad student. They just have a master's, I'm not sure if they are going to eventually start a PHD.

I'm just curious if there are patterns. Like if a certain tier of school only let PHD's teach. In my experience, this is the first time I have been taught by someone without a PHD (for a main lecture). Then for labs or sections, I have been taught by people currently working on their PHD.

I actually had a great science teacher in high school who had a PHD. And that class probably cost me $700 for the semester. This class has far fewer class hours per week and is costing me about $700 per unit. And the guy is a far worse teacher...not because he "only" has a master's, but it just seems random that they hired him, since he is certainly not impressive in person nor on paper.

There's a lot of background that is too detailed for me to waste your time with. But basically, I've been very frustrated by how the administration at my school is operating. I feel like the department is collecting a lot of tuition and finding a lot of bizarre ways to get revenue and avoid responsibilities to the students and to university/community in general. They are not being so transparent about where the money is going. So yeah, I obviously am not asking the question in my title literally...but im just trying to assess if it's fair to assume the money is going toward profit if not into the class/staff hired to teach it.

 

[ThaliaNox]

At least they have a Master's. A pre-calc class could be taught by a first year graduate student who might someday earn his Master's... if he doesn't drop out of the program first.

 

[Appless]

I currently pay 20K a year for this...😛. Seriously all major universities will have this. I always have a grad student doing a large amount of the work or teaching...you dont need a phd to teach some intro calc class or something. hell the best gchem teacher I had was this girl who had her bachelors in biochem...and thats all, this girl was one of the best teachers i had period. Shes was ****ing ridiculously hot too....but serious that wasnt the only reason she was good lol. Teaching is a skill some people are good and some suck, having a phd doesnt have much to do with it.

 

[Bacchus]

Graduate students teach some of your classes? 😕

 

[airca12]

When I was in graduate school, we had a visiting lecturer who only had his Bachelor's. It was for a class that they had trouble finding someone to teach. And this particular guy, with his B.S. degree only, had like 15+ years experience in the field. So they hired him and he taught us. He wasn't bad, but he wasn't too good either.

 

[IceMan0824]

Well, at most schools, intro level courses could be taught by people with Masters. During summer periods, grad students (no matter what year in the cycle) regularly teach the courses to gain teaching experience.

Personally, I don't really care what degree the professor holds if they clearly have the intellect and the know-how to be standing in front of the class.

 

[IceMan0824]

Ignore this... Double post.

 

[STXGregor]

I had a man with only a B.S. in math teach me phys 2. Of course he was working on his phd whrn he left to run a successful software company in Austin in the 70's. Best teacher i've had.