Professor vs instructor

[eyesfeeltired]

just emailed my English professor for a lor turns out he is only an "instructor". Not sure how the adcoms will differentiate this. Should I still ask him for a letter?

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[Doctoblast]

Does he have a PhD?

 

[mathnerd88]

As long as he holds a PhD, that is good enough. Nobody cares whether he is an instructor, associate/assistant professor, or professor.

 

[eyesfeeltired]

As long as he holds a PhD, that is good enough. Nobody cares whether he is an instructor, associate/assistant professor, or professor.

i dont he does.

 

[AlteredScale]

i dont he does.

If he doesn't hold a PhD then I would look for alternatives.

 

[FutureDrB]

As long as he holds a PhD, that is good enough. Nobody cares whether he is an instructor, associate/assistant professor, or professor.

i dont he does.

Yep, I agree he should have a Ph.D. for a recommendation. One of my summer BIO classes right now is being taught by an instructor with an M.S. -- he insists on being called professor. I don't think so buddy.

 

[ClassicJandT]

Yep, I agree he should have a Ph.D. for a recommendation. One of my summer BIO classes right now is being taught by an instructor with an M.S. -- he insists on being called professor. I don't think so buddy.

I'm curious, so what do you propose calling them instead? Professor is commonly used as an honorific for a person teaching a college course. Doesn't matter if they have a PhD or never graduated high school. They are the instructor for the course. It's not like they are asking you to call them doctor.

I've taken many nonscience courses with instructors who only had an MS. Actually, in some of my art and photography classes the instructor has had a BFA only. We still called them professor.

To the OP, you should ask the individual school that is requiring the nonscience major LOR whether it is okay. I've used an English instructor with an MS only as a LOR to meet a nonscience requirement and I've been marked complete in the past. There are a good amount of nontrads who have taken our English classes at community colleges or in continuing education programs where English instructors are mostly writers by trade who usually have MS only.

 

[mathnerd88]

I'm curious, so what do you propose calling them instead? Professor is commonly used as an honorific for a person teaching a college course. Doesn't matter if they have a PhD or never graduated high school. They are the instructor for the course. It's not like they are asking you to call them doctor.

I've taken many nonscience courses with instructors who only had an MS. Actually, in some of my art and photography classes the instructor has had a BFA only. We still called them professor.

To the OP, you should ask the individual school that is requiring the nonscience major LOR whether it is okay. I've used an English instructor with an MS only as a LOR to meet a nonscience requirement and I've been marked complete in the past. There are a good amount of nontrads who have taken our English classes at community colleges or in continuing education programs where English instructors are mostly writers by trade who usually have MS only.

They're still professors, but they hold less weight when it comes to medical schools. At least in the sciences.

In my school, all my science classes had professors who had Ph.D's...My English professor also had Ph.D's.

I'm not sure how schools weigh nonscience non-Ph.D's. I don't think they care that much.

 

[FutureDrB]

They're still professors, but they hold less weight when it comes to medical schools. At least in the sciences.

In my school, all my science classes had professors who had Ph.D's...My English professor also had Ph.D's.

I'm not sure how schools weigh nonscience non-Ph.D's. I don't think they care that much.

Maybe this is a state-by-state thing, or even a school-by-school thing. At every institution I've attended (and taught at), you can't use the title of "Professor" unless you have a Ph.D. or Ed.D. And most of those aren't even full-fledged professors, they have to put "Associate Professor."

If you have a Master's, you can use the title of "Instructor" if you are employed full-time. If employed part-time, you have to use "Adjunct Instructor" or "Lecturer."

Again, I'm sure it's different in different areas.

I don't think it's really regulated that much to be honest. Most of my students called me Professor, even though I just have a Master's. However, I always corrected them. Mostly because the word "Professor" made me feel old.

 

[Cogitate]

I was thinking of asking an instructor with a MS. I think she could write a great letter though (she really liked me haha). How bad would it be that she doesn't have a PhD?

 

[ZezKaiEll]

Maybe this is a state-by-state thing, or even a school-by-school thing. At every institution I've attended (and taught at), you can't use the title of "Professor" unless you have a Ph.D. or Ed.D. And most of those aren't even full-fledged professors, they have to put "Associate Professor."

If you have a Master's, you can use the title of "Instructor" if you are employed full-time. If employed part-time, you have to use "Adjunct Instructor" or "Lecturer."

Again, I'm sure it's different in different areas.

I don't think it's really regulated that much to be honest.

This sums up my understanding as well. I agree that these terms aren't used very strictly, and I imagine some individual schools do their own thing. The only relevant example I saw was a professor who had a PhD in his field and was an assistant professor within that department. He also taught courses in a different field in which he had a masters. He used the title "instructor" on his CV for that department.

As for the OP's question, I honestly don't know. Perhaps individual school websites or calling the admissions offices would be best.

 

[0dee]

A strong lor from MS holder > average lor from PhD holder imo. But different schools view this issue differently.

 

[AlteredScale]

A strong lor from MS holder > average lor from PhD holder imo. But different schools view this issue differently.

Agreed

 

[SPQR MD]

i dont he does.

If it is appropriate in your situation, you could ask to have your instructor co-sign the letter with a PhD who has taught you. I did this for my non-science letter; I knew that in a class of >100 people my literature TA knew me much better than my professor so I got her to write it and co-sign. However, it sounds like your instructor is the only one teaching you so this might not be ideal for your situation.