Does it matter if a lecturer has a PhD

Hi, I'm researching an article which is concerned with the validity of the PhD in the modern university. On many courses now students may be lectured by a lecturer who has 'industry experience', but doesn't have a PhD. This seems to happen particularly in media production, journalism and business courses. Do students tend to feel reassured if a lecturer has a PhD - do they seem to be better at teaching in a University environment? Has anyone found that the 'industry experience' has meant that they didn't really live up to expectations. Maybe a lecturer couldn't really help with essay writing or the more traditional elements of an undergraduate course?I'm interested in general thoughts on this in order to get a feel for the mood.All the bestS

Depends on the lecturer, some have PhDs others are working towards one. It depends on the uni honestly

Hi!

I find it helpful when there is a lecturer that has industry experience, as they usually provide more detail and help with career paths. There is usually another lecturer though that runs the module alongside someone who has a Ph.D., which is more helpful when it comes to essays and assignments. I personally feel the combination works best, especially if the industry experienced person is a guest speaker and has experience in taking university lectures, as they know relevant information that needs to be said for your module.

I hope this helps!
Chloe - Official Student Rep

Having a PhD and being able to teach are very different and unrelated things...

Yes. I chose my university because we have lecturers with PhDs.

Aha! So a marketing boon for the universities who put PhDs in primacy . Thanks for your feedback . Very helpful

Okay I thought students might feel like this. So you see the PhD as a kind of quality control. Thanks for that very useful. If you know anyone who could give a view it would be much appreciated

Tbf they've all published many papers. They didn't get their PhD and stop. Some have published books.

I guess in principle it shouldn't matter if they don't have a PhD as long as they can teach. In practice however they virtually all do have PhDs, at least in my subject. Every single one of my lecturers had doctorates and that must be true of the majority of lecturers across all fields.

Hi, I'm researching an article which is concerned with the validity of the PhD in the modern university. On many courses now students may be lectured by a lecturer who has 'industry experience', but doesn't have a PhD. This seems to happen particularly in media production, journalism and business courses. Do students tend to feel reassured if a lecturer has a PhD - do they seem to be better at teaching in a University environment? Has anyone found that the 'industry experience' has meant that they didn't really live up to expectations. Maybe a lecturer couldn't really help with essay writing or the more traditional elements of an undergraduate course?I'm interested in general thoughts on this in order to get a feel for the mood.All the bestS

Exactly. To get a PhD is quite a sacrifice and generally PhDs will carry on publishing and take very seriously the relationship between research and pedagogy.

I'll post the finished article here and I think you'll get my drift.

I guess in principle it shouldn't matter if they don't have a PhD as long as they can teach. In practice however they virtually all do have PhDs, at least in my subject. Every single one of my lecturers had doctorates and that must be true of the majority of lecturers across all fields.

I think in the academy it might be something we could consider a licence to practice . I agree that industry experts might be great academics but I'm getting the feeling that students feel that the PhD shows a committment to the idea of university education. I suspect we would agree that university lecturers should be trying to quickly qualify as PhDs.