Community college teachers, for the most part, do not possess certificates qualifying them to teach. Nor do university professors, for that matter. Basically they must have enough approved credits in their discipline and, in the case of the baccalaureate curriculum, at least a master's degree, as required by regional accreditation authorities.
This may be changing, as graduate schools around the country offer courses leading to a certificate to become a two-year college teacher. It's hard to say whether the trend will catch on, but many educational reformers believe, as community colleges struggle to improve their graduation and completion rates, that extra training in teaching methods is a good idea.
Many instructors will think this looks suspiciously like public school certification, of course, which necessitates a plethora of education courses, even with the new "alternative" certification programs. Community college teachers who began their career in the public schools (and there are many of them) often comment that a chief—and welcome—difference between the two is that, at the college and university level, the focus is on the content of the discipline rather than methodology or pedagogical theory.
University students often complain that their professors may be experts in their field, but lack the ability to get information and concepts across in a classroom setting. At the risk of undue partiality, one hears fewer such criticisms of community college faculty members. One could argue as well that, if graduate schools require, say, one course in methodology to be certified, it's one less course in the discipline, unless it is added to a graduate program that is crowded already. Charges of "dumbing down" would likely result.
On the other hand, many instructors fresh out of graduate school are, shall we say, unprepared for the task when they walk into class at an open admission institution. Which is probably why two-year schools place extra emphasis on experience, in addition to academic training, when hiring faculty.
Here's an interesting article in Inside Higher Ed., by David Moltz, on the certification movement.
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