The information in this post is the biggest “I wish I’d known this…” of this entire blog series.
I’m a bit reticent to follow up Part 1 with this post because I don’t want to overly focus on post-graduate job opportunities. Part 9 will also focus on post-graduate opportunities and my goal in Part 1 was to encourage you to think beyond mere employment. However, I will post this now. I want to get it out in the open as quickly as possible. It’s something that I was not aware of that I wish I was.
A doctorate in Mathematics Education is not a doctorate in Mathematics
I suspect most people interested in a Math Ed PhD are aware of that fact. I sort of was and sort of wasn’t; at least, not entirely. For most jobs that Math Ed PhDs are interested in, that’s just fine. If you want to be a professor of mathematics education, or a researcher, or an instructional coach, or even as a teacher that wants to slide up the salary scale, a Mathematics Education PhD is a wonderful credential.
However….
As I was completing my degree and starting to seek out faculty jobs at nearby Universities, I came across a speed bump that seriously endangered potential employment pathways.
The following is an example of a common set of educational requirements for faculty positions.
| Required Education: Master’s Degree or Higher in Mathematics OR Master’s degree in a related field (such as Mathematics Education) with at least 18 graduate credit hours in Mathematics |
A quick aside: I took a circuitous route from teaching high school math to a Mathematics Education PhD. I stepped away from Education for three years to earn a Master’s degree in the field of Atmospheric Science. I wanted to broaden my horizons and I’d always had an interest in Weather and Climate. I was actually about to start a PhD program in Atmospheric Science when the opportunity to return to education landed in my lap.
Now, while the field of Atmospheric Science uses extremely high level mathematics, including differential equations, advanced calculus, programming, and sophisticated statistical techniques, it isn’t technically Mathematics. At least, not according to many recruiters and HR departments.
Let’s look at those job requirements again
| Required Education: Master’s Degree or Higher in Mathematics OR Master’s degree in a related field (such as Mathematics Education) with at least 18 graduate credit hours in Mathematics |
I don’t have a Master’s degree in Mathematics. I also don’t have 18 credits of graduate level Mathematics technically. Thermodynamics? Check. Statistical Analysis of the Atmosphere? Check. But I don’t have a Master’s degree (let alone a PhD) in Math, nor the correctly coded 18 hours of graduate level mathematics coursework. Unless the HR team is carefully cross referencing the content of the syllabi in my master’s coursework, my resume doesn’t make it past the first filter of applications for many positions in Math departments. And Math departments is often where Math Methods courses are held.
I’ve written a book, achieved several publications, have experience teaching at the high school, University, and Community College Level. I’ve taught remotely and in-person. I’ve taught math pedagogy and math content courses. I have been a research assistant, teaching assistant, and general graduate assistant. I have had a wealth of experience training and delivering PD to teachers. And I am not qualified.
I am aware of a University that is using my book, Necessary Conditions, as part of their methods courses. I applied to said University and never even got an interview. Through back channels I learned that it was because of my lack of math content coursework. In other words, I am not qualified to teach Math Methods at institutions that are currently using my book in Math Methods.
I could have (and would have) taken graduate level mathematics courses at UW if I’d known about this potential roadblock. I could have filled the gap between my current number of graduate level mathematics credits and that magical number of 18 credits. I had plenty of extra tuition-free hours thanks to my assistantships. I could have spent those on math courses, had I been aware. Now you are aware.
I can’t say whether or not I’d get any of the faculty positions if I had those magical 18 credits. But for positions such as these, I cannot and will not even be considered unless someone (either an intrepid HR person or a Dean or someone else on the hiring committee) is willing to eschew those requirements or accept Master’s level coursework in Atmospheric Science as “math-y” enough. Results may vary.
A friend recently reminded me that Faculty job postings are intended to rigidly weed out as many applicants as possible. When you’re overwhelmed with 150 applications, you need some hard lines, if only to reduce the number of candidates to something more manageable. And 18 credits of graduate level coursework for some institutions is that line.
Consider this a warning if you’re interested in getting a PhD in Mathematics Education and you have a Master’s degree in something other than Mathematics (say, Atmospheric Science or Educational Leadership or Special Education or Photography). Most PhD programs do require mathematics content courses as well as electives upon admission. University of Wyoming was gracious enough to take my Master’s Atmospheric Science credits as “math-y” enough. However, just because the PhD program accepts it, other institutions may not. So, if you’re interested in teaching Math or even Math Methods at an institution of higher learning, you may want to utilize some of those required hours for 5000-level Math content coursework.
A word about EdD
I won’t pontificate too much on what a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) is and is not, but do know that this is an option for some. It’s a slightly lighter lift than a PhD. Rather than a dissertation you may have to write something more in line with a Masters’ thesis or similarly hefty research project. It’s more geared towards education leadership rather than research.
Without having done exhaustive research, an EdD isn’t going to be sufficient for most University-level faculty positions, if that’s a potential goal. It is probably sufficient for a pay bump at a K12 institution or qualifications for instructional coaching.
Every institution is different in terms of their requirements for applicants. My experiences and institutions I sought out may have been outliers due to the competitive nature of living in the area in which I live. As with everything in this blog series – these are my experiences and may not necessarily reflect yours.
I recommend looking through a few PhD level mathematics education jobs – be they University faculty or otherwise – and get a sense of the actual degree and credit requirements. You don’t want to realize after you graduate with a terminal degree in mathematics education you may not be eligible for certain positions in mathematics education,
Takeaways:
- A math ed PhD is not the same as a mathematics PhD
- Many institutions of higher education require a mathematics PhD or 18 hours of graduate level coursework, even to teach their math methods courses
- With exceptions, 18+ graduate level mathematics content coursework is essential to get an interview
- You may also want to look into EdD programs, but be aware of what an EdD is and will do versus a PhD
All posts in this series:
Part 1: Why (not) to get your PhD in Mathematics Education
Part 2: Finding the right program
Part 3: What a Math Education Doctoral Degree is (and what it isn’t)
Part 4: Do you like to write? You better.
Part 5: Classes, Coursework, and You
Part 7: Let’s Talk About Your Dissertation: the thing that people just don’t want to do
Part 8: Your defense committee: Prelims, Quals, and the moving of mountains
Part 9: What comes next (for me and for you)?
Appendix A: Slow cooker meals
emergent math 