Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle On-The-Road
    • Professional Development
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    College Advising
    Serving Higher Ed
    Chronicle Festival 2025
Sign In
The Two-Year Track

What Graduate Students Want to Know About Community Colleges, Part 2

By Rob Jenkins May 20, 2012
Careers Community College Illustration
Brian Taylor

Facing a cutthroat academic job market, many doctoral students are now willing to explore the possibility of a community-college career. And they have many questions.

In Part 1 of this series, I focused on the hiring process at two-year colleges and answered some common questions like “Do I have to have a Ph.D. to teach in that sector?” This month I’d like to answer other questions that graduate students ask me about what it’s like to actually work at one of our colleges.

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

Facing a cutthroat academic job market, many doctoral students are now willing to explore the possibility of a community-college career. And they have many questions.

In Part 1 of this series, I focused on the hiring process at two-year colleges and answered some common questions like “Do I have to have a Ph.D. to teach in that sector?” This month I’d like to answer other questions that graduate students ask me about what it’s like to actually work at one of our colleges.

“What’s the typical workload?” When two-year colleges describe themselves as teaching institutions, they’re not kidding. As a full-time faculty member at a community college, you can expect to teach five courses each semester. Summer teaching for additional pay is usually optional, and based on seniority and availability of classes. (I do know of some colleges that have 12-month contracts and require faculty members to teach year-round.)

In addition, you will also be expected to advise students, serve on committees, perform other acts of service for the college or your department, and keep regular office hours. Some community colleges require faculty members to be on campus 35 hours or more a week, while others stipulate that faculty have to be available to students for a certain number of hours each week outside of class time. (Ten hours, or two for each class, is common.)

Finally, you will be expected to participate in some sort of professional-development activities, which may be as simple as attending pedagogical seminars and technology workshops offered on the campus. There may also be some expectation that you will periodically attend or even present at regional or national conferences, although budget restrictions these days can make it very difficult for junior faculty members (or senior ones) to travel.

“What about my research?” As you can see from the brief job description above, research and writing are not part of a faculty member’s typical workday at a two-year college. If you have a research agenda that you would like to continue pursuing, you will probably need to do so on your own time.

That’s not to say your supervisors will discourage you from doing research and publishing. They just won’t encourage you very much—if by “encourage” you mean provide time, money, or other assistance. But if by “encourage” you mean offer kudos, pats on the back, and maybe a nice write-up in the campus newsletter, then, yes, you can expect some encouragement.

In other words, people will probably think it’s great that you’re doing research—so long as it doesn’t interfere with your teaching, advising, office hours, committee service, and workshop attendance.

“What does it take to get tenure?” The good news is that the vast majority of two-year colleges do not require faculty members to publish a single word in order to earn tenure. In fact, at many community colleges, tenure is simply a matter of longevity.

Of course, not all institutions offer tenure, sometimes known as a “continuing contract.” In fact, the very concept of tenure at two-year colleges is under attack in some states. But most community colleges do still offer tenure. In many state systems, earning tenure is simply a matter of doing your job in a satisfactory manner for a set period of time—generally, three to five years. So if you perform acceptably in teaching, service, and professional development for a set number of years, you will more or less automatically receive tenure.

ADVERTISEMENT

Let me caution that I am speaking only generally here. Tenure requirements, like everything else, can vary widely. At my college, for example, we have a standard teaching load of 5/4—five classes in the fall and four in the spring—rather than the 5/5 load common at other colleges. Also on my campus, faculty members are expected to do more professional development (although we’re still not required to publish) than at other colleges, and tenure is a little more difficult to get where I teach than at most two-year institutions.

“What do community colleges pay?” Starting salaries differ by state and institution, but most two-year colleges start faculty members at around $40,000 a year. Some tack on extra pay for a doctorate (perhaps as much as $5,000). Previous years of full-time, college-level teaching experience can also bump up the initial figure.

In terms of starting salaries, then, community colleges are actually fairly competitive with four-year institutions. The real difference in compensation comes later on, in midcareer and beyond. While it’s not uncommon for senior faculty members at research institutions to earn six figures, very few faculty members ever break that income barrier at two-year colleges, except perhaps in those parts of the country where a low six-figure salary barely qualifies as middle-class.

On the other hand, there are plenty of presidents and vice presidents at two-year colleges who make six figures. So if making a lot of money at a community college is a priority, you should think about eventually going into administration. Just remember that you’ll need a doctorate to advance.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Can I move up from a community college to a four-year institution?” If you actually want to get hired at a community college, you should be very careful about using terms like “move up.” I mean, what are we? A fifth-floor walk-up down by the railroad tracks?

That said, I understand what you’re asking. And the answer is “probably not.” I’ve spent 25 years working at five different community colleges, and I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have left and gone to four-year institutions. Only one of them, incidentally, was hired on the tenure track at a research university. The others ended up at small liberal-arts colleges (which of course are primarily focused on teaching).

I see many reasons why “moving up” rarely happens. One is that professors at four-year institutions, and especially at research universities, do look down on faculty members at two-year colleges. It’s very easy for search committees to pigeonhole candidates with community-college experience as not worthy of serious consideration. Another reason is that many four-year institutions—again, especially research universities—don’t place much value on teaching experience. From their standpoint, instead of taking a full-time job at a community college, you’d be better off adjuncting to pay the bills while you transform your dissertation into a world-class scholarly tome.

Probably the main reason more people don’t leave community colleges for “greener pastures,” though, is that we don’t actually regard those pastures as greener. A lot of folks start out at a community college thinking they might try to “move up” at some point, but then they find themselves liking the work, liking their students and colleagues, and liking the lifestyle. And so they end up staying. For 30 or 40 years.

ADVERTISEMENT

If you do take a community-college job (perhaps because you like to eat and want a roof over your head) and you are determined to move to a four-year college, then the most important thing you can do is to maintain your research agenda. You just have to find the discipline and drive to do it on your own time. Three years of teaching experience at a community college won’t necessarily make you more competitive when you go up for that research job, but a strong record of publication over those same three years, along with your teaching experience, probably will.

“What’s it like working at a community college?” I take that to be a lifestyle question, and all I can say is: I wouldn’t trade careers with anybody. I enjoy the work that I do, I like my students and colleagues, I believe that I’ve been able to make a difference in people’s lives, I’ve found it relatively easy to maintain an acceptable balance between work and life, and I’ve been able to make a decent living. What more can anyone ask from a career?

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
About the Author
Rob Jenkins
Rob Jenkins is an associate professor of English at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College who writes regularly for The Chronicle’s Advice pages. He is a senior fellow at the Academy for Advancing Leadership, a health and higher-education consulting firm, and a leadership coach.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Protesters attend a demonstration in support of Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, March 10, 2025, in New York.
First-Amendment Rights
Noncitizen Professors Testify About Chilling Effect of Others’ Detentions
Photo-based illustration of a rock preciously suspended by a rope over three beakers.
Broken Promise
U.S. Policy Made America’s Research Engine the Envy of the World. One President Could End That.
lab-costs-promo.jpg
Research Expenses
What Does It Cost to Run a Lab?
Research illustration Microscope
Dreams Deferred
How Trump’s Cuts to Science Funding Are Derailing Young Scholars’ Careers

From The Review

Vector illustration of a suited man with a pair of scissors for a tie and an American flag button on his lapel.
The Review | Opinion
A Damaging Endowment Tax Crosses the Finish Line
By Phillip Levine
University of Virginia President Jim Ryan keeps his emotions in check during a news conference, Monday, Nov. 14, 2022 in Charlottesville. Va. Authorities say three people have been killed and two others were wounded in a shooting at the University of Virginia and a student is in custody. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The Review | Opinion
Jim Ryan’s Resignation Is a Warning
By Robert Zaretsky
Photo-based illustration depicting a close-up image of a mouth of a young woman with the letter A over the lips and grades in the background
The Review | Opinion
When Students Want You to Change Their Grades
By James K. Beggan

Upcoming Events

07-31-Turbulent-Workday_assets v2_Plain.png
Keeping Your Institution Moving Forward in Turbulent Times
Ascendium_Housing_Plain.png
What It Really Takes to Serve Students’ Basic Needs: Housing
Lead With Insight
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin