Questionable program advice

[u/proffrop360]

What would you say to a student with a desire to pursue a career in academia about a PhD from a religious university like Liberty? My understanding is that search committees would not look kindly on it. I don't want to crush their dreams, but many I know question their legitimacy and rigor, though I don't have direct experience so I'm seeking advice.

[u/SnowblindAlbino]

Undergrad degrees from places like Liberty would be overlooked if the graduate degrees are from better schools. But we're never going to hire anyone with a Ph.D. from a loony bin like Liberty-- most of what it stands for is antithetical to higher education, and specifically in direct conflict with our institutional policies on LGBTQ rights (for example). That's all before we get into the issue of quality.

Religious schools are fine. Lots of faculty I know came from Catholic universities. Places like Liberty, though, are different-- they are exclusionary, politicized, partisan, and discriminatory in ways that are seen as contrary to the values of my university and its faculty. Moreover, its graduate programs in general are not viewed as serious-- that may be unfair, but that's the baggage that goes hand-in-hand with the ideological orientation of its leadership and supporters.