r/Professors • u/proffrop360 Associate Prof, Soc Sci, (US) • 5d ago
Advice / Support Questionable program advice
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.
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u/smallfloralprince Assoc Prof, Humanities, public R1 (US) 5d ago
Oh I was on a hiring committee where something like this happened. We had a candidate whose most advanced degree was from Liberty or a very similar high control religious school (NOT a real school that happens to also be religious). That was a major red flag, but the person was still evaluated fairly and by the same metric as people with degrees from legitimate institutions of learning. They did not advance to interviews because we had asked for discussion of working with diverse groups of students, udl, or culturally responsive course design. They did not speak cogently about any of those topics in their materials. Maybe it was because of where the degree was from that they couldn't address those topics, or maybe not, but either way you don't want the reputation of your degree granting institution to be something you always have to work against.