Have you contemplated becoming a faculty member in higher education? Have you considered applying for a higher education position but are unsure of the required qualifications? Have you applied for open faculty positions only to receive no response or call? These are common topics I discuss with many former military peers. I am often asked, "How did you get your teaching job at the university?" Answering honestly, I respond, "I just applied, got a call, interviewed, and was hired." Frankly speaking, I often asked myself that same question, but what truly qualifies one for these positions is more than the candid run-of-the-mill short answer. In fact, I did not realize until I was part of a screening and hiring committee for a faculty position with my university that degree accreditation is one of the very first considerations and potential eliminators in many applicants' packages. What does this mean? Well, put simply, this is the measure by which university programs and degrees are measured, in this case, when considering potential faculty job qualifications.

There are various military positions that align with academic teaching, such as basic military training, professional military education, and leadership school instructor professions. Additionally, many of the professionals in these career fields and specialties have associate degrees in military science instruction. These skills and certifications are valuable when coupled with graduate degrees, especially when considering entering academia in potential faculty teaching positions. Veterans with or without these skills, abilities, and educational degrees are best served when information is readily available and accessible when making decisions about potential desired pursuits in higher education. Sharing resources and knowledge of how veterans can best leverage educational achievements through proper selection of their own educational programs and degrees is the first step.

The marketplace of college institutions can be a complicated minefield to navigate, especially for veterans. Further, if military education offices fail to provide clear information on how accreditation can possibly impact future job potential, then veterans seeking faculty or teaching positions in higher education are potentially at a disadvantage. My personal experience with the military education office consisted of me walking in and selecting the school that happened to have a representative in the office at that specific time of the day, likely my lunch break. Years later, when I began searching for a graduate school, I took time to diligently research the difference in accreditations, what it meant for a university to be regionally or nationally accredited, and what job prospects looked like after graduation.

There are several web pages and sites focused on accreditation, the differences between them, and the meanings of each type. One example can be found on the US Department of Education's website, which identifies the goal of accreditation as ensuring higher education institutions meet acceptable levels of quality by utilizing private educational associations of regional and national scopes as accrediting agencies. These accrediting agencies develop evaluation criteria, conduct peer evaluations to assess whether those criteria are met, and are assigned an "accredited" designation by the specific agency. An additional tool the website offers is for individuals wishing to check their school's accreditation. Users can simply enter the name of the school they are attending, or considering attending, and check the accreditation, whether regional or national. While national agencies accredit schools across the entire country, regional agencies serve geographic areas of the United States. The six regional accrediting agencies in the U.S. are listed here.

So, now you may be wondering whether you should select a nationally or regionally accredited college to potentially secure a future faculty position at a university. This consideration should be at the top of your list when selecting schools and programs for future job possibilities in higher education. A military times poll conducted in 2018 found that the most important factor in veterans' selections of schools was, in fact, good academics such as accreditation. Additionally, a veterans affairs report from 2016 lists the benefits and specifics of regional and national accreditations, noting that some professions may require a regionally accredited degree over a nationally accredited degree. More recently, this 2021 article highlights quality standards and program rigor as a significant advantage for regional versus national accreditation. Job prospects can differ for people based on whether they attend nationally or regionally accredited institutions. When choosing an institution, it is important to consider employers' preferences in your industry to ensure that you meet the minimum requirements to get hired.

With all of this information, how do you determine what type of accreditation may be required to hold a teaching position at any given university? A starting point would be the university's website. Research the university, determine their accreditation, then determine whether the school you are attending has matching accreditation or similar. These tasks can be accomplished by searching the institutions or by simply viewing the welcome/homepage of most universities, selecting the "about" link, then finding their "accreditation" link. Second, surf and search job posting boards such as HigherEdJobs, a helpful site that I used to find my current teaching position.

In the job postings, you may be able to find job requirements or be directed to the individual university's human resources/jobs page where more information can be found. With that said, be mindful that not all job postings are created equal. Some will have general minimum education requirements, while some will clearly indicate that a terminal degree from a regionally accredited institution is required. Others may only state the degree required or only state that "proper" accreditation is required without specifics. It is critical that seekers of faculty positions in higher education arm themselves with all pertinent information as far in advance as possible.

If you know that you want to teach in higher education, you must remember two things: It IS possible and you CAN achieve it. Understanding these two critical points, use the tools provided in this article to take the wheel and map out your path to a future in higher education.

Article Topics

Job Search Advice Serving Military in HigherEd Women Veterans Working as a Veteran in HigherEd

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