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Preparing Future Faculty: The Cognate in College Teaching

 

The Ph.D. degree in economics from the University of New Hampshire is a research degree that imbues students with a deep understanding of economic theory, institutions, and empirical analysis. Most graduates of the program move into faculty positions at other institutions of higher learning where teaching is an important component of their responsibilities. Graduate programs in economics traditionally focus on developing sophisticated research skills, with little or no emphasis on the history of economic thought, methodology and institutions and no formal training in the teaching of economics at the college level. These traditional programs produce students who are well-trained in technique, but who often find it difficult to talk about real-world problems with undergraduates.

This state of affairs has led to a growing dissatisfaction among most colleges and universities, whose primary goal is to hire faculty who can generate interest in economics and build undergraduate majors. Few institutions have accepted the challenge of training first-rate economists and college teachers; the Department of Economics at UNH has.

In conjunction with the Teaching Excellence Program in the Graduate School, the Department has developed a track in its doctoral program that provides formal training in pedagogy for students whose career goals include teaching at the college level. This track, called the Cognate in College Teaching, is an option that Ph.D. students may select in addition to the requirements of the doctoral degree (discussed above). The Cognate is a 12-credit program and is awarded, upon satisfaction of all requirements, with the Ph.D. The Cognate can only be awarded in conjunction with the Ph.D., and none of the course requirements of the Cognate can substitute for those of the Ph.D.

To enter the program, a student must formally apply to the Graduate Dean after at least one year of full-time graduate studies in Economics. Admission to the Cognate will be decided by the Graduate Dean, based upon recommendations from the Director of Graduate Studies in Economics and the Teaching Excellence Program Director.

Requirements of the Cognate

   Course Work (12 credits)

  • GRAD 940      Foundations in College Teaching (2 credits)
  • GRAD 951      Teaching with Writing (2 credits)
  • Teaching of Economics (4-credits), ECON 898
  • College Teaching Praxis (4 credits), GRAD 990

   Teaching Portfolio

  • The student must submit an approved teaching portfolio. The teaching portfolio is a relatively short collection of materials selected to document, summarize, and highlight one's growth, experiences and strengths as a teacher. For those new to the academic job market, it can help set them apart from other candidates.

Upon completion of the foregoing requirements, the Cognate in College teaching is awarded and noted on the graduate transcript. For more information see http://www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence/resources/Programs.html.