As the hiring crisis in academic computer science worsens, many people ask whether faculty whose primary job is teaching need doctorates. In the past, the answer would have been "yes;" now people increasingly suggest that it could be "no." I have argued in my own department for hiring only faculty with doctorates, because, while the doctorate does not directly train people to teach, it does seem to correlate with many characteristics of a good educator. This paper explores the thinking underlying my view, in hopes that it may help others clarify the needs and reasoning behind their own faculty searches.
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