system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Best PhD for teaching higher education STEM courses?

Hi everyone,

I work in academia as an hourly instructor/teaching assistant in the USA. My bachelor's degree was in molecular and cellular biology but I currently teach general chemistry courses because that's where my work experience lies. I've been teaching for about two years but I would like to move on to grad school soon and I need to pick a major.

Although research is alright, I love teaching and I'm willing to settle for a lower salary than the typical professor in exchange for the opportunity to teach full-time at a higher education institute, without being required to do research. I'm wondering what would be the best PhD (or master's, I suppose) to go for with that goal in mind.

I'm currently considering getting my PhD in either Science Education or Higher Education Teaching. Alternatively, I could get a master's in STEM education, or I could bite the bullet research-wise and simply get a PhD in molecular biology or a related science field. Is one of these options better than the other, assuming I would preferably like to end up as a teaching professor? Is a teaching professor position at a university likely, or do I need to set my sights lower (perhaps a teaching position at a community college, for example)?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and I appreciate any advice you can provide!

Edit: Thank you everyone for the input! Some very good points were made and I'm grateful for the advice. The general consensus among responses seems to be that a PhD or master's in a specific science field is the best option. I will look into that more, thank you!
gpt
You'd be more competitive with the PhD in molecular biology (or whatever specialized field) and taking as many TAships, instructing classes, and doing teaching trainings offered by your grad institution as possible. You'll want to demonstrate high investment in teaching on your CV, but you'd be more competitive at most institutions (especially R1) with a subject-specific PhD than a Science Ed one.