University of Southern California - Ed.D Organizational Change and Leadership

Does anybody have any knowledge of or experience with the University of Southern California's online Ed.D in Organizational Change and Leadership?

https://rossieronline.usc.edu/academics/edd/

 

Obviously it's got a brand name, but unless your employer is footing the bill, the cost is fierce.

 

Not I, said the fly.

 

Yea, it would cost about $77k for the 43 credit option. But between my remaining GI Bill and employer funded portion I'm not worried about that. My total investment would maybe be about $5k.

The program is one of those administered by 2U, if you're familiar with the organization. They're the same group that partners with University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill on their distance MBA, among many other brand name schools.

 

I did a quick search and didn't find any, what else is out there for "43" credits beyond the masters for similar programs? Most of what I have found ranges from 54 to 60.

 

I have no experience with USC's program, but have you looked at Vandy's Ed.D in Leadership and Learning in Organization focusing:

• Leadership
• Organizational Development
• Learning and Design
• Data and Analytics

There is no dissertation, but only capstone project with 3 weekends in Nashville. I looked at the curriculums and classes seems to be very good.

URL: https://peabodyonline.vanderbilt.edu/programs/edd-in-organizational-learning/


Top Ed.D Ranking: https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-education-schools/edu-rankings?int=a3a109

 

Thanks Tekman. Somehow I missed the Vanderbilt program initially and have circled back around to it. I called one of their recruiters (they're also a 2U program) and spoke with them. It's a brand new program (they haven't graduated a class yet), but otherwise seems very solid. At this point they're probably my front runner with USC just behind.

 

You're right that they're absolutely ridiculously expensive.

However, with my combined remaining GI Bill benefits and employer education benefits my total out of pocket should be around $5k.

 

I don't think you could go wrong with either Vanderbilt or USC. We sometimes get into conversation about these expensive programs and the question of "Who can afford this?" always comes up. I know that I couldn't afford such a program but it's clear that a lot of people can because the program is up and running, etc. Your situation is a good example of how that might go. Let us know what happens. Best of luck.

 

Does the distinction between an Ed.D a Ph.D or some other flavor really matter?

Generally speaking, I think the Ph.D carries more weight to the average person that doesn't know much about exactly what you studied. But those programs are generally more focused on research and often targeted at people that truly want to work in academia.

I have no intentions of that whatsoever. I intend to dabble with some adjuncting, and maybe make it a more full-time gig once my career ends as a kind of part-time job. But I love the work I do and I have no intention of leaving industry for academia.

So, based on that. Does the distinction of an Ed.D vs. a Ph.D matter? Based on the targets of the mentioned programs (all Ed.D's) I think they meet my needs nicely.

Thoughts?