DETC Pilot Project Doctoral Program Accreditation

Does anyone know if at this point any schools have been approved for DETC's pilot project for accrediting doctoral programs?

 

Juris Doctors from both Concord and Taft are already accredited by DETC...

 

NWCU's S.J.D. program would appear to qualify IF NWCU were accredited by DETC for two years.

The pilot project excludes academic research doctorates but the S.J.D. is usually looked upon as a dissertation based professional degree.

I find the idea intriguing. Why not, after all?

 

The two examples cited above are not really relevant as they relate to professional degrees, not academic ones. (Especially the J.D.; less so the S.J.D.)

DETC has not yet announced which schools have applied to participate. I believe they have another month or so to apply for the pilot.

My exchange of e-mails with Michael Lambert indicate that several schools have, indeed, applied. Expect an Ed.D. program and a doctorate in business, perhaps others.

Mr. Lambert cautioned against expecting a flood of schools applying for this. Running a doctoral program is unlike--really unlike--running a course-based correspondence program (like most master's and bachelor's programs under DETC are). Doctoral programs require substantial resources and planning, along with careful execution. Some schools interested in trying this will find they have to hire faculty to support it, develop systems to deliver it, and--first--get market data to determine the feasibility of it. No small feat.

 

Keep in mind that schools applying to offer doctoral programs are to have been accredited for at least 2 years by DETC. This will keep some schools, that might have otherwise been interested, from applying right away.

 

ok, and

If you take out non-US schools from the equation, then you have only a few universities with the kind of resources to make this work... hmmm
I wonder what kind of fee structure will these programs have especially since they are experimental in nature.

 

Supervising research by a D/L doctoral student would likely require a significant academic establishment, wouldn't it? I mean, even a dissertation for a professional doctorate needs to judged by active scholars in the field, right?

I note that the Aussie Universities' J.S.D. policies do not require oral defense.