To all the NCU students and grads.... What is/was the workload like? I recently completed my MS from Nova and their workload is two classes every 6 weeks. I see NCU gives you 16 weeks per class but what is a realistic time frame for completion? Is it possible to complete 1 class every month or month and a half? Just curious to space out my course work for my job. We advance on our pay guide for MA+15 and MA+30. I was just curious what I could complete in a year. To those that have completed the Ph.D. from NCU(I havent seen many Ed.D. and that will be my program), how long did it take you start to finish? Thanks to those that responded about the Fin Aid question. Scott
NCU NCU's workload is typical of any other college. It varies by the course, syllabus, and professor. I think some people are finishing about 3 courses during a 16 week period. I have a tremendous workload right now in my profession so I am having a slow start, but that is the beauty of NCU. If I need 16 weeks for one course, I can take it! I am currently taking one course from Albany U and one from NCU. The one from Albany U is less time consuming and a bit easier. (The Albany U course meets a requirement in my NCU degree program and I get to take it for free as a job benefit so this saved me a little money). I hope to finish my Ph.D. in Education at NCU within three years of starting. The Education degrees were only added in very late 2004 (maybe December) so no one has graduated with an Ed.D. from there yet. I started in Jan. 2005.
As Sue indicated, a learner should be able to take advantage of the open semesters accelerate through or take their time. The semesters are 16 weeks and the course work is designed to carry through for that time period. A student can finish their coursework sooner if motivated. You are provided a syllabus in the beginning so you can plan your semester accordingly. I was able to power through many of the courses in 5-6 weeks. But it required a great deal of reading and writing. There was no time for a break and one has to be disciplined to do assignments just about every day. It was a challenge and a lot of fun. Every course was different but on the average plan for about 25 to 50 pages of reports, analysis, abstracts, journal article reviews, case studies, and more for the course work. Additionally most classes had final term paper 15 to 25 pages or more. Ph.D. learners may have to do a power point or an additional project as well.
Some have had some negative comments on NCU in the past regarding being able to "power through" courses so fast. However, in the Wyoming EMBA thread many pointed out that at Oxford and Cambridge one can power through an MBA in a year. So, I don't see any big deal with NCU's opportunity to do the same.
NCU was a good choice for me. I toke 16 weeks to finish the first class toward my PhD, 6 weeks for the second, and 8 weeks for the third. It just depends on the difficulty of the class and your available time. I like the flexibility of he program and c.novick’s comments on assignments are right on with what I have found so far.
I'm not familiar with this phrase. What does "bogart the class" mean? Don't sierra madre it?" Don't put your lips together and whistle? Thanks, Bing
