Is anybody aware of a DL American RA Doctorate in **ANY** humanities field? The search function only seems to bring up foreign universities (S. Africa, UK, Australia), unaccredited schools, and American DL universities that restrict doctorates to business, education, and so on. Thanks!
Vanadoo, I have beat that horse not only to death, but also into dust. There are only one or two options and they are very expensive. You can get close to the humanities field at Union Institute...so pricey its spooky. Walden has a phd program but not humanities, more like for those with a business background, however I spoke to an advisor one day and he said a dissertation topic that was grounded in history could be a workable solution....groan, though still a business major. Many of us that haunt this site are opting on the South African route, it is very affordable. However dont loose hope just yet, there is a vicious rumor floating around that a well known university here in the US might start a distant doctorate program in History very soon...like next year. I have seen some of the program information the college/university is setting up and it looks promising indeed! As to the price, I was told a figure by a very diligent friend who is shadowing this event closely and it is lot cheaper than Walden, Capella, UOP etc... a lot cheaper, put it to you like this, if you are serious about a doctorate, you wont mind paying the price! Dont ask me the name of the college/university! I wont tell! I was entrusted with this information and dont want the whole affair to blow up and not come to fruition. Just hang in there if you can wait or do like me & join the rest of us as we kick up a dust cloud like a herd of Wildebeest's towards the South African schools. Personally, I'm gonna run it right up to the edge like a river boat gambler and continue the South African process and hold out for results very soon on the Humanities option here in the U.S. all the best, Gavin
I have seen on various boards that the "rumor mill" has it that American Military University is the school - but that is a rumor... Shawn
UF has a PhD in Classical Civilization http://www.distancelearning.ufl.edu/program.aspx?p=25 and a PhD in Latin and Roman Studies http://www.distancelearning.ufl.edu/program.aspx?p=26 but they do require some residency. Locational - 30 hours of doctoral work in residence. Residency requirements can be satisfied through intensive, on-campus two-week summer institutes in Gainesville, FL.
This truly is a frustrating situation. (P.S. Thanks for the links Randell1234. I looked into the programs and they look fantastic. However, I don't read Latin--a minimum requirement--and the deadline to visit campus has long since passed for Fall 2007 admission. Perhaps I'll look into it next year if nothing else pans out)
Residencies (as with just about everything in graduate school) are negotiable. Don't be afraid of residencies; they're good for your learning. There are only two non-resident, RA doctoral programs in the U.S. This number has remained constant for several years now. Neither offer degrees in humanities. Consider an overseas school, but beware of hidden and/or elaborating requirements as you go. You might find yourself traveling overseas more than you thought. Consider negotiating with a school of your choice. Avoid Union for now. While I think they'll ultimately emerge financially sound, there is still a risk. They'll be fine academically, but the financials still worry me.
Thank you very much Rich ... and excellent point. I hadn't given serious consideration to a short residency and maybe that's why I can't locate anything. Are you aware of any RA humanities doctoral programs in the US that only require short stints on campus (besides the U of Florida)?
Well...With that stipulation You can try Capella, Walden, and NorthCentral. I believe these are all RA. I believe you can find programs that will "work" as humanities at each university.
I agree with most of what Gavin and Rich have said. There's not much out there and what is out there tends to be expensive. I was reading a thread recently about the idea that education was a valid long-term expense. It made some sense but I found myself asking, "What will a US PhD get you that a British PhD won't?" Vanadoo - I think you need to define more closely what you mean when you use a term like "inexpensive." Then you need to ask yourself if it would be better to have NO PhD or one from a non-US university. Beyond that I'd say that it would be more helpful if you'd list your subject area interests in the order of your preference. Good luck to us all.
Speaking of Northcentral, I found this quote on their website: Does the last sentence mean that I can propose a Humanities specialization for the Ed.D?
I'm sure you could... That makes sense if they offer courses that combine to a specialization in humanities. Though I agree that Kizmet may be right about specifying your humanities interests so as to eventually let you build a framework around the degree program you eventually choose. I think that what they are intending is that if you specialize in five or six different things they are willing to add each of these specializations to your diploma. I'd like to hear from someone who actually used this NCC technique to benefit? Maybe a PhD in Business with specializations in IT Management and Organizational Leadership? Anyway. Good luck finding the right program. NCU will be about $30K. I'm considering them myself for a PhD/DBA.
Frankly, I'd be surprised if this were the case. A PhD is, by definition, a specialized degree. The nature of that specialization tends to be based upon the topic of your dissertation. For example, a person might earn a PhD in History. That is what it will say on the diploma. The fact that it was a focused examination of US History, the Civl War, the Battle of Gettysburg and What Soldiers Ate For Breakfast will assuredly not appear on the diploma. It will appear, however, in the dissertation abstract. You can not reasonably expect that any "specializations" will appear on a diploma, even for an Interdisciplinay degree.
In the case of NCU, if a person chooses a specialization and completes the required credits for the specialization, the specialization does appear on the diploma. For instance, if you were to earn a PhD in Business Administration with a specialization in Management, the diploma will state PhD in Business Administration with a specialization in Management. NCU is flexible about allowing students to take the courses they want as long as they complete certain fundamental courses, but you can not decide to do a specialization that does not exist. You could choose to do a doctorate in business, education, or psychology and focus your dissertation on an area of interest to you as long as it has a tie in to business, education, or psychology respectively. I hope this helps. Probably as clear as mud.
