PhD / DSc in Computer Information Systems

Hi,

I have 2 classes left to obtain my ms in information systems management. I am currently looking to continue my education and am looking at a PhD or DSc in Information Systems. Two school that come to mind are DSU and Nova. Any other b&m schools that offer dl programs?

Thanks in advance,

Sebastian

 

Indiana State University (East Carolina University, Bowling Green Stae University): Ph.D in Technology Management
Northcentral University: Ph.D in Business Administration - Information System
Walden University: Ph.D. in Applied Management & Decision Sciences - Information Systems
University of Phoenix: Doctor of Management in Information Systems and Technology

 

Hey! This looks like one of Ted's posts. Is tekman allowed to do that?

 

Did Ted post these schools in the forum? hmm,, I didn't know that... of course, I cannot jack his thread.

 

When someone asks for help in finding a school, Ted usually gives them a list of schools about a mile long. I was just poking fun of your post due the similarities in format.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I looked at the curriculum and requirements and so far only DSU and Nova spark my interests. I'm moving to Colorado Springs in July... maybe I'll find a good b&m school that offers a good program.

 

Most programs in IS or Computer Science with B&M presence require some residencies. Some that I found are:
NJIT (mostly distance but residencies are required)
University of Idaho (Computer Science) Limited residency (2 semesters)


DSU seems to be the best option available for a B&M University since it is mainly distance. Capella and Walden are worth considering given their good placing rates for graduates in academic settings and flexibility to be followed part time while holding a full time job. Argosy has also a DBA in IS and has B&M presence with few campuses.

British and Australian schools have plenty of options for external study but these are expensive and not meant to be followed part time while holding a full time job (too demanding and little guidance).

The challenge sometimes is not so much finding a school that has distance or external opportunities but that programs are designed for working professionals. Walden, Capella, Nova and Argosy are designed for working students and very doable. The problem is that because their "light" nature, they are not as accepted in the academic world as full time demanding programs from better B&M schools.

 

I'm not sure how soon you plan on starting, but DSU is currently only accepting applications for the fall 2009 semester for the DSc program. If you had planned on starting earlier, you may want to consider other options.

http://www.dsu.edu/gradoffice/grad-admission.htm

 

RFValve,

Very well said... completely agree with most of the statements, except for the Nova portion. I was under the impression that Nova was a well regarded institution, so I have no idea why it wouldn't be highly accepted. When I was working it in Tampa last year and parts of this year, it portrayed a very good image in the academia sector. Some of my colleagues even considered it over the very popular University of Southern Florida.

PhD2B,

Thanks for the information on DSU.

Regards,

Sebastian

 

I agree - Nova is well respected in the Tampa bay area.

 

RFValve lives in Canada and I believe that he is a Canadian. There is no doubt that Nova is quite respected in Florida. Nova might not be respected everywhere and by everyone especially those who believes that Nova is an Internet University (which it's not) but it's respected in South Florida where the school is located.

People post their opinions here. Their opinions are often based on what they believe they know and what they have heard. Apart from a few posters (John, Rich, Steve, and Brown), many who post here have not conducted any kind of research work on DL. I am sure that that RFValve has not even visited Florida or Nova Southeastern University. Whether it makes sense or not, an opinion or advice given in an Internet forum by an anonymous poster should be taken with a grain of salt.

What RFValve posted here is just an opinion which may or may not be an informed one. Although Nova degrees have limitations, it has nothing to do with "lightness" as speculated by RFValve. Again, that was just his perception. I wish to state that his perception is not a perfect representation of reality. The truth is that Nova is one of the pioneers of DL and as such it still suffers from DL stigma despite the fact that the university provides DL today to only about 30% of its student population. As a matter of fact, majority of Nova programs today are on-campus-only programs.

 

Colorado Technical University www.ctuonline.edu offers the Doctor of Computer Science degree.

Pace University www.pace.edu offers the Doctor of Professional Studies in Computing.

Columbia University www.columbia offers the PD (forgot whether this stands for Professional Degree or Professional Diploma) in Computer Science, which seems to amount to the equivalent of the coursework portion of the doctorate. Thereafter, presumably one might apply for advanced standing in the doctoral program and complete the dissertation at a distance.

 

Completion time required for DSU....

Hi,

I have a question regarding how long it takes to complete the DSU doctorate if one already has a Masters in IS/IT? In total I have about 70 graduate units in IT and Software Engineering which I used for two MS degrees.

Thanks,

Matt

Bachelor of Science, Information System Management (University of San Francisco)
Master of Science, Information Systems (University of San Francisco)
Master of Science, Information Technology - Software Engineering (University of Liverpool)

 

I have nothing but respect for Nova, they have plenty of faculty around so there is no doubt that they are a tested product. My opinion is that for full time tenure track positions, many hiring committees see part time DL programs as not being at the same level as full time PhD programs from B&M schools ( I know that Nova is a B&M). But this is not only for Nova but for every other school that offers part time DL programs.

I just stated that most PhD programs that are designed to prepare full tenure track candidates are full time programs that would require 4 to 5 years of residency. A program of this nature would be almost impossible to be followed by a candidate that works full time and has professional commitments even if offered as part time. So Walden, Nova, Capella and other DL schools are in the business of offering education for working adults that want to pursue doctoral education, their programs are designed for professionals and not so much for academics. Many graduates from Walden, Nova and Capella work as academics without doubt but the academic market is tough on us when it comes to compete with candidates from full time B&M institutions. In my case, I have compensated this with professional certifications and working experience but there is bias against part time DL programs without doubt.

 

Given you would enter the program with an MS in IS:

Taking 10 courses total at 2 courses per semester: 1 2/3 years

Dissertation: 2-3 years (more or less)

Total time to completion: 3 2/3 to 4 2/3 years

 

Wow, that seems like a long time for the dissertation. For my Liverpool thesis I spent about 800 hours over a period of 9 months (pretty much along what the university had put as the time requirement for the dissertation). If I were to extrapolate that to 3 year (36 months) that would take me up to 3200 hours --> is that about right? To be honest the 800 hours over the 9 months period was pretty brutal while working full time plus family. I doubt I could keep that up over 3 years.

 

I don't know exactly how long it takes to complete a dissertation in terms of hours, but, I agree, 800 hours over 9 months would be brutal while working full time plus family. Stretching that time over 2 to 3 years may not have been as bad.

I just used that amount of time as an average. Could you finish it in less than 2 years? Of course. Will some people take longer than 3 years? Yes. IMO, the time duration really depends on the motivation of the person completing the dissertation and the support provided by the person's dissertation advisor.