I am considering submitting as requested by the head of the Social Work Dept. a two page research proposal to see if it will be accepted to do a D.Phil program. My questions for the forum is there anyone currently working on a D.Phil Degree. How is the University rated as far as quality and its educational delivery. And lastly, do you perceive any problems using a degree from this University here in the U.S.
Some other folks on this forum will be able to offer better advice, but my general impression of the school to date has been very positive, to the point where if I were to do a ThM at a South African school, I would probably choose Zululand over UNISA and Potch. Cheers, ------------------ Tom Head www.tomhead.net co-author, Bears' Guide to the Best Education Degrees by Distance Learning (Ten Speed Press) co-author, Get Your IT Degree and Get Ahead (Osborne/McGraw-Hill)
The first thing I should disclose is that I am a D.Th student at the University of Zululand. So that may colour my answer somewhat. UNIZUL is one of the South African Public Universities. They have what appears to be a nice bricks and mortar campus as well as a branch campus which appears to have more to do with technology (eg computers) and they have some accredited theological institutions and cooperative agreements with some foreign institutions (IIRC). From my Yahoo searches it appears that many of the UNIZUL graduates mentioned are in the scientific field. My interaction with UNIZUL has been absolutely positive. Very quick to respond, courteous, and not xenophobic. The my faculty advisor has given me positive feedback in regards to research methodology and other suggestions. With a research doctorate it is very heavily dependent on you to produce. So far the whole experience has been extremely positive. As for how it may be perceived in the field I do not know. It is a legitimate & accredited Ph.D. There have been mixed reports and opinions about the success or potential success of foreign graduates in American academia. CLSeibel just posted an example of a Canadian who I assume did his UNISA doctorate through DL and was just given a principalship at a seminary. Asking about perception before hand may give you some idea but not always accurate. An example I have mentioned before is that of two Ph.D.'s who nearly became ill at the thought of DL Ph.D's from Regionally Accredited schools. So up front they probably would have said there is no way they would hire someone with a RA DL Ph.D. Now, if you came to them with a degree they might well accept it. They also might well feel better about a reputable bricks and mortar foreign degree (eg University of Wales) done through DL than a Ph.D. done from a US school that was all. virtual. I think we just do not know and it may be very individual. So, UNIZUL is GAAP, reputable, very affordable, and beyond that who knows. There are no guarentees in life (death and taxes excluded). There are plenty of Ph.D.'s from all kinds of institutions looking for work. Best of luck. North QUOTE]Originally posted by BlackWolf: I am considering submitting as requested by the head of the Social Work Dept. a two page research proposal to see if it will be accepted to do a D.Phil program. My questions for the forum is there anyone currently working on a D.Phil Degree. How is the University rated as far as quality and its educational delivery. And lastly, do you perceive any problems using a degree from this University here in the U.S. [/QUOTE]
This is the first, concrete evidence that I've heard that Unizul offers DL in faculties other than theology or multidisciplinary programs involving theology. Please keep us informed. Good luck.
hi just cheched the zululand site. they dont appear to offer doctorates. any recommendations for a better search. thanks . john
Blackwolf - I hve been considering a South African doctoral degree myself although I have been concentrating more on UNISA. Their beaurocracy seems to be a pain but otherwise they are more accustomed (I think) to the DL delivery system. I am also considering a Social Work program (although I'm also considering Sociology). I have some questions I would like to ask you about entering and navigating these South African schools, small issues that might be common to both of us. It is my hope that we might both benefit from some exchange of information as we move through this process. Looking forward to hearing from you. Jack [email protected]
Thank You for your responses. In reply to PMJ, if you enter the universities web site go to faculties chose social work, then to academic programs their go down to letter (f). There it shows that a D.Phil in Social Work can be down by research. Mr. Tracey, I too am either considering a doctorate program in Sociology or Social Work or Gereontology. I look forward to corresponding with you in the near future.
John - As you no doubt have noticed, the site is somewhat incomplete. Most notable is the fact that not all departments have web pages. If you go to the address listed below it will give you the names and email addresses of all the staff, organized by department. It is my plan to contact someone in Admissions, etc. and just start asking questions. Good luck, Jack http://www.uznet.uzulu.ac.za/switchboard/phoneDB.php?ob=department,+surname
