I'm going to try and stand on the shoulders of some giants with this post...in other words, I'd like some feedback from my learned degree info collagues. I'm almost finished my Ed.S program from Northwestern State University. I have two courses left (currently taking one of these) and the exit paper. I have LOVED NSULA and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a quality, interesting and inexpensive Ed.S program. In any event, I'd like to continue my studies at the Ed.D level once this program is complete. I'm looking at some options, two of which are: 1) Ed.D from Northcentral University 2) Ed. D from Liberty I'd like to be able to transfer my Ed.S credits into the program and would not mind a short, one time residency for the right program. In any event, I just wanted to post this message to see if anyone else could suggest some other programs for my consideration. I found Northwestern State on this board (which I would NOT have found otherwise) and I would not want to miss out on the next NSULA because I didn't take the ten minutes write a post. Have a great week everyone! Ian
Ian, you have some reputable degrees under your belt. As a Canadian, I know how good Memorial and Lethbridge are. Northwestern State seems to be a good school too. I guess what I'm getting at is that people will only remember you based on your last degree, the degree that makes a "Dr." out of you. Don't cap off an otherwise great education with a degree from NCU. NCU is not ranked on the US News and World Report College Rankings. This is where a lot of HR departments look for guidance about the validity of the school. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking NCU (it is RA), but it is a purely online school and this might not be what you want to end with. As far as Liberty is concerned, seems to be OK, but is a Tier 4 ranked school. Nevertheless, a better option that NCU. There are lot of flexible/online Ed.D.'s and perhaps Ph.D.'s from some highly ranked institutions out there. The University of Toronto has some flexible options as does the University of Ottawa (I believe). Good luck!
Hi Ian - Congratulations on your progress toward your EdS. You may have seen this thread stuck at the top of the forum but just in case, here's a link to a thread that might highlight some of your choices. http://www.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?t=27662
Scott: Thanks for your valuable feedback, I appreciate it. Part of my thinking is that while I do want a terminal degree, I want it to be as economical as possible. To this end, I'd want to be able to transfer the Ed.S credits into a program. The way it stands here, ANY online Ph.D/Ed.D I take won't let me apply for positions teaching at a university and my life won't let me do a FT, butt-in-seat program. So...when I factor all this in, I think I just want the degree and want to work through the necessary steps to get it. My base criteria is that it be from an RA accredited school. Rankings don't mean much to me b/c I won't be using it in a traditional sense. The U of O has the French requirement so that is out but I will do a U of T check. The U of C has an online program but it is VERY expensive and they won't take any transfer credits. Thanks for your feedback and talk soon! Kizmit, I have been through that entire set of postings and read with great interest. I'm hoping for more personal responses to my question however based on experiences or indirect knowledge. Thanks! Ian
Having a good track record in publishing weighs heavily in academia, regardless of which RA doctoral degree one has obtained. If you can get a doctoral degree from NCU, then it will suit you just fine. The NCU coursework that leads up to the dissertation is of satisfactory rigor and it doesn't present a problem for most students. It's at the dissertation level where most students begin to run into trouble. For NCU dissertation studies, be prepared to: 1. find a worthwhile topic to study (just because it's worthwhile to you doesn't mean your committee members will agree with you) 2. that is of suitable scope i.e. is it large enough in scale to be considered for doctoral studies? 3. and ways to measure it i.e. quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods. Regarding online RA doctorates: The proof will be in the pudding i.e. as the years go by, how many online doctoral graduates: 1. publish 2. obtain good positions in academia 3. or make a substantial difference in the marketplace, community, nation or globally? Time will tell!
Ian, Not sure what your concentration of interest is, but thought I would alert you to the new EdD program at Capella in Educational Leadership and Management. Worth a look, at least! http://www.capella.edu/schools_programs/education/edd/education_leadership_mgmt.aspx My understanding is that this is a cohort program with no required residencies. Cheers, Adrienne
Btw NCU is far from being top tier.... Maybe in the bottom of the list of 100% on-line program - my 2 cents worth...
My general advice would be to loosen the constraint of doctoral residencies: "would not mind a short, one time residency for the right program." For some students, residencies are not workable, but there are many more doctoral programs available that require annual residencies. Don't limit your options.
I'm not very knowledgeable about education degrees but I wondered if a DPA might also work for you - Valdosta is a B&M school that offers DL degrees in PA and my guess is that it is more highly thought of than those you mentioned. http://www.valdosta.edu/pa/dpa/handbook/DPA_Handbook.pdf Anothe Ian
Benedictine Thanks for the Benedictine link Tomball, the program looks great. Pricy at 45,000 though and they won't accept transfer credits from my Ed.S - still, however a viable option. Thanks for sharing!
Another gem is Redlands.edu Ed.D Leadership in Educational Justice First Ed.D Class gets perfect score The inaugural class of the Doctorate for Leadership in Educational Justice has a 100% retention rate If I lived in CA this would be a home run, BTW GREAT SCHOOL >>> Gets a A+
Och Tamale The inaugural class of the Doctorate for Leadership in Educational Justice has a 100 percent retention rate, with all 19 students completing their second year of study and now working on their dissertations. Students have said the close-knit nature of the cohort went a long way in preventing anyone from dropping out of the program. “From the very first meeting, I knew this wasn’t about the individual,” said Jason Jones, an assistant principal and cohort member. “Whenever I have thought about graduation, it hasn’t been about me walking across the stage and hearing ‘Dr. Jason Jones.’ It’s been about all of us being there, completing the journey that we started together. And that’s a feeling the group shares.” Being united around the tenets of educational justice also has helped keep the group intact, students said. “There is the idea of a common cause,” said doctoral student Nirmla Flores. “I think we want to move forward together and do our part to bring about change. That’s a powerful motivator.” The university launched the program, which is Redlands’ only doctorate program, in the summer of 2006. Its one-of-a-kind emphasis on educational justice sets it apart from other programs nationwide. The program is structured to accommodate the lives of working educators and has appealed to students from a variety of backgrounds, including teaching, counseling, administration, higher education and the non-profit sector. It is expected to take about three years to complete, with coursework organized in trimesters during the first two years. Students spend the third year working primarily on the dissertation.” Dean Robert Denham said education watchers have been wowed by the program’s first-cohort retention rate. “It really is almost unheard of to start and end a doctorate program with the same number of people,” he said. “We are very proud of our doctoral students and faculty, and the commitment they have shown.”
I noticed you live in LA, ALEX has a learning center with various universities and Ft. Polk has CMU with I think a Doctor of Education? Here is the link - looks like on-line also http://www.cel.cmich.edu/eds-edd/
Bingo After you earn the Ed.S. degree, you have the option of continuing on to earn your Ed.D. with 27 credits from your Ed.S. transferring directly into your doctoral program..... Here it is - the way for you to go.......
