Greetings to all; I first of all want to thank all of you for your post here on degreeinfo.com. It has helped me in my search for a DL institute for my next degree. I have decided to pursue a PhD in Information System from Nova Southeastern University this spring and would like to ask the members of this board if they have any suggestions or have any insights they would care to pass on prior to my starting of the program. Before anyone asks, the area I live in does not have a university that offers a PhD program in the area I prefer, and due to family reasons I will not be able to move for almost two years from now. Once again I would like to say thanks to all that post here, both the pros and cons have helped me on my path to a decision that I feel is right for me. Bill Yarham.
It is an excellent program. Most of the professors are astonishingly good. I am a Nova student. I will complete my dissertation this year and my program is Information Systems. Two things you have to bear in mind are that graduation rate at SCIS is not 100 percent and that completion time is between 4 and 5 years. If you need more info, you may email me at [email protected]
As a NSU 1994 SCIS grad I cannot say enough good things about the program. I would suggest you start working on your dissertation idea as early as possible and let your coursework research start as a stepping stone for your dissertation research. John
Thanks for your reply Ike and the offer for more info through your e-mail. If you don’t mind I will keep your address for when I start the program in case questions come up. I did wonder about the “not 100% completion rate” you mentioned, is that mostly due to uncompleted dissertations or drop-outs prior to finishing course work? I am sure I will enjoy the program at Nova. Bill
John; thanks for you advice about the dissertation. I will try and get a jump on it early and hopefully that will also shorten the time it will take to finish the program. Yours and others voices here have helped me make my decision on which direction to take, and I believe that it is the right one for me. Bill
It is mostly due to inability of some students to come up with an acceptable dissertation idea paper. Most of the students (probably 90%) complete their courses but only about a third of that percentage successfully graduate.
Would that graduation rate imply that Nova a rigorous program that only those with the aptitude that puts in a real effort would succeed in? Whereas the institutes that have the vast majority of their enrollees graduate from their programs, as long as tuition is paid, are less rigorous? Or am I being naive? I am hoping for a rigorous program that will give me the feeling of accomplishment. (Getting my moneys worth ) Bill
I may have probably inflated the percentage of students that successfully complete their course work. I think it's between 60% and 70%. The course work is very rigorous but not as difficult as the dissertation. There were some of my classmates who dropped some courses because they feared that they would not pass the courses. Those students were not able to complete their course work in two years. As a matter of fact, my transcript includes a low grade for one of my doctoral courses. I had wanted to repeat the course but I was advised against it because that will make my graduation to be extended by about six months. Nova is highly structured. A doctoral term is about 5 months.
You will definitely get your dollars worth. I did find many of the people who dropped out would start their dissertation and then put it on hold. When they are ready to start up the technology may have surpassed them or a lot of new research is required; as such; they must start over. This is why I think it is important to get an early start as soon as possible. The coursework and associated projects are very worthwhile and the degree of difficulty will depend on the topic and discussion. FOr example, I found my AI class much harder than the Strategic Management class. Others found the research methods class hard. John
