Looking for opinions and advice: Capella University

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by ITJD, Jan 25, 2010.

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  1. ITJD

    ITJD Guest

    Hi all -

    Looking for:

    1. People who are attending Capella
    2. People who may be teaching at Capella
    3. People who have attended Capella

    I'd like your advice and thoughts on your school as I'm considering attendance for one of three programs shortly after finishing my MBA.

    Program 1: Ph.D Information Assurance
    Program 2: Ph.D Organization and Management: Information Technology
    Program 3: Ph.D Organization and Management: Leadership

    To be honest, there's also a good chance I'll forego these programs and drop into a JD program at a local brick and mortar that accommodates part-time learners.

    What I'd like to know:

    1. Why did you choose to go to or work for Capella?
    2. What do you think of the quality of your program?
    3. Do you have any experience with any of my three mentioned programs? Can you share your opinions and experiences?
    4. What do I as a prospective student need to watch out for during the admissions and later the program?
    5. What do you feel your career prospects are as a Capella alum?

    Now for some additional information from me.

    1. I am a professional IT manager. I expect to stay in that realm for a while and want to reach C-level positions in that field during my career.

    2. I want to teach at adjunct and eventually full-time levels in academia, college level. I expect that adjuncting a class here and there while pursuing my career and eventually dialing down to teaching as a career when it's time to retire is my path.

    3. I've noticed more and more Capella grads on faculty lists, especially in the midwest, which is why I'm considering the school. They also seem to have their stuff together in general.

    4. Cost, isn't a primary concern for me. I have significant tuition reimbursement from my employer and reasonable means otherwise.

    Lastly: (in bold for a point)

    Take care with how you present your positive and negative information. If this goes into a shillfest or a bullfest, I will ask moderators to close the thread. If you are employed by Capella, please state so openly.

    Thanks all. I look forward to hearing what people have to say.

    Best,
    ITJD
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 25, 2010
  2. ITJD

    ITJD Guest

    Bumping once to see if there are any bites. I'll ask to close the thread in a few days if no comers.
     
  3. scaredrain

    scaredrain Member

    1. Why did you choose to go to or work for Capella?

    I chose Capella because they offered a 100 percent online Ed.D program with no residency requirements

    2. What do you think of the quality of your program?

    I like the Ed.D. program at Capella, its new, in fact my cohort are the guinea pigs! Its your usual doctorate program with case studies, papers, discussion board questions, etc. I have been enrolled in doctorate programs at Walden University, TUI, and Jones International University and the program at Capella is comparable and almost in the same format as Walden’s Ed.D program.


    3. Do you have any experience with any of my three mentioned programs? Can you share your opinions and experiences?

    I do not have any experience with the programs you mentioned, but a former supervisor at my previous job, was in the dissertation stage in the Phd Organization Management: Information Technology Program at Capella, she had nothing but good things to say about the program.

    4. What do I as a prospective student need to watch out for during the admissions and later the program?

    Make sure you submit any required forms on time and ensure that they actually receive the forms that you post to them.

    5. What do you feel your career prospects are as a Capella alum?

    I am currently an adjunct for five universities, as well as a consultant for two of them. I also currently work for a large for profit university, the doctorate will allow me to move up into a Dean position and increase my adjunct intake. I am not worried about my prospects since one of my masters is from a for profit school and has not hindered my career.
     
  4. ITJD

    ITJD Guest

    Very cool Scaredrain. Thank you.
     
  5. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    Amusing. My advice is to give people a chance to respond to your rather longish intro.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 26, 2010
  6. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    My advice: Be cordial with people, if you want them to help you. No need to get preachy when you are asking for help.

    That said, since you haven't yet finished your MBA degree, I suggest you continue looking for options beyond Capella. Capella might be the one best option, but new doctoral programs are coming online all the time.

    By the way, what is your concentration or focus for your MBA studies?
     
  7. ITJD

    ITJD Guest

    Thanks Dave, your advice is noted.

    In return, I think it's fair that I be clear as to what's helpful and what isn't. I will admit that the way I put it across is a bit blunt and long but I'd rather no responses than the wrong types. Sorry if I offended or bothered you.

    I'm doing my best to split my electives between special topics in IT management and finance topics. Since I've got employer assistance in terms of tuition I've been taking courses in addition to the required minimums for graduation.

    Hopefully, whatever tiffs we've had on the forums in the past don't need to color future conversations. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Obviously I'm not in a terrible rush.
     
  8. Shawn Ambrose

    Shawn Ambrose New Member

    1. Why did you choose to go to or work for Capella?

    I liked the idea of a 100% online program, with the limited residency. I believed that I was motivated enough to complete online classes (I completed a Managerial Finance course online in my MBA program). The residency requirement was very important to me as well. I wanted to meet other students to establish networking contacts. I will also freely admit that despite graduating with a 3.7 GPA in an AACSB MBA Program, that the GMAT and I did not get along (and we dated more than once).

    2. What do you think of the quality of your program?

    Simply outstanding. Excellent customer service and student support when needed. As a veteran, Capella's Armed Services Support team assisted me in cutting through some VA paperwork for my Chapter 1607 benefits.

    I can't speak enough about my dissertation chair. She was a teacher in my first class. Very fair, knowlegeable, and supportive. Also very anal retentive, which has helped as my other readers are reading my dissertation. Quality of the instruction was first rate - yea, I was pushed a lot harder than my MBA (as it should be.)

    3. Do you have any experience with any of my three mentioned programs? Can you share your opinions and experiences?

    Can't help you - my PhD will be in Organization/Management - General Business Concentration.

    4. What do I as a prospective student need to watch out for during the admissions and later the program?

    Cost - you mentioned that, but thought I would mention it again. Get to know APA. Have a clear idea of what your dissertation area will be. If you have that down, you can direct most of your coursework papers towards the dissertation. I urge you to present your Capella coursework at professional conferences (Yes, I did cite myself in my dissertation).

    5. What do you feel your career prospects are as a Capella alum?

    I am professionally satisfied as a division chair for a small community college in Wisconsin. That said, since my outside reader has urged me to prepare my dissertation for publication (my outside reader is an associate editor for Armed Forces and Society - the journal of record for military studies), if I felt like looking for another teaching position, I feel confident in my ability to do so. But, since I like my current employer, and my family loves Northern Wisconsin, I don't see myself looking for another position.

    Best of luck to you - take your time, perform your due dilligence, and pick the best school for you.

    Shawn
     
  9. ITJD

    ITJD Guest

    Thank you Shawn, much appreciated.
     
  10. mathguy

    mathguy New Member

    One indicator

    I do know of several people who were able to obtain tenure track faculty positions at real schools with their doctoral degrees from Capella. On the other hand I don't know of any people (there may be some?) who obtained tenure track faculty positions based on their doctoral degrees from Northcentral University or University of Phoenix.
     
  11. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member


    Embry-Riddle has faculty with doctorates from Nova (several) and Argosy (whether these degrees were required for their positions I do not know - ERAU has a large number of faculty without doctorates).
    When I attended some adjunct faculty were working on doctorates from NCU and Capella.
     
  12. Dave Wagner

    Dave Wagner Active Member

    Ha. I didn't know we had a tiff... :)

    Frankly, unless you really see yourself teaching or doing research in an institution of higher learning, you don't need to worry about earning a doctorate. You'll get much higher yield for the time spent from another masters degree. Where do you see yourself career-wise ten years from now?
     
  13. ITJD

    ITJD Guest

    :) at the tiff comment. Funny how forums make straight talk seem aggressive then. My bad.

    I see myself as an IT exec or consultant running my own shop. I'd also like to adjunct, but eventually transition to full time collegiate level teaching in one place as I tire of the corporate grind.

    I've the mind and skill to do decent research and know I wouldn't mind doing it but don't quite know why I feel that way at this time.
     
  14. adireynolds

    adireynolds New Member

    Hi there ITJD,

    You said you are looking for:

    1. People who are attending Capella

    That's me. :)

    Program 1: Ph.D Information Assurance
    Program 2: Ph.D Organization and Management: Information Technology
    Program 3: Ph.D Organization and Management: Leadership

    I am doing my Ph.D., Organization and Management in the General Business Track, but there is a lot of overlap in terms of core coursework, as well as the possibility that you would be pulling faculty from the different specializations when forming your dissertation committee, so I think my experiences will still apply.

    1. Why did you choose to go to or work for Capella?

    Before Capella I tried Argosy and Walden, and during a break from Capella I briefly tried Northcentral. I much prefer Capella's curriculum structure, delivery method, course requirements, and residency structures over the others. It just felt like, and still feels like, a good fit for me, my learning style, and philosophy of learning.

    2. What do you think of the quality of your program?

    I think overall it is excellent. As with anywhere, I had a couple of instructors that I could have done without, but my coursework was very solid and a good foundation for my dissertation process now. The quality of the dissertation process, in my opinion, is very rigorous, solid, and really requires a lot of the student in many ways. Of course, I also have a fantastic dissertation mentor and committee, so they really push me, too.

    3. Do you have any experience with any of my three mentioned programs? Can you share your opinions and experiences?

    Not directly, sorry. However, I have interacted with students and faculty from those disciplines at the residencies, as well as with students from those disciplines in some of my classes that were required across all specializations. They all seemed very happy with their experiences.

    4. What do I as a prospective student need to watch out for during the admissions and later the program?

    I'm not sure what to watch out for during admissions. In terms of later in the program, always keep in mind that you are in the driver's seat as to what you get out of the program, how much self-discipline you have to attend to your studies, and so on. In addition, I would also echo that the sooner you can identify your dissertation topic, even early on during your coursework, the better. Then as you write course papers you are building a foundation for your future literature review. That being said, however, keep in mind that the dissertation process IS gruelling, and you will be giving up significant chunks of the rest of your life and activities to it until it is done.

    5. What do you feel your career prospects are as a Capella alum?

    In many ways excellent, but not in a traditional sense, or either solely as a Capella alum. The Ph.D. is yet another bit of my professional toolkit that I have wanted for personal enrichment reasons, and although adds cachet to my CV, is not required for what I do now (I'm in a senior management role in HR). However, there is the possibility that I may want to one day return to teaching at the uni level, and certainly the Ph.D. will help with that (and by this I mean probably teaching outside of the U.S.).

    Hope this is helpful!

    Cheers,
    Adrienne
     
  15. TaxProfMom

    TaxProfMom New Member

    1. Why did you choose to go to or work for Capella?

    I didn't; my husband got his PhD in Management from Capella. He had a friend & colleague who had gotten his PhD from Capella and thought the world of him. Plus he really wanted his PhD but didn't want to go through the academic slave route of a traditional program. He liked the strong faculty support at Capella and the freedom to work on his own. He's a good self-manager.

    2. What do you think of the quality of your program?

    He was definitely challenged by the work - there was a lot of it - and his dissertation was lengthy and rigorous. He has his MBA and BA in Marketing from a traditional, major university so he'd been through tough programs before. He'd also done the statistical work for two other dissertations as a consultant so he had a good idea of the process.

    3. Do you have any experience with any of my three mentioned programs? Can you share your opinions and experiences?

    See above.

    4. What do I as a prospective student need to watch out for during the admissions and later the program?

    He made it a point to have his dissertation topic lined up in advance, so when he was doing his coursework, it was all related to his dissertation. By the time he got to his dissertation, he'd already done quite a bit of the research.

    5. What do you feel your career prospects are as a Capella alum?

    His PhD has definitely added to his ability to publish (he'd published before for work), and to his standing in his field (marketing & marketing research). He'd already been an adjunct at a major university for years, so it didn't change much there but I think the university was happy he got his PhD because it boosts their credentials. He now exclusively teaches in the MBA program whereas before he was teaching a mix of grad/undergrad. Again, how much of that is because he has over 25 years experience in the field, and how much of it is because of his PhD?

    I've expressed interest in getting mine but he's discouraging me because of the incredible workload it was. Instead I'm getting my CPA and I'm going to stick with that until our kids are older and I see where we are.
     
  16. ITJD

    ITJD Guest

    Thank you Adrienne and TaxProfMom, sorry I haven't acknowledged you both earlier. Much appreciated.
     
  17. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME -OR- YOUR MONEY AT CAPELLA UNIVERSITY!!!!!! TRUST ME!!!!!! I KNOW!!!! I earned 2 masters degrees at brick/mortar school in Miami, Florida - without problems, making excellent grades, and having tremendous academic support from the faculty - even the dean. At Capella - you will not receive any support or communication - UNLESS YOU OWE THEM MONEY. In fact, the even enroll you in the next, upcoming quarter when you haven't even completed 6 weeks of your present Capella course. After EIGHT years of earning my Ph.D. at Capella, I was constantly mislead, communication/answers to my questions and concerns would take WEEKS for the academic advisor (MICHAEL) and my mentor (DR. STIKA). My mentor all of a sudden "disappeared", then I was assigned another mentor - having to practically START ALL OVER my dissertation phase/requirements! Capella then later introduced the SMR (Scientific Merit Review) - a new process to students, event though they (students) wear near completion of the dissertation phase or half-way there. The SMR phase was brutal - taking nearly TWO years to complete (PASS!), It did "pass" with 3 faculty members, but low a behold - they too disappeared and I had to START ALL OVER!!!! The new faculty advisor (Dr. Disch) denied ("failed") my PhD proposal - even though I had "passed" and was already preparing for DATA COLLECTION and already in the writing phases of Chapter 4 & 5. Chapters 1, 2 & 3 were approved, written & completed. But - when this SMR was introduced, conveniently and to serve the financial interest (gain) of Capella, I was told I had to go backwards and re-write Chapter 1, 2 & 3. Well at this point, I already had my Ph.D. proposal approved, my research topic, data methods, etc - ALL APPROVED. In fact, I already collected all of my data and was in the data analysis phase - which positioned me to be near completion of my Ph.D. within a projected six (6) months. Again - another setback. Then, it GETS BETTER (or I should say [much] WORSE!). Dr. Antunez (my THIRD assigned mentor) up and quit mid-class, leaving me and many other doctoral learners stranded. I was ready to complete my Ph.D. but Dr. Antunez and Capella faculty/administration led me on and were trying to penalize ME for this "professor" (if that's what I would call anyone associated being an educator at this university), told me I was late to re-enroll in my current class. This made no sense!!! Why did I have to re-enroll in a course that was actively ongoing and in week 6?!? Obviously this was for finances and to adhere to what I am assuming some sort of educational, legal standard. I was assigned ANOTHER mentor who had NO CLUE above my dissertation's topic, nor where I was (NEAR COMPLETION) of my Ph.D. ALL MY WORK WAS DONE! ALL MY DATA COLLECTION! ALL MY DATA ANALYSIS! I WAS DONE! Done with my paper and done with this university - a school that STOLE over $90,000 from me in government-assisted student $. Every quarter I was harassed for $4,200 in tuition! IN FACT, when I first enrolled with Capella to earn my Ph.D. ( ~ mid-2000s), Capella students did not have to pay $4,200/quarter. I believe the tuition once in the dissertation phase was ~ $1,200. The switch rules on you. Don't tell you. Mislead you. Lie to you. Take your money. Give you NOTHING!!!! This university is NOT WORTH $4,200/quarter! AT ALL! Even if they were just issuing Ph.D.s without your having to complete ANY work - CAPELLA UNIVERSITY IS NOT WORTH YOUR TIME OR YOUR MONEY. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY HERE! THEY ARE A SCAM! All the best! Stay away! - - - John
     
  18. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Doctoral work is messy. Nothing unique about Capella.

    It's common to "lose" an advisor. When this happens, many unfortunate things can ensue. This can include major changes to one's proposed research. Nothing unique about Capella.

    Sometimes it takes considerable time to get a doctoral dissertation proposal approved. Nothing unique about Capella.

    Being charged tuition isn't "stealing" nor "harassment." This is irrespective of one's beliefs. Nothing unique about Capella.

    Lots of success stories and some disgruntled students. Nothing unique about Capella.

    I would be very interested to hear--from this poster--what his role in all of this was. It is not the nature of universities to merely prey on students. While shenanigans can always occur, schools don't set out to unilaterally put the screws to their students. It would be very unusual for a school to purposely and needlessly delay a student's progress merely to collect more tuition. A school would gain a notorious reputation very fast if this was the case, and that has not been true with Capella (or any other university I've ever heard of.) Again, it might be a good time for John to reflect on his role in all of this.

    Finally, it would be nice if John would use his full name while calling out other people by theirs. What he's posting here, if true, might be actionable. If false, it might also be actionable in the other way. It's the call of this board's owners whether or not they want to host this kind of post as currently composed.
     
  19. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator


    My head hurts after trying to read that.
     
  20. Koolcypher

    Koolcypher Member

    Good grief! I hope your dissertation was not written the same way, oh boy! :wow::eek:mfg:
     

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