DL Degree Holders with B&M Teaching Jobs

I am curious to know how many members here have been able to use their DL degree to land a higher Ed. B&M teaching job. If you earned your degree online and then used it to land a B&M job, I would love to hear about your experience. I know that's no easy task, so I think many of us would be interested to know about it. (If you already had your B&M job, that doesn't count)

 

I was able to teach at a state university with 2 masters degrees, 1 B.S. and 1 A.S. earned through DL. In addition, the only degree I earned on campus was a A.A.S. (two year program) that was the best 4 years of my life! (Party School)

I think it depends more on what you are teaching and if you have experience in that area. The holding of a RA degree was just a check mark. In addition, I don't remember anyone asking if I attained the degree through DL and the transcripts do not notate DL.

I'm sure you will find "DL" learning can carry a stigma in various academic circles but in the end, what do you call a PhD who graduated???? Doctor! Best of luck on your doctoral studies at NCU!

 

My NSU DBA got me a full-time teaching job in 1997. I had taught as an adjunct, but couldn't be hired full-time without a doctorate in hand. Overall, my NSU DBA has served me well.

Regards - Andy

 

I know it's not an option for everyone, but IMHO if a person is going to commit to spending 4 years full time (or 6+ years part-time) doing a PhD they should try to do it in residence (ie at a B&M) if at all possible. For most their doctorate degree will be their terminal degree so you will want it to be "beyond reproach."

Again not saying that DL degrees are in any way worse than B&M ... in many cases they will be MORE work and MORE thorough; the problem is that there is still unfortunately prejudice against DL. And I know many people don't have the option to do their PhD in residence. But if you DO, I really think you should, just due to that aforementioned prejudice!

 

Very encouraging. Thank you, Delta. I'm really enjoying the journey.

 

I got my MAT (English) from the University of West Alabama in 2007. I started teaching both on campus and online shortly thereafter and in Jan 2009 was hired full time at a community college. I still teach several online classes, as well as the full time gig.

 

I couldn't agree more strongly and emphatically. My belief is that somebody who wants to prepare for a career in university teaching needs to study full-time on-campus in the strongest doctoral program that he or she can gain admission to. Even less prominent B&M doctoral programs often have less than stellar histories of placing their graduates in academic employment.

Frankly, I have trouble thinking of any DL doctoral program that I believe would be competitive even at a mid-level master's-level school like a California State University. Certainly not in a conventional arts-and-sciences subject. These schools advertise their positions nationally and people fly in from all over to interview and deliver tryout lectures. Lots of attention is paid to things like publications that show engagement in the subjects to be taught. Competition is intense.

A DL doctoral degree might conceivably work as frosting-on-the-cake for somebody hired to teach a more applied or vocational subject on the basis of their practical experience. I remember subjects like dairy husbandry at the ag school I once attended. But these kind of people would have to have strong extra-academic cvs and lots of responsible practical experience. And by the time that person is teaching at the university level, even subjects like dairy husbandry are likely to be extremely technical and scientific, demanding familiarity with new developments and current research.

 

It isn't that difficult to obtain a teaching position at a B/M school with an online degree. The hard part is getting a tenure track position. I do know of several PhDs from Capella that have accomplished this feat. I don't know of any from Northcentral University or the University of Phoenix who have obtained tenture track positions.

 

I think the other critical piece of the question is asking anyone, even B&M traditional PhD's, if they are getting hired either. My friends who did things "the right way" and who have never worked outside of academia, have all had a rough time getting teaching positions, and most of them went to well-regarded schools. Now they all have crippling debt and no marketable skills outside academia.

Tenure track positions are harder and harder to get no matter what the credentials you carry.

 

I agree with you, as well. In fact, I would call that "old news". I think that most everyone understands that DL is not the path to tenured B&M positions. However, I know that there are some people who have managed to land good B&M positions with DL degrees, and since that's somewhat of an anomaly, I was interested in hearing about it. Anyone else out there managed that feat?

 

Very good point. Even traditional degree holders are having a terrible time getting work, and not just in academia, but in almost every other field, as well.

 

That is going to change and it won't matter if a degree holder graduated from a DL or B&M school.

 

I teach at a B&M community college. The DL PhD work wasn't required, but I was told that being currently enrolled helped. My school has also assisted financially with the PhD, so I believe the school believed if the PhD was important.

 

Just my own experience...

One of the schools for which I adjunct is a small private college ranked Tier 1 for Master's-granting schools in its region. Recently, this school conducted a search for a new professor for their school of business. Concurrently, an email was circulated describing distance doctoral programs.

To be frank, the email was not in favor of them. At best, you could describe the email as implying that these programs need more scrutiny.

There was some back and forth to which I added my own comments about how certain distance degrees are different than others (Nova and their frequent meetings was one I mentioned). Nevertheless, the tone was set.

I think it's buyer beware for many distance programs and I'm enrolled in one myself (although it's a 2nd Master's).

 

Were there any thoughts about distance masters programs?

 

I understand what you mean about the prejudice... however, for a Doctoral degree, does this even make sense? Isn't the most important part about a doctorate the dissertation, which is done (mostly) independently anyway?

I really hope this bias against distance learning starts to subside really soon.... it's beyond ridiculous.

 

I'd guess the spin that would be placed on a DL Doctorate, as far as the dissertation, would be the fact that 'Oh, its DL, so you couldn't have had as good of a research experience as you would have if you were at a BM with a research lab/group/so on. Not having that good of a research experience would make you subpar compared to someone who had that type of focused environment available to them.'

Silly? Yes? A falicy? Perhaps (of course it depends on what the degree is, you might need an uber lab for your research.) Sad? Very much so... Narcissists stroking their egos, as Dave Wagner would say.

 

I swear I know how to spell Fallacy!... I swear I do. That's what you get when you stay home sick, load up on cough meds and post on forums.

 

Nope, it doesn't make sense, especially for a pure research doctorate. From what I've read here and heard elsewhere, there is not as much stigma in the UK and Australia as there is here. It's likely just a matter of time until online/distance degrees (especially pure research ones) become accepted on par with traditional in residence degrees. (Assuming of course they have the same requirements.)

 

Never came up. I doubt it would matter as much, however, because a person with a Master's only wouldn't have been competitive in this particular search.