Any input would be appreciated before I take the plunge at Harrison Middleton U

I have weighed many options and have run out of reasons I know of not to enroll in the EdD program at HMU. If anyone has a particular horror story please speak now or forever hold your peace. If you are not comfortable broadcasting your horror story PM me and I will not divulge.

As a Georgia high school educator I will gain a very good ROI. $18k for the degree gets me a $12k increase annually. I need to go at least 15 years more for retirement and I expect to go 20 years plus (find some wood to knock on).

I looked at Aspen and Liberty seriously but both are very typical of the EdD as it is currently constructed in the US and just not to my liking - too much like an MBA on steriods with all mentions of "business" replaced by "education". That is not meant as a swipe at either of those schools. I am awfully persnickety about Ed degrees.

So I have the money lined up - I have had the Great Books set for several years and I am at home with them - I am ok with going without sleep for the next few years.

Oh and as for the EdD vs the DA they offer the state commission in Georgia that decides decided years ago a DA was equivalent to an Ed Specialist degree. I don't agree with that but getting in a wee-weeing contest with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission makes about as much sense as picking a fight with the IRS. Not tangling with the PSC also has kept me from going the South African route.

Anybody? Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Bill Clark
BA History Georgia Southern U
MA History American Public U

 

Aspen is cheaper but HMU does sound more interesting, you're right. My only concern would be -- are you absolutely certain that a nationally accredited degree is recognized in the Georgia school system and in your district? I would triple check this with a few sources to make sure. They may require a regionally accredited degree.

Otherwise, good luck! I am interested in the Doctor of Arts at HMU myself. Let us know how your experience goes.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Yes DETC is fine with the state licensing board. I made sure of it at the same time I asked them about TRACS when I looked into Tennessee Temple's PhD in Leadership. It was infuriating when the state said yes to DETC but balked at the foreign degree from South Africa. Actually they said go ahead but we can't say yea or nay until we see the foreign equivalent determination. My wife was not keen on rolling the dice for that one.

They hated Swiss Management Center. I thought the Austrian Economics sounded neat.

Bill Clark

 

I agree with thomas_jefferson on this. I looked into an EdD from Aspen and really wanted to do it because of the good quality and the price, but the utility of a NA degree was questionable. In California, the acceptability of a NA degree varied by school district; the state had no ruling either way. Some districts would honor a NA degree and some would not. I decided that, even though it was several times more expensive, as a teacher myself, a RA degree was a better investment.

 

I had not heard of HMU before, so thanks for drawing it to my attention. It looks very interesting. It reminds me of the Torrey Honours (undergrad) Program at Biola.

 

If you have searched the board you likely have seen my own HMU report. Here's the link if you have not:

http://www.degreeinfo.com/distance-learning-discussions/32564-harrison-middleton-doctor-arts.html


I am working toward the DA, not the EdD, and am about halfway through, now preparing for the first round of comps.
Good experience. Very approachable, professional staff.

 

Please share your comps experience with us when you're done!

 

Yes I had. I actually had saved it to the desktop so I could ruminate over it.

I'll echo the 3rd president and say it would be very interesting to hear about your comps experience.

Thanks,

Bill Clark

 

Hi Bill,

Best of luck with your plans.
Because of the popularity of UNISA (and other SA schools), I assumed it would be easy to verify the UNISA credentials.

Roscoe

 

It appears you have researched it and it will meet your needs (you are aware of RA vs DETC, etc). It looks like the investment of time will pay off financially. So, if you are up to the time investment when considering whatever issues are involved with family and other interests and activities, I say go for it. HMU seems well respected.

My only two cents with regard to the TTU PhD is that TTU is a bricks and mortar school and that may carry some weight (along with the fact it is a PhD).

Please keep us informed as you progress and good luck!