I am wondering what are the differences between dissertations in an in-resident PhD program and of one that is done in the DL environment?
I see several differences between traditional and DL based dissertation work. First, there can be a big difference in the amount of faculty interaction. In my disserataion, for example, I saw my chair a couple of times a month and dealt remotely with the rest of my committee. Like many DL students, I worked full-time in industry while working part-time on my dissertation. In traditional programs students often work on a daily basis with faculty both in research and teaching pursuits. This is likely to be a much richer experience. I found my disseration experience on the whole to be an essentially lonely existance. Many DL doctoral students stop at the dissertation - unless you are strongly motivated to finish, many don't make it. Second, finanical and research support differes. Most DL students are paying their own way and have to provide much of their own research support. For example, I had to spend my own money to obtain a mailing list of subjects to survey and to buy SPSS. My employer, however, did provide some computing resources and photo copying. Full-time students often have access to institutional research support - statistical tools, industry contacts, etc. In some fields this can be critical to completing a dissertation. Third, consider peer and library resources. Full time students spend a lot of time with peers that are also deeply involved in research. DL students may have peers to send email to - but this is a poor substitute to face to face interaction. Further, in my program (and I suspect a lot of others) the limited amount of face to face time you do get tends to end when coursework is done. As for library resources - you can't beat a high quality research library along with research librarians to support research work. I've worked with a number of the on-line resources that DL schools tend to favor. Unfortunately, many of these are full of holes (missing journals, missing years) and they don't come with a reference librarian to help you sort through the material. True, many programs make arrangements with local libraries to obtain support - but typically this is weak compared to being on-ground and working near a high quality library. I think that DL doctorates make sense for some students, esspecially those that are mid-career. However, I recognize the limitations of such programs. Regards - Andy
Andy, is it possible to have a local mentor while doing a dissertations with Nova? Say a professor from a local university, even if the university doesn’t have a doctoral program. (only master level.) And then even be able to use the local universities library services? I am retired military and currently being considered for an adjunct position with a college in my area. So I do have time to devote to my studies and to research when I start work my dissertations.
You will need to read the dissertation guide that is published online at the SCIS web site. http://scis.nova.edu/ Essentially your dissertation advisor will be a full-time NSU faculty member. You can bring in an outside faculty member for your committee and they must meet the approval of the program director and the dean in advance. I completed the SCIS IS Ph.D. in '94. Started in '91. The program took me 3 yrs. and 11 months from start to completion. I think Andy gave a fair assessment of the process but I would add that your interaction with your advisor is dependent on you. You will get out of it exactly what you put into it. If you start lagging then the process becomes difficult and you may have to start over. Again, I think the online dissertation guide provides good info. Finally, where in N. Dak. do you live? Minot? My Mother-In-Law is a Minot State and UND grad. I started my NSU studies while in ND and completed them in NC. This was a great plus as when work took me South I was able to move the degree program with me. This would not have been possible in a traditional program. At the same time, in the IS program you must do your institute/cluster sessions on campus and this helps greatly with faculty and peer interaction. John
No problem. Bachelor of Industrial Administration, General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) MBA Vanderbilt Thanks - Andy
Depends on your program. In the Business school I had a local advisor. The fellow taught full-time at a local University that had, at that time, only masters level programs. He held a PhD from Mighigan State. However, because advising an NSU student wasn't part of his job - he was a part-time advisor. I saw him a few times a month, and he was a help. As for library resources - I could use the school where this fellow taught, but I chose to do most of my work at a nearby state university. They had most of the sources I needed. However, because I was a visitor I really didn't use the reference librarian much. One thing that NSU did upon application was require me to go to a nearby university library and actually check to see if certain journals were available. NSU has just recently opened a significant new library with a high tech profile. I believe that library services for future NSU students take a huge step forward. When you consider any doctoral program - ask about library services. If they tell you "yes, we have some on-line library databases", probe further. What services will they provide? How much, if anything, will they cost? Thanks - Andy
John, Yes I do live in the Minot area. That is one of the reason I decided on Nova. After my wife finishes her BA degree, we will be moving so a DL program was right for me. Thanks for your input, it is very helpful. And those from you too Andy.
Great to see someone else from North Dakota around here! My dad graduated from Minot State in the early '60's, and served as a math professor there in the late '60's and early '70's. I was actually born in Minot during that same period.
Perhaps we've already had this conversation elsewhere on this board--I'm not certain. But my family also is in Bismarck now. My dad has been a math professor at University of Mary since 1988. I graduated from Bismarck High in 1992.
My wife and I are thinking of moving to the Grand Forks area, there is a nice job possibility there. It wouldn’t matter where I am with Nova, but my wife is still working on her degree. It might be possible for her to transfer from MSU to NDU so if the opportunity comes about, we might just be heading east.
Wow this is certainly a small world. I actually attended Minot State University for a short time - dreams of gridiron glory quickly gave way to the reality that I was 1) plagued by a bad set of knees and 2) plagued even moreso by a lack of athleticism!! I gave up being a Beaver without ever achieving either of my MSU goals - to earn a spot as a walk-on (packed it in before I ever set foot on the field) and represent the school during "College Week" on Jeopardy Jeff PS I don't regret the decision to give up football while I could still walk, but the Jeopardy thing can still cause me sleepless nights
