Anyone have input about Nova Southeastern University?

More specifically the Information Systems PHD programs? I am wondering about the quality of the program, and if people would recommend other places over this. I am finishing my master degrees in august and would love to get my phd. I work in the IT field and both of my master degrees I am finishing are IT related (MSIT and MS in management with a concentration in Information Systems) I am not looking to become a tenured professor, the degree would be for advancing my career in the private sector, also for personal satisfaction. I would also do some adjunct teaching but nothing full time. I would love any input people have to offer, I have researched extensively, and the little information I have found has been mixed (some people say its great, some people say its a total ripoff/scam).

 

Nova is one of the top DL schools. The reports saying that it is a ripoff/scam are probably on one of those websites, such as Online Degree Reviews, that are filled with disgruntled students. They are extremely negatively biased and should probably be ignored. You will find that every online school has people that say it's a scam; most of them bombed out and are now angry. However, there are many very bad online schools that you should avoid. Come here to Degree Info for less biased information, although we occasionally have unreasonable people post here as well. We generally have nothing to gain and no agenda other than sharing information and personal opinions.

Nova is also a very expensive school; one of the most expensive online schools and one of the best. You could certainly find a less expensive way to get essentially the same thing.

Caveat: Earning a doctorate degree online does not automatically guarantee any teaching job. Traditional brick and mortar universities generally are unwilling to hire an individual with a doctorate earned online for any position. There are community colleges that will hire an online grad as an adjunct and some that will not. Most of the online schools are still willing to hire a doctor that was earned online. However, some are preferring a doctorate earned via B&M and a few, I've recently learned from other members, are now even requiring publication as a prerequisite to employment. It's tough out there.

Also, your experience in any particular field is extremely important in successfully obtaining a teaching position. If your experience is in IT, for example, that's the doctorate degree you should pursue. A doctorate alone no longer provides the necessary clout to land a job; it must be accompanied by experience in the field.

 

Certainly not a terrible school, but what are your other options? You generally want your terminal degree to be at the most prestigious school you can get into, are you thinking of applying anywhere else? Doctorate DL is completely different from Masters DL, with a relevant masters degree you will have to take very few courses. It's all about your dissertation, so I suggest you try to find a school that can help you be productive in accomplishing that goal.

It is definitely not a total ripoff/scam, but the bar is set pretty low there. I once tried an optometrist who graduated from that school, never making that mistake again.

 

Just because an untalented individual graduated from a school does not make it a bad school. I disagree with your statement about the bar being set low at Nova, it is a quality school. I agree that there are better choices out there, but this is mostly due to the expense of the program.

Also, the prestige of the school is not nearly as important as the experience of the degree holder. This is especially true in the business world. Of course a degree from somewhere like Harvard would trump almost anything, but, in most cases, as long as the school is regionally accredited by one of the six accrediting bodies, it does not matter as much as you might think. There are, of course, a few fields where they consider the prestige of your alma mater, but those employers are few. If there is ever prejudice in favor of a particular business degree, it would favor a school that has the additional AACSB accreditation. This accreditation marks a school as a top quality business school. Nova is in the process of obtaining AACSB accreditation.

 

SurfDoctor, it seems that you oppose every single school offers Doctorate via distance learning.

Frankly, if you want to obtain a Ph.D via distance for outside of academia satisfaction. Then I would recommend go for it. For my situation, I can obtain my Ph.D for FREE. I have a full-time job, and not interested in quiting my job for full-time program on campus. It is either I can take extra time to obtain a degree, or I don't have it at all. I don't really want a full-time teaching position in the future neither. Therefore, the degree at Capella University is what I need. However, it would be better if I could get a Ph.D in Computer Science at Nova Southeastern University. I thought about switching to Nova Southeastern University, but my program curriculum at Capella University has drafted up.

Nova Southeastern University is ranked as the same with George Mason University by the US News. I think that Nova is the most reputable's Doctorate in Information Technology field you can get via distance learning. I don't believe that Dakota State University's program is outranked Nova's.

 

That's not how I'd interpret his posts here. I don't see anything wrong with giving qualified endorsements. We're not here to be cheerleaders for distance learning programs. We're here to give people solid information about distance learning and that means alerting people to both the strengths and the weaknesses of these degree programs. If I was the op it's information I'd welcome.

 

My niece graduated with a PharmD last year. The school does not have the bar set low. By the way, I know a plastic surgeon that graduated from Harvard and she is an idiot who I would not let touch my dog. Does that mean that Harvard lower the bar?

 

I'm surprised you would say that. Are you sure you have read my posts thoroughly? I'm working on a doctorate via online delivery myself. However, I'm aware of the limitations and I do my best to advise new members of those issues. I'm in the same boat as you are, teaching full-time with no opportunity to attend a traditional doctoral program even though I have the GPA and the entrance exam scores necessary to be admitted to most programs.

I have spoken with a number of deans of B&M business schools and learned that, while it is possible, it is not likely for one to obtain a university teaching position with a DL doctorate. If an individual is already working at a university, the chances of landing a professorship are greatly improved, but otherwise, it's a long-shot. If you don't believe me, make some phone calls or visit a few deans. I had one dean who communicated nicely with me initially and then would not speak to me, answer my calls or return my emails when he learned that my degree was earned online. It was as though I had suddenly contracted a plague.

I sincerely believe that the best online doctorates are just as good as B&M doctorates. Nova and Capella would be included in this top-level group. Unfortunately, it will be awhile before academia comes around to this point of view.

 

Referring to Nova Southeastern University (Nova) as a DL school gives an impression that the school is an internet-only school or that they only offer online programs.

Nova sits 10 or more times above all online schools. In fact, Nova does not even rank in the same league with any online school including Capella, Walden, TUI, JIU, NCU, etc., especially, when you consider their massive campus facility in Florida, and the fact that many other non-DL programs are offered on-campus and taught by full time professors (not by part-timers who grade papers at night in their pajamas as is the case with professors at online schools).

So, anyone considering attending Nova should go ahead (if they can afford it). A degree from Nova will pay-off much better that those from internet schools.

 

I agree with Cyber 100%! Nova's campus is very ... very big. It is not considered an internet school here in Florida, I guarantee you that. I'm actually down the street from the school. You'd be surprised how many community colleges here in Florida, that students transfer into Nova after completing an associates and attend on campus. They are very respected in my community. Although, it is very costly that's why Florida students have some sort of financial aid or residence to help with tuition. But if you can afford it, go with NSU!! Go sharks!

 

Thanks to everyone for their posts, all information is appreciated.

SurfDoctor: I am curious about one of your statements. You said:

As Cyber stated, they have a massive campus in Florida. Based on my research of them, they are a traditional B&M campus with an online option. AFAIK, Capella and some of the other schools do not have B&M campuses. Do you believe that they should lumped in together?

 

Yes, you are right. I did not intend to imply that they were in the same group; I just wanted to list some of the best schools that offer online classes. I also wanted Tekman to know that I was not criticizing Capella. Nova is superior to Capella, in my opinion, for the very reasons that Cyber has stated. I hope you read between the lines in my post and found that I believe Nova is superior. Capella is great, but Nova is one of the top schools that offer online classes. As I stated in my first post in this thread, they are acquiring AACSB accreditation, which will put them even further out in front for business degrees. However, like everyone has said, they are very expensive. Depending on the field you would like to enter, you may be able to earn a degree that will work for you at a significantly lower price. If you are paying for the degree out-of-pocket, this might be an important issue. Especially considering the fact that the doctorate may not significantly increase your income.

 

jftzg, what field are you considering getting a doctorate in? Do you have experience in that field?

 

One of my fraternity brothers attended law school at Nova. He's a super sharp guy that just couldn't get a high enough LSAT score. Anyway, smart guy and has a solid job back home now. It's a reputable school.

 

I am looking at the Information Systems PHD. I have several years of experience in the IT field and plenty of industry certifications (MS certs mostly). My undergrad was in IT and both of my graduate degrees I am finishing are IT related (MSIT, MS management IS concentration). Pretty much my ultimate goal is to become a CIO somewhere and have met several people with doctoral level degrees in this role. Its certainly not a necessity but it helps. Im working my way up with experience in to more managerial roles, and I figure its better to get the terminal degree while im younger (31) then after I get married and have kids. I would also love to be an adjunct professor on the side part time. Local CC works for me, not trying to get an adjunct job at either of the prestigious local colleges (Rochester Institute of Technology and University of Rochester). This is my plan but as all plans go, it is open to change. I feel that the IS PHD is the best degree for my current situation as IS is a broad field (I do not want a specialized degree as that can lead to problems down the road) and PHD is one of the more recognizable doctoral level degrees.

 

Your plan sounds great. You have the experience and are gaining more. I would expect that you should be able to teach with those kinds of credentials, however, there are never guarantees. Your chances seem good to me.

All of these thoughts I am giving you are derived from my personal research into the utility of my own online doctoral pursuits. You should consider what I have said and then make your own decisions.

If you can afford it, a degree from Nova might be a good move. You would be wise to get an estimate of the total cost of the program, including books, and decide if Nova is right for you. If you can become a CIO somewhere, the high cost would probably be justified.

One more idea, since you will have considerable experience in the field, you might consider a more economical alternative to Nova. As I said before, your experience in the field will be the major determinate of your career success, not the reputation of the school, given that the school you choose is regionally accredited. I say this because acquiring heavy debt to earn a degree is often a mistake that individuals will suffer for over much of their lifetime. We often hear of students who rack up $100K or more earning a degree and then find themselves in severe financial difficulties because of it.

Employers often lump all degrees earned online into the same group, regardless of high ranking or low. The main question from most employers outside of academia is whether your degree is accredited and some, not all, understand that regional accreditation is the most recognized and accepted. Although Nova is near the top of the continuum, I'm not sure that most employers will know this or even care. Some, of course, will care; my experience suggests that most, depending on the field, will not.

 

jftzg, have you considered an online IT doctorate from Indiana State University? You have that advantage of earning a degree from a recognized brick and mortar school and it is possible that employers will not ever know you earned it online. I looked into their program for myself a couple of years ago.

The value of this is the fact that ISU is not recognized by many as a school that offers online programs; it's known as a solid traditional school. This way you probably will not have to deal with the dreded "online stigma" that online programs unfairly have. I believe something like this would be even better than Nova. In Florida, Nova is known as a B&M, but everywhere else it is known mostly for its DL.

http://www.indstate.edu/consortphd/faq.html

 

That's a fabulous link Surf. Thanks.

Fair warning though. The program reads like a patchwork quilt and if people aren't ready to do some significant juggling tween the consortium schools there are better options out there.

If I lived in Indiana though, that would be worth the annoyance.

 

Cool, thanks. I was very tempted by that one. I think pretty much the whole thing is offered online except for one facet. The problem with the program, if I remember, was that fact that you had to do a semester apprenticeship in an IT facility at a company. That wouldn't be a problem for someone who works in IT, but for me, it was a deal breaker.

 

Surf doctor, I did not run across this degree in my searches, I will definitely check it out, thanks! I find the whole bias toward distance learning to be funny, especially at the doctoral level. I have a friend going to a local regional college (St John Fisher) to obtain his Ed.D. Since he lives in the area he does not need to do distance learning with the college, but the residency for his program is only one long weekend a month, which is not that much different to the residency requirements of distance learning programs i have seen. Its funny that people (especially in academia) would dismiss a distance learning degree but accept his even though they have the same requirements and almost the same residency length. In fact Fisher advertises the program he is going through as a "get your doctorate degree in only three years!" Funny how the world works sometimes.