Kansas State University MS I/O Psy vs Capella University PhD I/O Psy Programs

Hello all,

I have a very good dear friend of mine that is in quite a struggle to pick a program. She is leaving the military next year and wants to pursue a graduate degree in industrial/organizational psychology. But here is her problem, she is torn between Capella and Kansas State. Capella has the PhD in I/O Psychology and Kansas State has an MS in I/O Psychology. Ultimately she wants to work as a consultant and have some teaching gigs on the side, adjunct, community college that sort of thing. I told her to pick Kansas State, better name recognition and all. Even though Capella is a great school and the program is a PhD, the MS in I/O Psychology is considered a terminal degree. Therefore, technically speaking, she could still teach with that degree.

I just want to pick your collective minds here, what say you? Is Kansas State the better choice? Or will the Capella degree serve her better down the road? Price is no objection, she will use Post 9/11 GI Bill and out-of-pocket money to pay for the degrees. Also worth mentioning is that both degrees have a short residency component to them, and she is fine with this as well. Again, thank you all for your thoughtful input. :biggthumpup:

 

If schools offer a doctorate in I/O Psychology, then a M.S. in I/O Psychology is not a terminal degree. You can still teach with it at the undergraduate level, but a degree isn't terminal simply because *that school* doesn't also offer a doctorate in the subject.

UMass-Lowell just started a doctoral program in Criminal Justice, but before they did, I in no way considered my M.A. in CJ to be a terminal degree.

 

You sir are correct, my bad, in my head I was thinking about the MFA. Oh well, I blame the oversight on old age. :sly:

 

If teaching is the plan, the PhD would be better. If I was picking at a masters level, I would go with Kanasas over Capella but I would go with the The Chicago School over Kanasas. It looks like the Chicago School also offers a PhD that is under the "online/blend" section.

 

What about Grand Canyon University? It's affordable compared to The Chicago School (about 37k total costs versus over 3k per class for 20 or more courses @ The Chicago School). The issue with going the MS route is that she'll need a doctorate, soon. PhD from Capella would be the last on my list.

 

Avoid for-profits, if possible, if interested in teaching.

 

I would definitely choose KSU over Capella.

Some additional online graduate I/O Psych options for your friend to consider:

CSU Online Plus - Industrial/Organizational Psychology | Online Master's Degree - Colorado State University

Austin Peay State University : Welcome to Austin Peay

Masters Program in Organizational Psychology - The Massachusetts School Of Professional Psychology, Boston, Massachusetts

 

Even though I am a Capella grad, I would choose the MS from KSU. Your friend should be thinking about where to earn the doctorate though, considering her long range goals.

 

Thank you all for the great comments. I showed her the comments, and she is loving them along with the website. We might have another Degreeinfo convert in the making. :naughty:

 

Here's a question.....if you have a "grounding" with undergrad and grad degrees from B&M schools (like you and I do, Shawn), does that lessen any possible stigma with a doctorate from an online/DL/for-profit school?

 

K-State refers to the program as a terminal professional degree.

IMO - The K-State program is interesting but a bit pricey at $26K.

 

My perception is that my hire was due to my industry, military, and community college teaching experience. At my former community college, I was a division chair, co-chair of the curriculum/assessment committee, co-chair of the HLC Steering Committee, and Interim Academic Dean. The doctorate was a "check the box" requirement, IMHO, as my school was in the final stages of ACBSP candadacy.

 

Quick note on the use of the term "terminal" as it relates to graduate degrees.

A doctorate is considered a terminal degree if it is the last possible degree in the discipline AND concludes with a significant body of work such as a dissertation.

A masters is considered a terminal degree if there is no widely recognized doctorate in the field (such as Fine Arts) OR if the degree does not require a thesis.

The idea behind the terminal designation being given to a masters with no thesis is that the degree would not better qualify you for further work on a dissertation and would likely be used in the conventional working world.

Of course with today's online slant to education people use terminal masters as stepping stones to doctoral programs all the time, but it doesn't change a particular school's intent with the program or the correctness of the term.

 

I could call my Jeep an Abrams Tank, but that wouldn't make it so.

 

Hmm, Grand Canyon University seems like a reasonable choice:thinking: Does anyone have experience with Grand Canyon? Good? Bad? Or indifferent? To be honest, I've never heard of the school, however, I went to their website and they seem fine. :smile:

 

The best way to describe it is University of Phoenix + a B&M campus + a little bit of Jesus.

I sometimes jokingly call GCU "Greedy Christian University" because it is a for-profit Christian school.

The CEO, Executive VP, and CFO all came from Apollo Group (parent company of University of Phoenix).

Leadership Team | About Us | Grand Canyon University

I've never liked GCU much because 1) Anything associated with Apollo Group makes my skin crawl and 2) I don't think it's appropriate for a religiously-affiliated university to be for-profit. I realize that religiously-affiliated colleges frequently make revenue-driven decisions, but there is a difference between generating revenue to further the mission of the university vs. generating profit for shareholders while claiming a religious mission.

In GCU's case, I do wonder how serious they take their faith.

Mission and Vision | About Us | Grand Canyon University

From GCU's mission statement:

About the CFO--- "Mr. Bachus also is a certified public accountant and serves on the Board of Directors of the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center."

While Mr. Bachus may be a Messianic Jew, his position on this board of directors does raise questions about whether or not he is a Christian.

If he is, then there isn't an issue, but if he is not a Christian, it does make me question the sincerity of the "Christian" element at GCU.

GCU has historically been an evangelical Christian college, and in my experience with evangelical Christian colleges, it's well nigh impossible to get hired for any kind of leadership position without being a professing Christian. Many places even require pastoral references.

For me, I don't really care one way or another about the religious makeup of the leadership team if the school is consistent with its mission. I question, however, the sincerity of flying the "Jesus flag" everywhere without making Christian commitment a requirement for university leadership.

 

If anyone truly believes that no one profits from "non-profit" schools, I have some prime real estate in the Florida Everglades I'd like to sell you.

 

This quote made my day

 

If it is close to the water and South Beach, then sign me up. :naughty:

 

It's already been bought for the new Florida campus of Plantation University (joke for some of the DI/a.e.d. old-timers).