Thinking about NCU

I have followed this site from a distance for quite some time. I recently joined the fray and quite sheepishly sift through the maze of DL Doctoral programs. My goal is to one day become an adjunct instructor. I wish to continue my career in the federal government so a PhD probably is not useful to me from what I am told. Cost is a great concern as well as reputation. I am seriously considering NCU. I do believe you are an alum, yes? I may have you mistaken...I humbly request recommendations. IRT Cyber's comments...I've tried to see it through his lenses, but I come up empty. The costs are daunting to say the least, but last time I checked there were no Doctoral degrees available at Walmart...

 

I moved this post from the middle of another thread so that it can be seen and answered by more members. Learn4ever, I hope that was OK with you. If not, let me know and I'll put it back.

 

You could do that now with a masters. Make sure you understand the ROI and are okay with that before you start any PhD program. Adjunct pay is extremely low. Most adjuncts now do it as a hobby, not to make a living.

 

How sad it is that becoming an adjunct professor is now reason for pursuing a PhD!

My advice: DO NOT do it for this reason alone. If it is one of many reasons, perhaps, but even completing a PhD is no guarantee of finding a position as an adjunct instructor.

 

Pay is about 1500 per course at a teaching University and about 3000 at a research University.

You can make a living as adjunct if you optimize your time and teach courses in the same areas and try to get as many courses from better paid universities.

Some people claim 175K as an adjunct but I think 80K is a reasonable expectation. I used to make this much adjuncting for 5 to 6 places at the time. The problem is that your schedule is always hectic and job security is low.

If the PhD is paid by the employer and it is not so demanding then it might not be such a bad option for people looking for self employment or money on the side.

It might be sad to get a PhD only to become a professional adjunct but to be honest I dont see another reaso to get one from a low profile institution. Most employers that might be willing to pay for a PhD are not willing to consider low profile schools.

Most people that I know that get PhDs from NCU are professional adjuncts. They might do a bit of consulting on the side but their main income comes from teaching.

Alternatives to self employment exist such as getting a CPA license but not everyone is cut to open a practice.

I remember watching an episode of house hunters international and the person looking to live overseas was a professional online adjunct. The online adjunct profession provides the flexibility to live in different countries that is something you cannot do with a regular job.

 

I never thought of that; very interesting. Maybe the pay is not that high but you can do the same job from anywhere in the world. Hmmm, live in Hawaii, surf in the mornings, adjunct online in the afternoon. Hmmm.

 

I have a good relationship with a lady with a PhD from NCU, she is a professional adjunct. She makes money also with course development, faculty mentoring, coaching, etc.
It is not a profession that can make you rich but you are your own boss.
There are risks and we have discussed them already. I see a trend to pay lower salaries as more PhDs become available. There is also the risk that if more people start getting PhDs from better schools then people with PhDs from low profile schools like NCU might not be able to get even online adjunct positions.
However, there are risks with any profession. I would only do it if the PhD is paid by the employer and it doesnt take too much time of your schedule.

 

Why? You can make $70K or so and work your own hours. It is not much sadder then getting a degree to do anything else. How sad is it to have the option to turn down work, work when ever you want and from where ever you want. The trade off is, of course, job security. But then again job security is not what it used to be anyway.

 

Agreed but if you are ahead of the curve and have some published papers and teaching experience that goes a long way...that is what I am banking on anyway.

 

We were lucky as we were able to profit from the boom of online education. My comment is for people taking the program now. 5 years from now you might have a completely different scenario as people are getting doctorates from better schools that offer online programs.

For people like us that are already in the teaching business, it not about the degree but about performance. However, the risk is that you get the PhD and nobody gives you even online adjunct opportunities. Your degree might get old and then at some point it becomes a waste of money and time.

I think that the lowest risk approach would be to build some adjunct reputation with your masters and do the PhD on the side. This is what I did but the amount of work almost killed me.

 

Credential inflation. An MA used to be sufficient to teach as an adjunct instructor. The OP has TWO MAs. If it is for personal fulfillment, consulting, etc. along with being an adjunct professor, then sure, go for it, but a PhD is an awful lot of time and expense for the hope of POSSIBLY teaching online.

Also, I highly doubt that the OP would make anywhere close to $70k as an adjunct by the time the OP enters the marketplace, especially if the OP retains the government job.

 

I made a fair amount with my MS from Touro and it funded my PhD (if I would have had to pay out of pocket). I do not think I would have gone down the PhD route if I was not already teaching with a masters. Imagine going for a PhD to teach only to find you don't like teaching! :aargh4:

 

You are right, when I started teaching 12 years ago the MA was more than enough for online gigs. Online education has made the graduate degrees more accesible and it is common to see people with two or three masters degrees and a PhD teaching online.

Yourself seem to be doing a second masters degree. A couple of years ago, I interviewed a candidate for a position as a part time instructor at my school that was going for his second PhD. The individual wanted to teach very badly and felt that a second PhD would help.

It is getting harder to get online teaching positions. I have seen new ads that not just call for a PhD but also recent publications. Randell and me are already working for some online schools but the new candidates are going to have to write articles on top of the PhD just to get a gig. Some also ask for an AACSB accredited doctorate.

As I said, 5 years from now the situation mght be different. There is also the risk that online education might take a hit with the current economy. I have already a problem as some of my online classes only run with one or two students. Masters programs at one Institution that I work dont run as nobody is taking a masters now. There is no reason to get a second or third master if nobody is hiring and willing to pay for it. Positions that require a PhD normally become less available in a bad economy.

As I said, if the employer is paying for your PhD then go for it. The ROI might be very questionable if you pay from your own pocket. The risk is that you end with a credential that you cannot use and just becomes a waste of money and time.

There is also the time that you are willing to put for extra online teaching. Randell seems to be killing himself as for 70K extra as you probably need to be teaching more than 5 classes at the time and putting another 50 hrs a week on top of your regular job. No offence Randell but this cannot be good for your health. A reasonable amount of extra teaching is two to three classes per term so this means only about 5K per term and if you teach 4 terms a year about 20K that seems to be reasonable for someone already working.

 

I didn't mean to misrepresent myself. I didn't say I was making 70K, I was trying to make the point that you could make 70K if you adjunct full-time. I am fortunate that I teach at one school that offers the graduate-level classes they typically have two or three students. I don't know how many students they had the past because they just started getting graduate-level classes from them. These low enrollment classes pay $500 per student so I can make a couple bucks and is not trying to juggle a class with 20+ students. if someone is a full-time job and wants to maintain some quality of life ( and not work until midnight every night plus weekends) than 20K is a reasonable amount to shoot for. When I first started teaching online my goal was to make an extra $200 or $300 a week.

 

Sorry, I misunderstood. I think 20K a year extra is reasonable. Some executive online programs pay 7 to 10K per class but many look for high profile instructors that might not fit the ones with online PhDs.

I used to work for an engineering firm that paid over time at one and a half per hour. If you are lucky enough to work for places where overtime is available, you are better off working overtime than doing an online PhD.

Some places also pay you extra if you have a PhD. I used to teach at the community college level and the PhD gave me a 15% increase.

Every situation is different so I guess the decision to pursue a low profile doctorate might have a different impact depending on each individual situation.

 

All,

I feel I should continue my thought or atleast clarify it. Please forgive my cloudy delivery...I would like to become an adjunct instructor. I would pursue a DBA in Organizational Leadership, HR Management, or something similar. I do not plan to leave the federal government. I could be wrong but 16 years of federal service is a lot to walk away from to start a new adventure.

I have been told I have achieved a lot and should "give back" or "pay it forward" by sharing my "gifts and talents". I don't feel I have accomplished much at all nor do I feel particularly gifted or talented. Not even sure if I am cut out for Doctoral Programs...Questing a Doctoral degree just seems to be the logical step in my personal and professional progression.

NCU was referred to as a low profile institution. Does that mean low profile as in "little known" or poor in quality. I am open to other suggestions. I appreciate all input...The more info the better...Sorry for the soliliquy...still learning...

 

I'm serving as a mentor for the Capella University Alumni Association and am working with a gentleman who graduated a year before I did, but is still trying to get his foot in the door.

If the goal is to be an adjunct instructor, I don't believe a PhD in and of itself will do it. I'll give the OP the same advice I gave my mentee, look hard for on ground adjunct positions at tech schools, community colleges, etc. In addition, it's always a good idea to follow-up about a week before the term starts, because "things happen."

Shawn

 

It depends also a lot on your luck and field of expertise. I know that many of the people that graduated with PhDs in Computer Science or IT have not been able to land work in the last 5 years as many computer related programs have very low enrollments.

Investment in graduate education is a gamble, you might be able to get return or not based on the economy.

Things change a lot in five years, you might start a PhD in accounting now and by the time you finish there are no more accounting positions because nobody is taking accounting classes.

 

I do not expect ever to teach online, although I would be open to it if the opportunity arose. The MAIS I'm pursuing through WNMU is for fun and with the outside option of possibly teaching a freshman composition class at the university where I work. Even if I don't teach, however, I'm still enjoying the opportunity to pursue a degree for the love of learning instead of for practicality's sake, and WNMU's price is very right....less than half the cost of in-state tuition at the state university a few miles from my house. I'm mostly just doing what I wish I had done. Now, if the tuition discount for part-time students goes away, I'll just drop the program.

I should have pursued an English education degree as an undergraduate student, but instead I meandered about in religion/ministry and later followed up with human services.

 

I think you have it right, we should study because we love the subject and not just because it provides ROI.

At some point I was studying a degree in Ufology but I dropped it, I should continue even if it doesnt lead to any teaching opportunities.

Some peeople in this forum are pursing doctorates at African schools, these seem good options for subjects that do not have a high ROI but just fulfill personal interests. It is not all about money.