Research-only doctoral programs

Having found myself in a pickle of probably having to choose between studying "stuff" in which I have no interest, in addition to paying a ton of money, to do DL PhD work thru an RA institution, or pursuing such work thru an unaccredited school, I've begun to investigate more seriously the possibility of pursuing a research-only PhD program thru a British or Australian school. I've looked at UNISA, and found that it wouldn't meet my subject matter interests.

I'm 56 years old, my interest in this degree is not career-related, and my field of interest is defined by the title of a book written by Dr. Lionel Corbett at Pacifica Graduate Institute: "The Religious Function of the Psyche." Includes good stuff like Jungian psychology and mythology and history of religious traditions.

So - - as I begin this adventure of further investigation, does anyone out there have recommendations or cautions about DL research-only programs?

 

Great idea, Larry! This is the route I'm going myself, and it has the virtue of being possible (for someone who doesn't want to shell out $30,000+ and spend 35 days in residency, anyway).

A few things I'd watch out for:

- UNISA may be changing its name to Open Learning University of South Africa; we should know for sure in a month. If this is a concern, you may wish to wait a few more weeks and see what happens.

- From my memory of applying to UNISA in 1996, when they took five months to reject my application for a DLitt et Phil in Philosophy (I was young and foolish and only had a BA in Liberal Arts to my name), the registration process over there can be tricky; you may wish to contact IACI Canada and get them to help you through it.

- If you're dealing with a school that doesn't openly offer 100% nonresident doctorates (UNISA is a minority in doing so), you'll want to secure written assurances from someone in power that no residency requirements will be invoked. I saw a post from someone here who had enrolled in a "nonresident" Aussie research doctorate, was verbally assured that no residency would be required, and, a year later, was suddenly asked to fly across the pond; when she refused, they dropped her from the program. So you'll definitely want a signed letter from the Head of the School; the good news is that these sorts of things are generally fairly easy to secure if you're dealing with a South African uni, or an Australian uni that has offered nonresident doctorates through the same School in the past.

- You're fortunate in that what you want to study can be classified under a variety of headings--philosophy, theology, religious studies, psychology, cultural studies, humanities, interdisciplinary studies, and probably several fields I haven't thought of yet. You're also fortunate in that Jungians are _everywhere_ (even at the Southern Baptist college down south of here in Clinton, MS); if you want to study under a particularly good one, you might look up the relevant national Jungian society, or appropriate international Jungian societies that may have members in your target country.

- If you find yourself wandering over to psychology of religion, it's worth mentioning that this is technically my topic--psychology of religion, focusing on the rabbinic philosophy of Max Kadushin--so maybe we can share notes. I'm currently enrolled with an Australian uni, but still trying to secure the fully nonresident status before the withdrawal date (so that if I _can't_ secure fully nonresident status, I can drop out without paying anything and move on to the next prospect). (Once the situation has settled one way or the other, I'll mention which school I'm dealing with.)

Good luck.


Cheers,

 

OK, Larry. Let me see if I've got this right...
You want a 100% non-residential DL PhD program that will allow the exact topic of your interest with absolutely no (zero,zilch,nada,nunca) extra topics required. You need this to be extremely affordable (hey, who knows, maybe THEY might pay YOU!!??) and at the same time it must be completely respectable. It needs to be an extremely interesting program, challenging of course, but not inconvenient in any way. An internationally known faculty would be nice, and even better if they were available by email, telephone, fax and, ohhellwhynot, in person (they come to you of course) all on a 24/7 basis. The diploma should be on the large size, preferably in Latin, with several colored seals, a ribbon, and a bunch of signatures.
Now Larry, don't you think all that's just a bit unreas........hey, wait a minute! Larry, this sounds like the program that I've been looking for too!!!
OK,OK now for the real stuff. I really don't know where to point you to find that "special program." But maybe while you're looking for that ideal PhD program a Masters program would be enough to keep you off the streets? Look at these:
John F. Kennedy University
Naropa University
Prescott College
All three have DL Masters programs in areas directly related to Jungian Psychology. If it's really just the learning that interests you then maybe the RA Masters would be better than the Non-RA PhD. Good luck,
Jack

 

Larry,
Try the South African Theological Seminary/University of Zululand. The religion and psychology departs (Prof. Song (theology) and Prof. Edwards (psychology) seem to work really well together. Good Luck.

http://www.sats.edu.za

 

You must certainly be aware, Jack, that being particularly particular is one of the rights that comes with the onerous responsibilities of grandpahood.

Thank you for the names, Howard. I have looked at UNISA, but I'll follow up with a more detailed, with-names investigation.

Thanks again for your time and commentary, Gents. And now back to my Jungian Easter service.

 

oops, my mistake, Howard - - I confused the name of the seminary with UNISA.

Pushin' on - -