Union Institute, Ph.D Program

I came across the Union Institute & University by happenstance while I was looking at the term "Master of Arts" in the Google search engine. I am totally amazed at how nicely laid out their doctoral program is for casual observers on the internet. Here it is:

• Doctoral Timeline: here
  
  (The above link is an excellent page, as it shows the entire program from start to finish -- It is very impressive because it allows the potential student to visualize his own potential timeline).
  
• Doctoral Process: here
  
• Doctoral Programs: here
  
• et al: here

 

From UIU website: Your doctoral learning may include plans to attend classes of various sorts, Seminars, laboratory sessions, supervised practice, individual reading programs, workshops and conferences, presentations at professional meetings, or fieldwork—whatever helps you learn, wherever you find it, however you find that you learn best, as long as it is approved by your committee.


Tuition is rather high for the doctoral program. Am I to assume that the considerable costs of the above requirements are added to the yearly tuition? Classes and conferences are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. I shudder to think of the final cost for that degree. There's got to be a better way

Leslie

 

If finances are your sole consideration, you might consider some South Africian Universities. I'm told that you can get a doctorate for about 5000 American dollars (and it's properly accredited).

 

Union's tuition is actually quite competitive when compared to similar programs (such as Capella, Fielding, Phoenix, Saybrook, Walden, etc.). Remember that the tuition is based on a year-round schedule, not the normal nine-month academic term. It includes the cost of Union colloquia and seminars except for travel/accommodations.

Not all Union learners opt to take classes or courses elsewehere; in fact, very few do so - the bulk of learners engage in extensive independent studies, which is what sets Union apart from otehr doctoral programs in the U.S. (Generally, the ones who attend classes per se elsewhere are those who require a structured didactic environment to learn well.) The cost of any (non-Union) conferences and workshops are generally assumed by students in any doctoral program, and the frequency of these depend on one's field. There are also many freebie workshops and seminars in the real world and, for those who opt to take non-Union courses, they may be taken on an audit basis rather than a credit basis (in order to save bucks).

In short, any regionally accredited U.S. doctoral program will be expensive. But on the whole, Union is no more expensive than its counterparts and, since the degree can be earned in a minimum of two very full-time years (as opposed to the five to seven years common to many canned programs), it can even run cheaper than its competition.

For what it's worth, I estimate the total cost of my Ph.D. at about $30,000, which covers the whole ball of wax - tuition, travel and accommodations, books, conference and workshop fees, etc. That, of course, was a dozen years ago (I graduated in 1991), and all programs have increased significantly in cost since then. And it was well worth it, since I can now laugh at everyone who earns a cheap unaccredited foreign degree.
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The usual disclosure statement: I did my Ph.D. at Union, and I was one of the "two-year wonders." I did so without taking any external courses, although I did attend a merdeload of seminars, workshops, and conferences, which I would have had to do in any program if I wanted to cover my bases. The average Union program is three to three-and-a-half years, still less than most traditional doctorates.

 

To my mind, the most attractive aspect of the Union doctoral program is the students ability to customize the degree program to suit their own interests/needs. It may not be the cheapest program around but at least you're getting exactly what you want.
Jack