Help a brother out…?

Hi everyone,

My name's Jim, and I'm hoping you can give me some advice. I recognise I'm in an unfortunate situation and that there may be no easy answer, but hopefully if there is one I'm in the right place to find it. I chose this forum because accreditation isn't particularly important to me (see below) and it's by far the busiest forum on the board. If it should be somewhere else, I trust one of the mods will move it.

A little over a decade ago I studied philosophy at Lancaster University in the UK. My 1st year went well, and I was well on my way to getting a 1st.

However, in my 2nd year, a close family member died and my girlfriend and I experienced a lengthy breakup. I becomes depressed and wouldn't leave my room. I loved my subject, so I continued to study, but I didn't hand in any coursework or attend any exams. So, I failed.

No worries, nearly perfect grades in my 1st year meant there was no question of not being allowed to retake the year.

However things got worse, not better. The following year (my 3rd at the uni), the couple I lived with began an abusive relationship. I was kept awake regularly until the early hours of the morning, and it wasn't uncommon to wake up and find an ambulance outside. I never really recovered from my 2nd year, and remained a recluse, sitting on all my coursework, handing nothing in and attending no exams.

Although it's uncommon to be retake a year twice, my academic advisors faith in my work combined with my extenuating circumstances meant I was offered the opportunity to retake my 2nd year AGAIN!

I still loved philosophy, but I was a bit jaded by my experience, and the few friends I had at uni had graduated. I wasn't sure what to do.

That summer, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so I decided to drop out and spend the last year of her life with her. Over that year, I met the woman I'm now married to and fell into a far more social and happy life than I'd had at uni. Miraculously, my mum survived, and managed to get another 8 years of life before cancer finally did her in last year.

My obsession with philosophy never left me -- I'm a member of the Royal Society of Philosophy in the UK and a fellow of the International Society for Philosophic Enquiry and subscribe to a number of journals. Over the years, I've also had a handful of papers published in respected, peer reviewed journals.

It's always been a burning desire of mine to earn a ph in philosophy, and over the last year it's nagged at me fiercely. If I had my bachelors degree and some money, I would pursue a phd by publication -- but sadly, I have neither of those things. However, 2 things I DO have are a track record of respectable journal publications and a recently written dissertation (I wrote a 250 page philosophical book in my spare time).

What I'm hoping is that someone knows somewhere I can submit my thesis for evaluation and hopefully be awarded a phd.

I don't necessarily require that it's accredited (I have no interest in re-entering academia) but it does need to be legitimate -- I publish regularly and run a local philosophy meet up, so the last thing I want is a phd that makes me a laughing stock. I also don't want to whore out all this hard work for something that could be obtained with nothing more than a credit card number.

So, anyone have any leads for me? Any legitimate institutions that would evaluate my thesis for a phd? Sadly, undergoing IVF with my wife and supporting my crippled, widowed, father financially means that money IS an issue, and the most I could muster is likely a few thousand £'s (or dollars, or euros or whatever -- not bothered where in the world the degree comes from!)

Any help would really be appreciated… thanks in advance guys. Any questions, feel free to ask them here.

Jim

 

Jim,

What you seem to be asking for is a respectable, accredited doctoral program ready, willing and able to award you a degree without coursework.

If you have publications and are well regarded in the world of philosophy, you would do better to simply be a well respected "Mister" than to sully your reputation with an unaccredited degree or a degree from some place that just doesn't care about its own reputation and the integrity of the program.

Doctoral programs are not simply tasked with reviewing theses and dissertations. Universities aren't in the business of merely validating prior learning. You go there to learn and grow as a professional.

I respect that ones life trajectory can cause one to deviate from their life plan. However, you are asking for a way to take a legitimate shortcut where there really is none. If you desire credentials to teach, it is highly unlikely that a shortcut program, regardless of their accreditation, is going to give you what you're looking for.

Philosophy is the love of wisdom, not titles.

 

If you live in the UK, PhD by publication is still a most viable option.

However, in order to submit a thesis now, your references (and most likely data, if you went that way) must be up to date.

I would spend the time whipping my dissertation into shape, and then look for a mentor in your field who can help you get back into the UNI system. Looking for mentors is not that difficult.

Once you are under the auspices of a university, they will advise you what is needed to complete your dissertation.

That is one legitimate way. If you don't care about legitimacy, you can self publish.

 

It sounds like you live in the UK. There are a number of options available to you in the UK and Australia.

Just a few options for you to check out:

Charles Sturt University - Australia

University of Portsmouth - UK

University of Exeter - UK

 

Steve,

Which of those allow a person to bypass earning a bachelors degree and go straight to PhD?

You'll note that the OP stated he never earned his BA. So I must stand by my assertion that there is no legitimate way to skip the entirety of higher education on the basis of having your thesis reviewed.

Naturally, if there is such a program, I'd be very interested to learn of its existence.