DETC Doctorate program accreditation

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by Lerner, May 22, 2011.

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  1. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Distance Education and Training Council: Proposed Changes and Public Comment

    The Accrediting Commission will accept applications for only the following professional doctoral degrees for

    DETC accreditation:
    1. Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
    2. Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
    3. Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
    4. Doctor of Occupational Therapy (DOT)
    5. Doctor of Arts (specified fields) (DA)
    6. Doctor of Science (specified fields) (DSc)
    7. Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
    8. Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
     
  2. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    Interesting list. I am not sure yet whether they cover all of these fields. It is another option. Frankly, when a very expensive accredited doctorate from an RA DL school (no traditional B&M campus) like Capella or NCU may not do much more for you, it may be worth weighing the less expensive accredited option. You always need to see whether the degree will meet your needs. In one sense, if you want to study at the doctorate level, earn an accredited doctorate and the degree is not for use to be a tenured prof at an RA school (which is not exactly normally in the cards with an NCU or Capella degree anyway) why pay upwards of two or three times the amount of money. DETC is accepted by many companies and many arms of the government...etc. In fact, since the Aspen doctorate is around 7000, you may be talking about eight times as much at UoP when factoring in travel. Of course, the most utility probably comes from a SA doctorate where you pay about the same as DETC or less and have the equivalent of RA.
     
  3. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    Well stated

    Also DETC defines “professional doctoral degree” to mean a post-master’s graduate level degree that prepares
    individuals through internships, practical application of training, and/or specialized certifications, for professional
    practice (such as the Doctor of Business Administration), as opposed to research methodologies that are associated
    with academic doctorate degrees (such as the Doctor of Philosophy).
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Is there anyone actually offering th DSc degree?
     
  5. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

  6. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    That's interesting. I was asking because once upon a time I knew this guy who had one PhD and then he earned another PhD on top of it only because he already had a PhD they turned the second one into a DSc so that his credentials looked like

    John Smith PhD, DSc instead of John Smith PhD, PhD
     
  7. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    The question is, what is the use for these DETC doctorates? I believe most agree that programs from schools like NCU and Capella have some use for adjunct work, pay raises for university administrators and possible promotions for people teaching full time with a Master's degree.
    However, what is the use of a DETC doctorate? you cannot use them to become an adjunct, get pay raises, promotions in academic settings, etc. It seems that the only attractive feature is to be able to use the title "Dr" in a business card. The programs might be cheaper than RA programs and might have attractive coursework but I fail to see their value from the practical point of view.
     
  8. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    I would say that a fair number of NCU, UoP, and Capella grads get the degree for personal fulfillment and not necessarily for pay advantage. Some of those that are adjuncts in positions that essentially require a Masters did it for the right to be called "Dr.". There are companies that recognize DETC as do various arms of the gov't so there may be financial benefits to earning the DETC degree. In fact, I think I once say a teacher saying he would receive a pay raise for the DETC doctorate (though this is not universal).

    Again, if it is for personal fulfillment, you want to be a prof at a Nationally accredited school, and so on, the DETC doctorate may work for you. It is accredited, provides a doctoral level learning experience, and is more affordable.

    The way to go for utility is an RA Bricks and Mortar university or SA/AUS equivalent.
     
  9. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member


    I just don't know where to start.........
     
  10. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    Please start somewhere, because there has yet to be a convincing argument presented here on DI why anyone should pursue a NA Doctorate other than vanity.
     
  11. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Thanks, I suppose that personal satisfaction and professional improvement is the main motivator.

    I know a person that got a DETC doctorate as he is a professional trainer in IT and the title "Dr" helps him to get some credibility.

    I believe if a price is a major factor, I would rather have a doctorate from SA than a DETC one but I guess there are also many other factors to consider.
     
  12. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    DETC degrees are applied degrees so one can apply the Doctorate degree to their career.
    Also things change, whit time it's possible that the applied doctorates will lead to licensing in additional areas.

    I know number of instructors in RA universities who got their job based on their Masters degree, adding a Dr. is a plus to them even if its not RA.
    And for some of the for profits its a selling point. Its more attractive when your instructor is Doctor(who is paid $18 an hour to grade papers), even if they only grade your papers for most of the time :).

    I can see Principles in High School with DETC doctorates in Education and many other jobs.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2011
  13. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    I am aware of the "PhD for a pay raise" argument and I think it is a poor attempt to justify a degree that does not have much utility. I have worked for seven different colleges as an adjunct faculty member. These are all RA and a mixture of for-profit, public, and private institutions. Not ONE of them recognize an NA Doctorate for the purposes of pay increases of for establishing faculty rank. I just checked the current version of faculty handbooks for each and they all indicate that Doctoral degrees must come from a regionally accredited institution. I realize that it is a very small sample, by why would anyone choose to pursue a degree for this purpose when its acceptance is limited?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2011
  14. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    That's especially interesting since so many people place so much weight on the non-difference among PhD, EdD, DBA, DSc, etc. It's like saying a BS is higher than a BA, or an MA is higher than an MEd.

    -=Steve=-
     
  15. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    D e l e t e
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2011
  16. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    So what you are saying is that the only reason to get Doctorate is if one wants to teach?
    DETC is quite open about the purpose of their Doctorates, their primary propose is to be applied for careers other then faculty. Not that they can't be good professors its more like Ph.D's are more suitable for "Teaching Credential" Professorship.

    The reason to earn DETC Doctorate is to get highest professional degree for your work, industry etc.
    School Principle can be DEd, Computer Scientists can earn D.Sc in Computer Science , we have number of Doctors at work today, all hold honorable positions (All RA or International Equivalent) I don't see why there can't be a DETC DSc among them. I see Nurses earning DETC JD, DBA etc. District offcials who can earn DBA, or DeD. Army officers who can get promotions and higher knowledge in their careers etc.

    If a person is looking to be come a professor then today DETC Doctorate is not a good choice for them.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2011
  17. b4cz28

    b4cz28 Active Member

    There are several people who post negative things about this subject every time it comes up. We get it; it’s the same old story every time. You can’t use a NA degree to teach! But what about people like me? I own my own store and I have no want to teach, I can’t be promoted and if I want a raise I get one. I learn because I want to better myself, to open my mind and make wiser more educated choices in life. Does having RA make a degree worth more? Heck no. I have attended many schools sadly and the reason I’ve stuck with Andrew Jackson (DETC) is that it has had the best rigor and quality of any school I have been to. To think that a degree has no purpose because it does not fit your needs is just sad. I also don’t want to go broke when I do one. I think the whole process will be an enriching experience where I’m going to learn a ton. Many of you may have the funds to do a RA doctorate, I do not and if it was not for DETC schools I would not be able to go as far as I have with my education. When you talk NA’s lack of value or use you have to remember that not everyone wants to teach and there are many people out there who have looked into its usefulness to them and their occupation and found that the degree fits their needs.
     
  18. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    Notice I did not mention anything about wanting to learn, that is not what the discussion is about. I get the whole NA thing and totally agree with your rationale to a point - that point being the undergraduate level and the graduate level in some circumstances.

    However, at the Doctoral level the benefits of getting a Doctoral degree from a DETC school because it is cheaper are quickly outweighed by the fact that anyone who knows anything about Doctoral degrees and accreditation do not view them as being on par with an RA one. Normally, that crowd would be in higher education so you are correct in that regard. If you are considering another audience to sell those credentials to (one that does not know the difference), then it is a vanity degree.

    I am not sure I follow you entirely because you directly contradict yourself with the following.........

    So is pursuing a degree that meets your needs (regardless of what those are) important or not?

    Like I said, NA fits the bill for many up to a point. At the Doctoral level, its lack of utility appears to be nothing but a money grab through the selective targeting of vanity needs by those unwilling to pursue the standard at that level which is RA. Would you buy a Ferrari that you could only drive one day a year just to say you are a Ferrari owner?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 25, 2011
  19. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    So what you are saying is that the only reason to get Doctorate is if one wants to teach?

    There is utility for DETC accredited Doctorates.

    DETC is quite open about the purpose of their Doctorates, their primary propose is to be applied for careers other then faculty. Not that they can't be good professors its more like Ph.D's are more suitable for "Teaching Credential" Professorship.

    The reason to earn DETC Doctorate is to get highest professional degree for your work, industry etc.

    School Principle can be DEd, Computer Scientists can earn D.Sc in Computer Science , we have number of Doctors at work today, all hold honorable positions (All RA or International Equivalent) I don't see why there can't be a DETC DSc among them. I see Nurses earning DETC JD, DBA etc. District offcials who can earn DBA, or DeD. Army officers who can get promotions and higher knowledge in their careers etc.

    If a person is looking to be come a professor then today DETC Doctorate is not a good choice for them.
     
  20. Cyber

    Cyber New Member

    I'm shooting for exactly two doctorates - a PhD and a DSc. Why? my father has a PhD. My Mom has an EdD. I want to accomplish what they did not, which is to earn two doctorates. A good reason to pursue two doctorates right? Sadly, I haven't started any doctorate program yet, and it does feel like a very long road ahead. Craziness?
     

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