Gimme the dirt on DSU and Nova

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by wingshot, Dec 19, 2019.

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  1. wingshot

    wingshot New Member

    It seems a disproportionate percentage of our active members tried and didn't like University of the Cumberlands. Then, some of our members seem to have toured multiple PhD programs...

    So, what's the problem with Dakota State University (DSU) and Nova Southeastern University (NSU)? We don't have a 15 page thread on either one of these (and yet we have so much to say about University of the Cumberlands).

    I found a few comments in the forums, sporadically about these two. They require letters of recommendation so you none of you applied to either? ;) Tell me all about your experiences or have none of us toured either of these? Will I be the first...?
     
  2. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    Without going and checking/re-checking, my casual opinion of these schools is that DSU has small admission numbers, very selective admissions standards and is, in general a tough school. As for Nova, I think about it as being expensive, considering what it is (and what it isn't). I think both are good, legitimate schools. I'd be happy to have a degree from either one. I think Cumberlands gets more attention because we've got some members with personal experience there and because it's one of the more affordable options in those subject areas.
     
  3. wingshot

    wingshot New Member

    Actually DSU is cheaper than UofC, so I am not sure affordability is the difference on this forum.
     
  4. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    I have no experience with Nova and don't care to. I have applied to DSU twice (declined both times) and was a student at U of C until I found that program lacking for reasons I've already shared elsewhere. Other than those foibles, I've finished every program I've started and the list is in my signature. I do not consider myself a program jumper.

    I would love to get in to DSU. I'm still working towards that goal. The reasons for my declines (I feel) are two-fold.

    1. I planned to get into specific programs as part of a long-range process. Between the time I applied for the DSU programs and the time I started my plan to get there, the requirements changed for the DSU program and I was no longer qualified. This happened twice. Rather frustrating.

    2. The cost of the program at DSU is low and the quality is high, so there's plenty of people to choose from and it seems to me that the slant is towards folks that are dead center fits for any program. I also believe that my background with WGU is not helping the cause due to the way they calculate GPA. They seem to accept from other online schools as I know a few folks who have gotten in from schools that I consider lesser than WGU.

    So I either offended someone in admissions or I just need to get the comp sci degree. At late 40s I'm contemplating simply putting the goal away and being happy with what I've already accomplished.
     
  5. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    DSU is cheaper depending on the program. The online non-resident computer science tuition per credit hour is actually higher than UofC for graduate level courses.
     
  6. wingshot

    wingshot New Member

    At DSU, did you apply only to the Cyber Operations PhD or also the Cyber Defense as well?

    What do you know about Nova that causes you not to want to deal with them?

     
  7. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    Neither of those programs existed at the time that I applied.

    The Cyber Operations Ph.D was a D.Sc in Cyber Operations at the time and required an undergraduate in computer science or allowed you to take bridge courses if you didn't have that credential. Now a full masters in computer science is required to apply to the program.

    The Cyber Defense Ph.D did not exist. My second attempt was the MSACS which would have given me the background to attempt the Cyber Ops Ph.D once complete. I believe that program has been decommissioned.

    The change to their programs occured in the last year or so, I do intend to apply for the Ph.D Cyber Defense, but I expect that they only have 12-15 spots and there will be a ton of folks who apply. It reads non-technical and compared to the Ops program requires more credits.

    On Nova - Too expensive. If I was in my twenties I might think about it. In my 40s I'd rather put that money towards retirement. If someone has a good tuition reimbursement program I see no problem with them.
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2019
    wingshot likes this.
  8. dlcurious

    dlcurious Member

    At one point I was seeking additional info on their D.Sc. program and was told cohorts run 10-12 spots. So there's that.
     
  9. Tolu19

    Tolu19 New Member

    Question: do remote PhDs like the one from Dakota State University qualify when applying for H1B1 visa?
     
  10. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    That GPA deal is unfortunate. I've read people needing just a 3.2 in order to get into their chosen Doctoral program, but that 3.0 hardline from WGU prevented that. I understand WGU's reasoning behind it, but still.
     
  11. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    You'd need to check the rules of the visa program to be sure. That said, I can advise from the other side of it that many schools require H1 visa holders to be local to the school and taking traditional rear in chair programs. I can tell you that University of the Cumberlands is heavy H1 in their distance programs at this time.

    Trump administration is aiming at distance programs that are heavy H1 right now, so it's a matter of time (assuming no administration change) for the distance H1 thing to go away or be seriously curtailed.
     
  12. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    Yes, fortunately some schools do scale, and I have a 3.8 from UMass to offset the stigma, but some schools are highly selective and particular.

    I also think that people assume that simply because a program is online, that they scale to handle a larger number of students. In many cases this isn't the case. DSU is one example where a cohort coming in may only consist of 12-15 students.
     
  13. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    Yeah, only thing you can do is keep applying and hopefully persistence and quality of app pays off. Ultimately though, lots of competition.
     
  14. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Do you mean an F-1 visa, to come as a student, or an H-1B visa, to work in the U.S. for a specific employer after the degree is complete? If the former, no, you can't come to the U.S. on a student visa is you're in a distance learning program. If the latter, I'm not sure that having that degree matters for eligibility, but if it does it shouldn't matter that it was earned by distance.
     
  15. Tolu19

    Tolu19 New Member

    The latter. I am in Canada and was wondering if I will be able to participate in the first 20,000 cap for the H1B1 visa program if I take the remote program (but was not on F1 visa because it was remote).
     
  16. Tolu19

    Tolu19 New Member

    Do you mean Trump is most likely going to cancel H1B1 for those who completed remote PhD programs and are planning to come to the US after the program?
     
  17. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I'm only speaking for myself but my guess is that no one wants to try to predict what Trump is going to do with this issue. There's something that makes me think that it's not exactly at the top of his ToDo list. But even if anyone thought they knew what he was going to do, I would hesitate to make any big decisions based on that information alone.
     
  18. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    As Kizmet has rightfully said, I don't want to speculate. It's Trump.

    So here's the skinny. Sorry for being alarmist I should have been more careful with my wording.

    F1 - Student visa - you don't have a job. You're a student and you're expected to be rear in chair or why have the visa. Usually lasts as long as you're in school with some grace time once you leave.
    H1 - Work visa - you have a job. You're supposed to have a degree already but equivalency is a thing. It lasts six years and you may express interest in becoming a permanent resident.
    B1 - Business visa - you have stuff to do in America, you can stay three months to take care of your stuff. After that you must leave and may not express interest in becoming a permanent resident.

    The issue with the H1 is the equivalency thing. It's been known to be abused. It's supposed to be used to take degrees earned in other places and show that they're equivalent to degrees from here. In many cases people have gone to tech schools and gotten an equivalency bureau to attest to it, or they've gotten a waiver because their job sponsor is a big deal and does a lot of H1. (Think Google level).

    So the first rumble from "Trump" (which is the term I'll use to refer to the administration) was that we have a lot of folks in the country that shouldn't be because of bad equivalency. Then the next rumble was that we had a lot of college programs that were allowing H1 holders with waivers to get degrees at a distance. "How do we know they're who they are.. " silliness. Obvious play to the scared folks that think jobs are being taken away from "Americans". Whatever.

    So what I've seen -
    1. One school have a friendly visit to audit their H1 student body
    2. Different school post that H1 holders can not be distance students.
    3. General rumbling amongst those I know in accreditation circles that the equivalency program is going to get looked at once I chatted with them about points 1 and 2.

    None of this is indicative that you won't be able to apply for a H1 if you have completed a US Ph.D via distance though I can't speak to the admissions requirements for international distance students at whatever school you're intending to pledge.

    Regardless, I meant this as friendly conversation, not alarming reality as I don't have the ability to provide references to personal anecdotes despite personally-known validity. Writing this so I'm taken with the appropriate context, which wasn't how you took it and largely my fault. Again, my apologies.
     
  19. SnafuRacer

    SnafuRacer Active Member

    ITJD, thanks for the blurb of experience on DSU.
    I too have an M.S from WGU. I guess I'm a wash for applying to DSU then with it, innit?

    I was planning to get an MBA from Macquarie or Chicago to offset it. Also looking at the MCIT from Penn as well.
    Craziness at work and stuff is preventing long term planning, between a trip to Baghdad last year and now stationed in Korea amid the CV19 craziness.

    Anyway, I wonder if I should try my luck to apply to DSU or wait until I finish another M.S to offset the other from WGU.
     

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