Capella, Walden, NCU or...? Help me choose, please!

I am still on the quest for the doctoral program of my dreams and I am now looking at the following programs for a doctorate with an HR Management emphasis:

Capella
Walden
NCU



Pros and cons of each program based on personal experiences with costs, rigor, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Hi Marylars,

I can't speak about NCU, but I'll be happy to provide my thoughts on Walden and Capella, particularly from an HRM perspective.

I started with Walden first, and although they do have some faculty with HR expertise, I would have had to do the self-designed track, since there's no actual HRM focus in any of the Walden concentrations. I decided that I didn't like this approach, mainly because it was going to be such a solo journey; I preferred the more standard American Ph.D., with coursework first, then dissertation.

So, I've been in Capella now for a little over a year (although I took some time off during my divorce), and although I'm under the General Organization & Management track instead of the HRM track (simply for logistical reasons -- more of my transfer credits were accepted that way), I've chosen my electives from the HRM offerings, and my research is in this area, too.

I have found the HRM faculty at Capella to be outstanding, very sharp, and very involved, both in the curriculum offerings as well as with the students. My HRM classes have been the best, by far, of all the ones I've taken, and I also greatly appreciate the freedom the professors let you have in planning your own research area, even if it might not quite fit with the actual focus of the class.

The HRM classes have been written under a knowledge economy/global paradigm, with the emphasis on looking toward HRM's role in the future. Of course, you do get an historical view in one of the classes, but the emphasis throughout is very up-to-date, cutting edge thinking about HRM.

I would recommend the Capella Ph.D. in HRM without reservation, and am enjoying my journey through it immensely.

Cheers,
Adrienne

 

addendum

Sorry, I just realized I didn't really answer your post, as in pros and cons!

Okay, let's see, the pros -- I find most of my classes at Capella, particularly those in HRM, to be quite rigorous. I have not felt in the school of business like I'm not getting my money's worth. I did take two classes out of the school of education, and one of those I did think was a joke (and provided feedback as such on the course evaluation). I would add the caveat that I probably could do less and still maintain my 4.0 gpa, but I have extremely high self-standards for my research and writing, and so choose not to do the minimum to just get through.

Of course, a big con is that Capella is expensive, and I really don't like the pay-by-the-quarter tuition instead of by the class. However, that being said, I realize it's a trade-off for me, since I can't attend a B&M from where I live, so I think it's worth it -- I'm getting a quality education in my program.

The residencies are incredible. One of my HRM professors called them "a spa for the mind", and that's spot on. They are exhausting -- you're in seminars from 8-6 each day for a week, but you learn loads, meet and network with other learners and faculty members, and generally have a great time. One thing I have learned is if it's possible at all, try and attend the residencies that coincide with the week off between quarters -- it's a lot to handle if you're still in classes and attending a residency.

Hope this information and my previous posting helps!

Cheers,
Adrienne

 

Hi Marylars.

If you have any specific questions about NCU I would be happy to assist. Feel free to PM me. I am taking the Management Specialization.

 

I'll throw in my two cents, also.

I looked at Capella, Walden, Union, Saybrook, Fielding, and Nova, when I was checking out Ph.D.'s NorthCentral U. was not an option or at least, it was not regionally accredited then.

I chose, Capella because of:

1. Psychology dept. permitted paying by course instead by year of part of year regardless of classes (Union, Saybrook, Fielding, Walden?).

2. Capella was founded by a former CEO of a For-Profit company and was committed to expanding and making the name "Capella" big. I did not see that with the other schools. I felt that visibility and name recognition would help after I would graduate.

3. Capella accepted 30 semester credits right into the doctorate. Walden only 24. NCU now does accept 30. Nova only 6 and Fielding only 6 if any.

4. Capella has outstanding faculty. Of course, others do also.

5. I could do a Ph.D. in record time due to transfer credits.

6. Lots of residential colloquias around the USA for your residential component. NCU does not require any (that's a plus or minus, depending on what is important to you).

7. Already lots and lots of graduates. I believe they have already surpassed the other online schools, in terms of grads (Ph.D.) out there, especially teaching in academia. That opens doors for me at other institutions. I once did a google search and found hundreds in academia.

8. They are gunning for all the national accreditations. They already have CACREP for Masters level counseling. They are soon to get APA accreditation for Clinical/Counseling Psychology. They are working on Education and School Psychology. I'm not up on the business school or technology school.

Hope this helps.

 

I went with NCU because -
No residency
Reasonable cost
felxible schdule
PhD in Business with a concentration

On the downside-
new school
not tied to a traditional school / name


I have been very impressed with the staff and customer service so far. The classes are challanging and I have learned a lot.

I am very happy with my choice

 

However, the clinical PsyD program now only allows a max of 6 semester credits that can be transferred. This is only for the clinical psychology program though. The school has become quite strict about many things as they seek APA accreditation. I think that if everything goes as planned, they should get it within the next 2-3 years.

S

 

Thanks, all!

This is precisely what I love about this place. You all have been a tremendous help. In addition to the information you have shared with me, I've been doing a little outside research and Capella definitely seems to have a good reputation.

A question about the financial side of things...

I see their doctoral programs are $3750 per quarter. How are their quarters set up and, typically, how many courses have you been able to reasonably fit into a quarter? I guess what I'm trying to get at is an approximate cost per quarter hour so that I feel like I am comparing apples-to-apples costwise.

Thanks...

Mary

 

one more question...

Have any of you had any experience with their residencies yet? The timing of them might play into my decision based on work schedule requirements. Thanks!

 

I earned my PhD with Capella, and naturally I recommend it. I started Capella, switched to Nova for 3 classes, then went back and completed my program.

I switched to Nova because of the local cluster classes, but I found that just like online classes, some professors are suberb, and others are terrible---and I lost patience with spending and entire weekend hearing an awful professor ramble on and on....

 

quarters and residencies

As for the quarter system at Capella, it's usually standard that if you work full-time, you normally take two classes each quarter, although some people do take three . . . I'm planning on doing that fall quarter this year, so that I'll be finished with my classes in December. Apparently, taking three and working full-time means resigning yourself to near insanity for 12 weeks, but can be done.

There are, IIRC, about 6-7 residencies spread throughout the year, at different locations, so usually finding one that fits with your work/vacation schedule is not too much of a problem.

Although Capella recommends you only take one course (+ doctoral learning lab) the first quarter, if you have experience with DL, I'd recommend going ahead and taking two. I did, and it was no problem.

Cheers,
Adrienne

 

Thanks, Adrienne-

Just to I'm clear on this...the tuition is the same per quarter no matter how many courses you take in that particular quarter, right?

 

Recommend NCU

I can not speak for HR Management, but as for the school itself, I chose
NCU because it is considerably more flexible for a full time working adult than any of the others I checked out and it costs less than all of the other RA schools that I know of, that offer the a program I would be interested in (Ph.D. in Education). I like that NCU charges per credit, not per term. While you could probably "get your money's worth" by taking lots of courses each term at Capella, I appreciate knowing that if I have heavy outside responsibilities, I can just take one course at a time at NCU and if I need to I can take an entire 16 weeks to finish it, but hopefully I won't take more than 8 weeks per course so that on average, I will complete two courses per term (three terms a year). A con for some is that NCU does not offer title IV Financial Aid. I also work for Walden and though they did not offer me what I wanted for my Doctorate, I can't say enough good things about the Master's Degree programs for teachers. Walden is definitely high quality and growing in reputation. Good luck with your decision!

 

That is correct, although if you want to take more than 3 per quarter, you have to get permission from your school. It makes sense; I can't imagine anyone being able to do so if they are working full-time -- there's just not enough time in a day to get it all done.

Cheers,
Adrienne

 

Think long and hard before going with NCU

I Know some on here will tell you that NCU worked for them. However, it was the worst decision I ever made in choosing an online college... The school like some one quoted earlier is still new to distance learning. NCU administrative level needs to mature a little more maybe with time it will become a good online college for everyone. But at the moment it only works for a couple of people...NCU do have some good programs but the way staff handles financial issues is terrible and some of their professors you have to force to grade your assignments.

 

Re: Think long and hard before going with NCU

I can't speak about financial issues with NCU because I didn't use student loans: I never had a problem.

From my experience with NCU, of the two NCU professors I had, they usually graded my assignments within a day or two. I never had to force either professor to grade anything. The last professor I had usually graded my assignments within a few hours of me posting it!

My experience with NCU was a good one, however, I just got accepted to ODU so I am going to give ODU a try and go for a PhD in engineering. If I find that I don't like ODU, I will probably return to NCU.

 

Re: Think long and hard before going with NCU

As far as the worst decision...I disagree. The customer service is better than TUI's was. As far a financial issues, I pay with a credit card and get tuition assistance so I can't not comment.

The two classes I have taken so far have been great. The papers are graded quickly, one instructor had them graded in HOURS.

 

Re: Re: Think long and hard before going with NCU

I wish I had your instructors because the one I had was horrible...At first I thought it was just a fluke until students from other courses at NCU e-mailed complaining of the same problem. However, I did have another class at NCU were the teacher did a great job at making the course fun and graded the work on time. Nevertheless, that other lazy teacher gave me a headache..

 

Going a different direction...

Thanks to all of you for your comments and insight! They were all very helpful. I wanted to let you know what I have decided...and was curious to see if anyone else here has any experience with Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI.

After a thorough review of these and other programs, I have opted to apply to Andrews University's PhD in Leadership.

http://www.andrews.edu/leadership/info.html

I did my master's at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and Andrews (approximately 30 miles away) enjoys a fine reputation back in that neck of the woods.



From the website:

>>>How does Leadership work?
Leadership works through a collaborative structure. Each year approximately 20 applicants are accepted for the program and are assigned to a faculty advisor/mentor. Leadership emphasizes job-embedded competencies in lieu of coursework, making it field-based and flexible.

Leadership requires a one-week, on-campus orientation during the first year.. During the course of the program, all students and faculty meet for several days during the annual Leadership Conference.

Leadership promotes study groups. The synergy that occurs when participants work together to reach common goals is one of the program's most important tools for success!<<<

It is a competency-based and research oriented program that looks pretty interesting.

 

Andrews University is an Adventist school. Be advised that the Adventist curriculum is the most rigorious that I've ever endeavored to complete, bar none. I took some classes from Columbia Union College. Good luck.