University of South Africa Doctor's Degree

Re: Unisa doctorate

Haggai, what's the topic of your DTh thesis?

Tom

 

Haggai,

Would you mind sharing your reasons for transferring from the other SA school?

I'm wondering if you encountered some of the same problems that I did.

Thanks.

Roscoe

 

sshuang,

Check your Private Messages.

 

Unisa etc..

Thesis topic not fully determined as yet.... but will be in the area of Modern Church History.

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Transferred because of some ongoing changes in the SA system, that are affecting individual schools in different ways. Some are becoming more technically oriented -- like U-Zululand -- where traditional departments are experiencing cut-backs / down-sizing.

SA system -- especially at Unisa -- seems to depend a whole bunch on who your supervisor / promoter is. Some are better communicators than others ..... some are older and not as familiar with e-mail, etc. Makes a practical difference all around.

In the business department, however, I would have to believe they are 'up to speed.' SA in general has to fight harder to be competitive in all sorts of global markets.

 

UNISA would stand a much better chance than NCU outside the US for sure. Schools like NCU are regarded more as business than Universities.

UNISA wouldn't be questioned because it is a goverment sponsored institution with many years of history. It has full time faculty conducting research that publish in recognized journals. There are many faculty members around the world with UNISA degrees as well.

However, if you are a resident of the US, you would probablity be better off with NCU only because it wouldn't raise many eye brows. Yes, it is a University at bottom of the list but at least easy to verify and validate.

NCU would be ideal for faculty adjunct or indepent consulting where the source of the degree is not really an issue. How many students really know the source of the degree of a teacher with adjunct status at a University? How many customers would really care about the source of your degree if you are a consultant?.

 

Re: Unisa etc..

Thanks, Haggai.

On a side note, how are your studies going at Alcuin House?

Roscoe

 

St. Alcuin House

Things are going fine with St. Alcuin House.

Good bunch of folks, highly credible and they even have a sense of humour!

Am just about ready to submit my diss for examination -- Yeah!!

Thanks for asking!

 

Haggai,

Can you tell us more about St. Alcuin House? Why are you pursuing a doctorate there and at UNISA as well?

What's the DPhil program like at St. Alcuin House?

 

Why??

Why two??

Brain damage, glutton for punishment, bad childhood, etc.

Just kidding....

Went with St. Alcuin because of their credibility -- though they do not, and likely never will have Reg. Accreditation. Main faculty have close ties with U - Oxford and know their stuff.

Research programs -- MTh, MPhil, DPhil -- are UK style research programs -- thesis / diss only.

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Decided to pursue the S Afr program because I work in Missions and Education. There's nothing like working with a foreign school to broaden one's cultural horizons. You can't communicate well with people of other cultures if you never try to look at the world through their eyes.

Our increasingly Globalized world demands Americans who can do more than think / act American -- that's one reason we are so loved / hated elsewhere.

There is a huge cultural 'dis-connect' between the US and much of the rest of the world. Our standard of living is so far above what most of the rest of the world lives on that we just have a very difficult time communicating and relating.

No matter what field you're in -- religion, business, academia -- the non-West is where's increasingly at. Just look at growth in the Pacific rim countries. China's economy is a monster that is growing fast and few Americans understand even the most basic things about them.

Just look at the new oil exploration deals China signed in recent days. Current concerns over the high price of gas are only the beginning as Chinese consumers keep 'modernizing.'



Best wishes!!

 

PhD's in Canada

There may be more PhD's in Canada than elsewhere, but then, perhaps the value of higher studies exists here where it doesn't elsewhere, and Canadians have found a way to promote studies.

Unisa degrees are recognized here in Canada and I have seen a number of them on staff at Canadian universities. It isn't so much where you get the degree from (UofT or McGill etc) but rather what you have done with it in the sense of publishing. Are you getting the degree just to say you have one from X school? Or is there a reason for your need of a degree? Are you prepared to add something original and credible to the academic field you have studied?

I would disagree with you about the "Dime a dozen" idea in anycase.

Brad

 

Re: PhD's in Canada

Some fields have them as a "Dime a dozen". It is not uncommon to see PhDs in sciences from local universities working as community college teachers or underpaid in industry.

The PhD from UNISA is recognized in the sense that you can get an equivalence from the minister of education, but it is not a secret that Canada has one of the highest rates of foreign PhDs driving taxis and delivering pizzas. Many PhDs from India, Pakistan, and Africa are taking low paid jobs so yes, there is a "glut" of foreign PhDs in Canada.

If one is already working as a staff at the University or College, I can see the usefulness of a UNISA PhD. The degree is ideal to fill a gap for a person that is already accomplished and all he or she needs is an accredited degree.

 

Good debate man,
NCU and UNISA are just the names and some people said that NCU was better than UNISA because of its "USA". But looking at some of the professors around the world, we can learn what is the value of a university. UNISA Ph.Ds are working in many faculties and their contributions are enormous. Come back with NCU, how many doctorates are being worked in academic sectors?.
Anyway, RFV, you should not say "regarded more as business" because NCU also contributes to humanity in academic.

 

Re: Re: PhD's in Canada

That is simply because the Canadian government favours educated immigrants over worker immigrants since there are plenty of Canadians who can do those jobs. However, the govenment does not want to have the holders of outside qualifications work at those jobs because it favours those already in the country who have or are earning those same degrees. The fault therefore is with immigration policy, not the standing of Canadian graduate programmes or those holding foreign degrees. They take what jobs they can get until the immigration policy changes.

I think the argument is wrong here. Dime a dozen implies that Canadian universities hand out PhD's to all and sundry and that is wrong. That is not the case and to acquire a PhD one has to put in the time and effort in research and writing, whether in Canada or any other commonwealth country.

This debate is going nowhere quickly because the argument is false to begin with. I think the one who said all of that to begin with does not really know the situation in this country. But in my own opinion, I think people coming with foreign degrees enriches the country, we stop navel gazing and grow as a people, we are richer for it.

Having lived 8 years overseas in Zambia and the UK and spending lengthy periods in South Africa and the Middle East, there is much more that can be learned. It makes a people more accepted around the globe as well. Serveral languages spoken and studies abroad make people expand their horizon. We are global and have to live with that.

 

Re: Re: Re: PhD's in Canada

I never implied that degrees were handed in without work. As a matter of fact, Canada is perhaps one of the countries where the PhD takes the longest to be earned. The issue is massive immigration of foreign PhDs and the cut backs in education that makes Universites rely more in part timers, limited term appointments and adjuncts rather than full time PhDs.

I work in the University enviroment and I see people with PhDs from recognized Universities strugling for a tenure track. They take Post Docs, limited term appointments, part-times with the hope to land a job when it becomes available. The competition for tenure tracks is fierce so all I'm saying is that a PhD from UNISA might be in disadvantage when people from local universities are competing for the same jobs.

However, I still think that a PhD from UNISA would be in a best position than a PhD from NCU when applying for a job in Canada.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: PhD's in Canada

Point taken. Merci pour un débat qui a forcé les discussions.

Brad

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: PhD's in Canada

This is a helpful discussion, merci.

I really like the information-- even if the ideas conflict -- given by the posters on this forum.

Ann

 

Re: Re: PhD's in Canada

Great point, Steve.

I'm following your example.

Roscoe

 

My five and half years experience in Canada (Toronto):

If your skin are "white" (even eastern European) , no matter what degree you are holding, you will be accepted by the canadian society. And, you will become local canadian after a few years.

If your skin are yellow or black, no matter what PhD/MBA that you are holding, you are always overqualified during job's interviews. And, you and your family will not be a real canadian even after a few generations.

I finally went back to my home place........

(This is my, as well as so many people, subjective feeling without going through academic research.......)