Johnson university Ph.D leadership

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by fadia, Sep 24, 2012.

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  1. fadia

    fadia New Member

    Hi All
    I wonder if any of our friends in the fourm are enrolling in the Ph.D leadership at Johnson university ,it seem that the program is the best in the nation since its regionally accredited with 400 per credit and 100% online .

    The program is pretty new , I hope someone can tell us about his/her experience with the program regard work loud ,assignments and other course requirments .


    can you think of any other similar program ?
     
  2. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

  3. fadia

    fadia New Member

  4. jayncali73

    jayncali73 New Member

    The program takes in students twice per year; January and August. It is a cohort model. If you drop out and want to go back, you will have to wait until the next cohort catches up to where you left off. At this point, JU is not intending to become a large PhD program. They will be happy with taking in 30 students per year and being able to provide the support needed to have successful outcomes for students. They are selective in the admissions process. I believe there were 25 applicants and only 15 accepted in the first cohort.

    I have found the professors to be very knowledgeable and supportive. However, the classes are fast paced and you write a TON! I mean a TON! Of course, it is a PhD program so you should expect to write; just be prepared. You also read a TON. I suspect I spend 18-20 hours per week on reading, discussion, and papers. I haven't tracked it.

    A typical class requires two discussion questions and a paper between 7-10 pages EACH WEEK. Classes are 7 weeks long with a 1-2 week break between courses. You will complete three semesters (Winter, Summer, Fall) for 18 units per year. JU does not have a residency requirement.

    The only criticism I have is the course week. Course weeks run Mon-Sat. Your DQ's are due on Tues and Thurs and papers are due on Saturday. This is a little rough since as a working adult you have most time free on the weekends. Although, after the first class you find your pace. Most professors are flexible on the due dates too. I have submitted several papers on Sunday night and only been penalized 1 or 2 points.

    JU has a great online library and they provide you with a free RefWORKs account. They have tools that make it very easy to export your research to RefWORKs from the online library. I also like they do not tack on a bunch of extra or hidden fees. It is $400 per hour and a $200 annual student registration fee. That is it!

    The program is new and it is a little bumpy but nothing that has been earth shattering or a show stopper. The program director is constantly asking for feedback to help improve the program for future cohorts.

    Finally, there is a significant religious component to the program. So, if you are not willing to tolerate/embrace/respect the religious aspect the program; this program is not for you. I do think the professors do a good job in incorporating both secular and religious authors into the courses. They do not force you to promote or use religious authors over secular material but it is a BIBLE college. I also think they are very interested in making sure the cohorts have a balance of students from church work, academia, and the business/government world. There are many great PhD hybrid programs; Regent U, Eastern U, etc. I am not aware of another 100% online regionally accredited PhD in Leadership program in existence today. JU definitely has the best price so far!

    I hope this helps. Let me know if you need more information.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 25, 2012
  5. adcrumpton

    adcrumpton New Member

    Johnson's PhD in Leadership Studies

    Thanks for your inquiry in the forum about Johnson's online PhD in Leadership Studies. And thanks for the summary J! Some thoughts and comments:

    re: it seems that the program is the best in the nation - I have no data (except my ego, smile) to suggest our PhD program is the best in the nation. With that said, as the program designer I can attest to a rigorous design process that included an assessment of 97 PhD program in leadership studies to determine the best curriculum, approach, and process. When considering a best design, I factored in this assessment, Johnson's mission statement, and our ethos. Another factor speaking to the veracity and quality is our successful SACS initial review and audit where there were zero programmatic findings. Personally, this was a highlight of my professional career having the program validated so positively by a review by my peers.

    re: other programs. One source for comparing doctoral programs in leadership is the Directory of Leadership Program found on the International Leadership Association's website: http://www.ila-net.org/

    re: level of effort - This is perhaps the most 'shocking' aspect of being a doctoral student - the level of reading and writing. Please note that all of Johnson's programs regardless of delivery (ground or online) meet the federal guidelines for a credit hour - so for a 3 credit doctoral class, there should be around 150 hours (50 hours per credit hour) which is accomplished through reading, writing, reflection, and participation in online forums (versus class time). Another aspect to consider, this is a PhD program which is at its core about research, thus, the emphasis on reading/writing. It's all practice for the intensity of the dissertation process. An example, for my dissertation, I read over 800 unique pieces of work, cited over 300, and wrote over 300 pages. The more practice you have during your coursework...the better prepared you are when it comes time to write your dissertation. If it seems like a lot of work. It is.

    My encouragement to those of you considering a PhD - spend some time reflecting on why you want to do this and how you see it fitting into your life. No doubt, it's a lot of work and a huge commitment of time, $, and energy. Once you have clarity of why, then ask - how bad do I want this and do I have a support group? You have to want to do this and you need to have support...otherwise, when the going gets tough...the liklihood of quitting is very high. Roughly 50% of those who start finish...

    Certainly, if you want a sounding board about PhDs in leadership...feel free to contact me privately. I love talking about the various programs, their similarities, and of course what the distinctives are within our program! Thanks again J. for such a gracious post!

    Alicia D. Crumpton, Ph.D.
    Dean/Online PhD in Leadership Studies
    Johnson University
     
  6. PilgrimPastor

    PilgrimPastor New Member

    Thanks so much for this very helpful post. How does the MA that I see on the website compare, work load wise.
     
  7. fadia

    fadia New Member

    Thank You Dr. Alicia D. Crumpton.
     
  8. fadia

    fadia New Member

    Thank you JAY , I think the DBA will serve me better since I have full time job .writing 10 pages a week and participation for two discussion questions will pretty much consume all my free time .
     
  9. jayncali73

    jayncali73 New Member

    Glad to be of help! Regardless of what kind of doctorate degree or program you decide to pursue; you should be prepared to commit a significant amount of time to your studies.
    Good luck!
     
  10. Linda Whitmer Ph.

    Linda Whitmer Ph. New Member

    The MA is comparable to the PhD in that it requires a minimum of 50 clock hours of study for each unit (credit hour). This does include all of the reading, lectures, standard time for research, and writing. Many of the courses are intensive 7 week courses, so the action is fast paced. I usually tell the students to expect to spend a minimum of 22 hours per week in work on an MA level class. (Of course that changes if the course is a semester in length instead of the 7 week term.) They may spend a bit less (if they are a fast reader for example) or significantly more, depending on their own personal abilities. At the graduate level I estimate 25 pages per hour for reading and 1.5 hours per page for writing (assuming research, reflection, and writing time). That often adds up to a book (200 pages) per week.
    Linda Whitmer, Ph.D.
    Dean, School of Intercultural Studies
    Johnson University

     
  11. Boethius

    Boethius Member

    An excellent post about the rigors of PhD studies, and this program is online! My favorite line:

     

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