Most universities do not recognize on-line Ph.D. programs - UMass Lowell

Found this on their PhD FAQ's

Ph.D. in Business Administration

Is the program offered on-line?
No. Courses are taught in class. But more importantly, research is done hand in hand with faculty advisors. It is not well suited for an on-line delivery vehicle.This is an important consideration. Most universities do not recognize on-line Ph.D. programs, thus severely limiting a Ph.D. student’s job prospects.

 

"Is the program offered on-line?
No. Courses are taught in class. But more importantly, research is done hand in hand with faculty advisors. It is not well suited for an on-line delivery vehicle.This is an important consideration. Most universities do not recognize on-line Ph.D. programs, thus severely limiting a Ph.D. student’s job prospects. "

It seems to be true! If you plan to earn a PhD/Professional Doctorate to land a full-time tenure track is almost impossible. The chances are really rare; most people earning this route because they are having a job in a Academia. Otherwise, people want to enhance their credential in professional workforce as well as personal enrichment.

If you want earn a Doctorate degree for Academia purpose, I would recommend you to enroll as traditional way.

 

Click here for instant online respect.

 

Who actually believes this one above? The highlighted text that is? What a fallacy.

 

Suffice to say, UMass is seeking to beat the competition in an irresponsible and disingenuous way.

And yes, it is encouraging (and indeed interesting) to note that UMass has given its most distinguished faculty title to two graduates of Walden University.
http://www1.umassd.edu/graduate/factsheets/bmebt_psm.pdf

James T. Griffith, PhD Walden University, Chancellor Professor. Specializations: Infectious Disease, Government Affairs
Susan J. Leclair, PhD Walden University, Chancellor Professor. Specializations: Hematology & Hemostasis, Bioethics

Note the following:
UMassOnline - Accredited Online Degrees
Earn your accredited online degree or certificate from one of the nation's top-ranked universities, the University of Massachusetts. UMassOnline allows you to attend the same high-quality programs and learn from the same world-class faculty as students at the University of Massachusetts' Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell or Worcester campuses.

Online success depends on learning style- UMassOnline.net
UMassOnline in the News
The best-known online players include the University of Phoenix, Walden University, and Capella University, with the for-profit Phoenix’s current enrollment of 476,500 students making it the biggest university in North America. But the brick-and-mortar competition is catching up, from the likes of University of Massachusetts, Lesley University, and Boston University, while smaller institutions, such as Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H., are promoting online programs, too.


https://www.umb.edu/academics/caps/id/faculty/ Linda Beith, PhD, Capella University
Instructional Design of Online Learning


Nurul Aman - University of Massachusetts Boston
Nurul Aman, PhD
Senior Lecturer in Economics, College of Liberal Arts
PhD, Capella University


https://cesd3.oit.umass.edu/gradbulletin/2011-2012/Page2172.html
Renee Provost, Clinical Assistant Professor, B.S.N., D'Youville College, 1971; M.S.N., Yale University, 1998; Ph.D., Capella University, 2009.

Kenneth "Matt" Hirzel
CAPTAIN KENNETH M. “MATT” HIRZEL
Masters of Science in Business Administration, Touro International University, Cypress, CA
Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies at the University of Massachusetts,
Lowell (UML)

 

If you take a closer look, it is maybe a little less encouraging. According to the UMass-Dartmouth catalog:

- Griffith was first hired in 1974. He eventually earned a Walden PhD, but not until 1992 (18 years after hiring)
- Leclair was first hired in 1980. She eventually earned a Walden PhD, but not until 2001 (21 years after hiring)

The Dartmouth campus didn't become part of the UMass system until 1991. So both of these individuals were hired without PhDs, some 30 to 40 years ago, at a time when the school was a lower-tier state university. They were both long-time employees, probably with tenure, by the time the school was "upgraded" to UMass status.

They both got their Walden PhDs after the campus became part of UMass, and I would acknowledge that those degrees have probably served them well. But realistically, this is probably not a career track that would be viable in the UMass system today.

 

Boy does this present the paradox that it (a) is true and (b) completely misses the point.

A Walden degree is perfect for the situations described: mid-career academics looking to upgrade their qualifications. They (the people) are already acceptable; they need qualifications sufficient to prevent their exclusion from jobs and tasks their university already wants them to perform. But....

A Walden (or Union, or Fielding, or Saybrook, or any other DL) program isn't designed to funnel people into the lower ranks of academia. The programs are not set up as apprenticeships (as are traditional Ph.D. programs). They're expensive. They're directed towards mid-career adults (not beginners). So....

It's not a matter of quality. It is, however, indeed a matter of appropriateness and fit.

I've been through a Ph.D. at Union and most of something else somewhere else, and I've yet to meet one person who hoped to start a career in academia as a result of their degree. Not one.

 

Actually, I agree. At some schools, it would be possible to get an academic job without a PhD, then get a Walden doctorate as a "mid-career" academic, and to use that as a tool for advancement.

But -- this thread is about the UMass system specifically, and I was commenting on the apparent acceptance of Walden degrees within that particular system. And I question whether you could get hired as a tenure-track UMass professor today without a doctorate in hand (or nearly completed) -- even if you promised to get a Walden PhD in "mid-career" 20 years in the future.

Yes, and the point is that it doesn't "fit" at UMass any more. In fact, it may not even have "fit" at UMass in the past, because the individuals in question got their feet in the door before the school in question was part of UMass.

Does a Walden PhD still "fit" at other schools? Sure. But it probably won't "fit" for tenure-track positions in your state's flagship public university system, despite the apparent success of these two individuals.

 

Well, not exactly true. As my colleagues have correctly pointed out, most universities (and definitely most community colleges and K-12 districts) absolutely recognize online Ph.D. programs for advancement, promotion and tenure. It is true that there is very low acceptance of online Ph.D. programs for full-time tenure-track assistant professor positions at most universities. As Rich states, those programs were not designed to provide entry-level preparation for academics.

 

The first problem I have with the above citation is the use of the term "recognize." Are they saying that they think these degrees are inadequate? Inferior? Substandard in some way? Or are they simply saying that they have a strong preference for candidates whose PhD was earned in a residential manner? After all, these degrees are coming from accredited institutions and perhaps the school in question also offers the degree in both the residential and DL mode. So it's not necessarily a condemnation of the school but of the mode of learning. This is particularly puzzling coming from a university system that has extensive DL degree and cert options. My second point is this. We've long known that a prejudice exists on the part of many universities toward hiring DL degree owners into tenure track teaching positions. To me this has always seemed to be a bit like Seinfeld's "soup nazi," arbitarily making judgements about who gets what they want. The fact is that most (sorry, no data) people earning these degrees are not even interested in becoming full-time tenure track professors. So it's a little bit like a bar putting out a sign saying "No Dr. Pepper sold here!" The fact is, most people don't care, that's not why they're there. I've long been a supporter of the UMass DL system but now I am questioning that opinion. It seems quite like the DETC professional doctorate programs that require instructors to have RA degrees. You're willing to confer the degree but not willing to respect it within your own system. To me this paints a very disappointing picture of the UMass (Lowell) system (I don't know if this is a system-wide attitude) and I may have to reassess my opinion.

 

UoP was originally established as a B&M system, but at this point it is "mostly online". They closed half of their B&M locations last year, and at that time it was reported that "about three-quarters of its students are online".

It wouldn't surprise me if the B&M operations continue to shrink in the future. Last year, a UoP spokesman hinted that they would only keep B&M campuses that were needed for "hands-on" programs, like nursing and counseling.

 

One of my professors at Angelo State University has a PhD from Union. I don't know if he attended on campus, however.

 

It seems like we keep hearing this argument against "online doctorates" and how it is believed they are not "recognized" etc. (whatever that means!) because it does not often lead to tenure track positions. That statement, apparently made by one person at UMass that "most universities do not recognize online Ph.D. programs" seems rather ignorant and unqualified. As has already been stated here, the programs were not really designed for those wanting to get into a brand new tenure track position; they are for those already in a system who need additional credentials. Speaking as a person in the field of education, online educational doctorates also suit school administrators very well. I never had a goal of becoming a tenured professor at a B&M university and if I did, I highly doubt I would have chosen the path I did with Northcentral University.


In spite of all that, on a whim, I applied for an assistant professor position at a B&M university after getting my Ph.D. and was hired! After doing it for a year, I decided I did not want to pursue tenure there (mostly for the same reasons that never was my goal to begin with). I love working from home, teaching online and that is what I do.

 

Good catch! And a common category mistake. Though note that the quoted text, and the confusion, isn't USGRAD's; it's from "Online Success Depends on Learning Style," the 2010 Boston Globe article by D.C. Denison reprinted by UMassOnline here, (which USGRAD appropriately linked).

 

UMASS do have a few Doctoral programs offered online or Blended..

Degree List - UMassOnline


Doctor of Nursing Practice (Amherst)
Doctor of Nursing Practice (Amherst) (Blended)
Doctor of Nursing Practice (Boston)

 

Personal opinion is that people need to not get bent out of shape about an opinion put up on UMass's website that is completely true from their culture's and program's point of view.

Try getting a gig at a school that UMass would want you to be researching/teaching in with their terminal degree if you've got no experience in the field already and are relying on the experiences and publications gleaned from an online doctoral program. You're probably not going to be all that successful unless you're an outlier.

Point of this post is to state that every statement needs to be taken in the context it's meant to be delivered in and not always from the perspective of people who frequent and are strongly in favor of online education.

 

Sorry. Didn't mean to imply anything else. I was just pointing out the paradox.