University of the Cumberlands Online PhD in Information Technology

Discussion in 'IT and Computer-Related Degrees' started by Marcus Aurelius, Jan 29, 2018.

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  1. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    The pattern for the comprehensive is given in the graduate guidebook on the UC website. Otherwise, I'll be figuring out the rest of it as you are as I've just finished my interview and am awaiting admission for Summer.
     
  2. Manav Jaiswal

    Manav Jaiswal New Member

    Due to all the interview slots not being available, I got an email that I need to upload my video and written presentation for interview in the service center. And there is no further information about what I need to upload. Can you please tell me your experience with the interview to get an idea about what I need to do? They dropped the email right on Friday and the deadline is Sunday midnight.
     
  3. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    I'd like to be able to help you, but my experience was different than yours. My experience was as follows

    1. Worked with admissions counselor. Once my transcripts were in...
    2. Asked to interview - set up appointment via Calendly.
    3. Had interview, waited two days.
    4. Got acceptance letter and enrolled for Summer term.

    I'm presently waiting on my advisor to get back to me regarding my concentration. Advice would be to work with your admissions counselor.
     
  4. Manav Jaiswal

    Manav Jaiswal New Member

    Thanks for your reply. Can you please tell me about your interview experience? What questions did they ask? Any tips?
     
  5. ITJD

    ITJD Active Member

    My advice is not to worry about the interview. Be yourself. They will get you into a video chat so here's what I'd say.

    1. Find a quiet space, check your Internet connection - make sure you're on a wire not wireless.
    2. Make sure Zoom meetings work on the computer you're using and you do a tech check the night before.
    3. In the event of an unforeseen outage, make sure that you dial in to the interview with a real phone and not with your computer. That way if the video drops you still have a voice conversation going.

    As to questions, I think that each student is going to be approached differently based on what they bring to the table. A doctoral program is not an undergrad or even a masters. It's personalized and more relationship driven than what you've done before. So even if I was inclined to give the keys to a test to someone (I'm not), any advice I'd give you there would be useless for you. I'm not you.

    Be well and good luck.
    ITJD
     
  6. onlymybest

    onlymybest Member

    You are correct. The comprehensive exam covers the following courses:
    ITS 831 – Information Technology Importance in Strategic Planning
    ITS 832 – Information Technology in a Global Economy
    ITS 833 – Information Governance
    ITS 834 – Emerging Threats and Countermeasures
    ITS 835 – Enterprise Risk Management
    ITS 836 – Data Science and Big Data Analytics
     
    tpg likes this.
  7. tpg

    tpg New Member


    Thank you for the update. How was the exam? Objective type questions or essays? How many hours?
    Appreciate if you can provide your experience with the comprehensive exam.

    Wish you all the best
     
  8. onlymybest

    onlymybest Member

    I quit the PhD IT program after the first class, but I discussed the comprehensive exam with Professor Michael Solomon during my interview and those are the classes he told me were on the comprehensive exam.
     
  9. tpg

    tpg New Member

    Thank you for the quick response.
    Usually, it takes a lot of preparation before joining a course like this one and sorry to hear that you quit after one course. Any particular reason behind the quit? Just curious.
     
  10. tpg

    tpg New Member

    Hello, Did you complete the comprehensive exam? How was the exam? Objective type questions or essays? How many hours? etc
    Appreciate if you can provide your experience with the comprehensive exam.

    Wish you all the best
     
  11. onlymybest

    onlymybest Member

    I write about why I quit in earlier posts, but generally I was disappointed with the professors and the school's reputation, at least not for the cost and time commitment required for the PhD. The program isn't for me at this time.
     
  12. Mansah Musa

    Mansah Musa New Member

    I may need to hook up with you to navigate this lonely journey efficiently and effectively. Are there any hiccups along the way? As a professional online student (someone who has never stepped foot in brick and mortar), I find UC better than my previous schools in terms content. My burning question is; can the program be nailed in under 2 years? With the rate I'm finishing classes, it seems the program can be completed in 16 months. How many months have you put in already to be at dissertation phase?
     
  13. onlymybest

    onlymybest Member

    Which schools do you find UofC to be better? I'm still considering different schools; perhaps you could save me some time and money on which schools you found not as good as UofC. I wasn't a huge fan of the course I took at UofC, it wasn't terrible, it just wasn't right for me at the time, but perhaps things have improved. Would appreciate any advice on schools to avoid.
     
  14. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    The dissertation phase alone takes a minimum of sixteen months.
     
  15. Mansah Musa

    Mansah Musa New Member

    Good, I was worried that once I gobble 16 classes in a year, I would harrow dissertation in no time.
     
  16. Mansah Musa

    Mansah Musa New Member

    Dakota State, Arizona State, and WGU
     
  17. snark

    snark New Member

    I have been a PhD IT student for three sessions now and I thought that I would provide some information regarding my experience so far. I have noticed a marked difference in the quality of the classes and the students over just a few sessions. In the first session I had SERIOUS concerns about the college. The professor was awesome and the material was awesome, but the students were cheating like crazy. Most of the class--29 out of 32 students--turned in written work that, quite frankly, made absolutely zero sense. Some other folks on this forum have made comments about the quality of the work that students had turned in, and I think that they were being overly gracious. In my first class, students were submitting work that I might expect to see from a third or fourth-grade grammar school student--the work was abhorrent.

    At the end of the session, I complained about the cheating and the crap that the other students turned in. I guess that a lot of other people at the college must have complained also, because the University seems to be cracking down on cheaters. I don't see multiple students turning in the same paper anymore with slight variations. The quality of students' writing has improved dramatically and the discussions are actually enjoyable now. The number of papers that we turn in each week for each class is increasing and the topics are more thought-provoking.

    In the Spring of 2020, the minimum entry GPA requirement is rising from 3.0 to 3.5 and the University is increasing English score requirements for people obtaining Masters degrees from outside of the USA. Additionally, UofC is restricting the Masters-level foreign degrees that it accepts to qualify for entrance.

    Interaction with students is an important part of any college experience. I have met some really interesting people in my classes. I am taking a class now with a CISO, an EVP, an IT Director, a few informatics employees at major hospitals, and a guy that works on ETL interfaces for CMS.

    The program is not perfect, but it is evolving and the quality of the students is improving.
     
  18. snark

    snark New Member

    I also would like to mention that the program is attracting people from all over the world. In one class I met people from two countries in Africa, multiple countries in the Middle East, India, and the USA of course. I think that is pretty cool!
     
  19. Mansah Musa

    Mansah Musa New Member

    I agree with some of your observation, but I think the school, especially IT, is foreign-dominated. These students are pretty smart folk, but English is not their language. If they can tighten the English requirements, quality of written work, and engagement would significantly improve. Going to my 8th and 9th class and I haven't seen drastic changes yet. In my last class, I think we had almost 40 people, but by the end of week 7 and 8, we were down to 24. My hutch is a lot of folks dropped-off or was nailed and shown the door for plagiarism. I had a reservation the first semester, but after second, my doubts have dissipated.
     
  20. Mansah Musa

    Mansah Musa New Member

    Not true. According to my advisor, dissertation can be completed in 8 months or less. With the rate I'm nailing classes, I can have this whole thing in the bag in 22 months!
     

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