Accepted by Nova Southeastern DBA program

Four weeks out of a four-year program. Certainly one can easily come up with that much time off work.

 

Just so you know...

The Newcastle program I have been accepted to has several e-commerce classes you can pick as part of your studies. One of the reasons I have picked them,...

 

Re: Just so you know...

Thanks for the tip on the E-Commerce component of the Newcastle DBA.

 

Well, JoAnn, even if Nova's (www.nova.edu) residency requirements are too burdensome, and even if Walden never opens up their PhD in Computer Science (www.waldenu.edu), and even if Northcentral's PhD in Applied Computer Science (www.ncu.edu) is not exactly what you're looking for, you might still find something from among the following array of options:

University of Bradford www.brad.ac.uk (BG15, 176)
Columbia University www.cvn.columbia.edu (BG15, 106)
University of Melbourne www.unimelb.edu.au (BG15, 140)
University of New England www.une.edu.au (BG15, 141)
University of South Africa www.unisa.ac.za (BG15, 144)
South Bank University www.lbsu.ac.uk (BG15, 172)
University of Teesside www.tees.ac.uk (BG15, 181)

 

Re: Just so you know...

DTechBA,

What do you figure the Newcastle program to cost for your duration there?

You had said that you confirmed that you did not have to actually do a residence there but was this a special case or is it just their policy?

 

Likely true. However, the program has the bigger drawback of being quite a bit more expensive than other options out there. The 4 weeks of residency, airfare, and room and board are additional costs to an already expensive program.

To me, 4 weeks of residency is an added feature of just being inconvenient when other options are to be had. My personal thought is that I would rather spend money on conferences to attend than a token residence. To me, a one week residence per year is seemingly just a "token' residence. It's like meetings at work. People want to schedule a two hour meeting when in reality all we had to do was just send an e-mail out.

 

You don't have young children, do you?

 

I do have young children. Also, I am in a work environment where jobs are being outsourced overseas rapidly thus leaving us pretty shorthanded and working more OT. These things definitely help to forge my educational decisions.

Nonetheless, my thoughts that a 1 week residency is fairly inconsequential does not mean I believe the Regent's program is junk. Far from it. I think they have a good reputation(sans tv preacher thoughts) and the entrance requirements, coursework, and dissertation portions look substantial.

 

Newcastle DBA

The cost is in the very low $20K in US Dollars and they are approved for Stafford loans.

No, they are 100% online for everyone.

 

Re: Newcastle DBA

Sounds like a good deal. That's about 4-5K cheaper than NCU or Touro. If you are on Stafford then it is likely 13K cheaper than NCU over the life of the loan.

Best of luck in your program. They are DETC accredited, too, from what I read.

 

Budget for DL program

Here's how NSU stacks up on my plate - "all in".

 

Re: Budget for DL program

Not worth it in my opinion. That's a hefty figure when so many other more economical options abound.

 

Re: Re: Budget for DL program

It is expensive. I guess that one could put this in a spreadsheet over the time the money goes out and add in the ammortization expense, then crunch it to the present value to make a direct comparision to other options.

Any degree is expensive, even if not denominated in dollars, because of the opportunity to be doing something else. They are much cheaper than B & M programs however. I dropped out of one in 2003 that gave me a grand a month to spend plus free tuition - a full 20/hr week grad assistantship, yet is was a full time resident program. Even with everything "free", the loss of income made the B & M option incredibly expensive, relative even to this $70,000 for the Nova DBA.

There's no free lunch

 

Cost!

I've beaten this to death in other areas, but the total cost is astronomical to me. I've done this calculating nine ways to sunday and for a guy like me... tenured at a community college, three grad degrees, $1,800 from the top pay (all but Ph.D.), 51 years old... I cannot make any sense out of paying $45k and up for a doctorate. One thing you should do is INSIST on figures regarding time to complete the degree and percentage of those who complete. Drop out rates average overall around 50%. The higher the drop out rate, the more likely you will not have a lot of care during the dissertation stage. I have asked the dropout statistics at many colleges and mostly get a "gee, we don't know" answer. That is a red flag. The one place that directly addressed this problem was Duquesne University's Ed.D. in instructional technology program. And have a DARN GOOD REASON to do a doctorate, too. I have a strong suspicion most of what fuels these degrees is a desire to have a title. We don't have royalty in the USA, so I guess being called "doctor" is the next best thing. I've talked to many at my college about a doctorate and once they see where I am on the pay scale, they usually just grin and say "do it for fun then." Hmmm, $45k+ of fun. Hey, just have a darn good reason to do it!

 

Re: Cost!

I can't speak to dropout rates - but I can tell you that relatively few folks get kicked out. Attrition is mostly self-inflicted.

As for completion - NSU has statistics that show the mean time from start to dissertation acceptance of 60 months.

Regards - Andy

 

Re: Cost!

You keep talking about doing it. How's that for a reason? Wouldn't a posteriori whine about "it was SAO not worth it" much more satisfying?

 

Re: Cost!

So, don't do the NSU program. It sounds like all you need is an RA doctorate for your career advancement. Touro and NCU offer such at under 30K. Aussie programs offer then at less. UNISA programs are even much cheaper.

I don't necessarily agree that the reason most are doing a PhD is for "title" because we don't have royalty here. I know a guy who finished a PhD about 2 years ago and he has never once introduced himself as Dr. anything and doesn't even sign his e-mails at work with PhD. He just goes by Jim. He did it because he wanted to advance at work...like me. It's anectdotal evidence but representative of the doctorate holders I personally know. Even here at my company you would never know a guy had a PhD because no one ever calls you Dr here. Even the MD's don't go by Dr. It's Tom or Joe.

Many have posted here and have quite a passion for their subject such that they want to continue onwards and do a dissertation. Others have a personal goal of "can i do it" attached to the effort. There likely are some that want to just have the Dr title but I'm thinking that many would pay the mills if that was their only goal.

You need to get the doctorate out of the way. I don't think you will ever be so happy if you leave it alone. Others might be able to just walk away from it but it sounds like a thorn in your side to me. You hate that you don't have it but want it because it could mean a raise...even ever so small a raise. Your students then can call you Dr and you'll be in the American royal court.

I think schools should consider the new degree that Bear mentioned before called the "Chancellorate". With all these schools plopping out PhD's it would drive a whole new market. Then, people will get a PhD and jump into the Chancellorate programs.

 

Re: Re: Cost!

Two questions:

1. How would the newly minted Chancellors of Philosophy (ChP?) effect the job market, since they would be ready for retirement by the time they finish school?

2. Who would teach the ChP students? Certainly you're not suggesting that individuals with a lesser degree such as a mere PhD should teach those studying for a higher degree such as the ChP?

 

Re: Re: Re: Cost!

You exaggerate. Even Rich has been thinking of doing another doctorate in something like a DBA or other designation. He already has a doctorate. I would consider the chancellorate in one's field to take less time that undertaking a new doctorate in another. Apparently Rich isn't ready to go in the grave yet.

So, the ChP finishers would not be ready for retirement by then. There are twentysomethings getting PhD's. Many of the people on this forum looking at a PhD are in their early 30's. You would likely be a thirtysomething with a ChP if you gave it a full-time effort. That's not retirement years. How old will you be when you retire?

The job market would just require the ChP instead of a PhD(or say either one). It would be another requirement just like the PhD is a requirement now. More degree...more knowledge.

You mean there are no professors with only a master's degree teaching students in the PhD programs? There are no people with just master's degrees on doctoral committees? (just asking that question for anyone who knows because i don't know. i might look it up, though.).

I don't know who would grant the first ChP. It was John Bear's thought many years back. Maybe he figured it out. They could have the Chancellor of the University grant the chancellorate or something. Act of Congress? The school grants the degrees not the teachers. The first one could be honorary or something for specific achievement. I don't know. Who granted the first PhD in America? Was it a PhD?

 

Actually, Dr. Bear is not the one who proposed the ChP degree; he merely related in _Bears' Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning_ that such had been proposed in the _Chronicle of Higher Education_. As to the first PhD in America, Harvard's faculty, Mr. Brattle and Mr. Leverett, voted Increase Mather, Harvard's president, an honorary doctorate, whereupon Dr. Mather was able to doctor his faculty and students. And there are those who say that the history of graduate education in America has been downhill ever since. Dr. Bear is also the one who joked that holders of the Chancellorate would be ready for retirement by the time they finish school. The whole notion of the Chancellorate is just another example of "credentials creep": the old geezers get in, get theirs, and then raise the bar in order to limit the new competition. There has been a long-standing rule in education that it takes a doctor to make a doctor. It therefore stands to reason that it should take someone with a Chancellorate to confer a Chancellorate upon others.