Capella or Walden Business PHD Programs?

I am currently considering enrolling in either the Capella or Walden PHD programs. As far as I can tell from the research I have done, each has its pros and cons.

Capella APPEARS to have the better reputation of the two. I like the program at Walden better due to the specific specialization I can get in Accounting. The cost and time committment are very close.

My life plan is to stay in industry (I have worked for one of the Big 5 already) for the next 10 or so years and eventually move full time into a community college or online environment. I have no illusions that I will be hired (with my DL PHD) at Harvard or Stanford.

I am currently teaching at the UOP and see this as something to help me with my duties.

Any thoughts, opinions, or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

I am doing Walden as I have seen no negative feedback on them. I tried Capella and they seem like another UoP in terms of their recruiting and marketing strategries.

I would say though that both are pretty decent schools but do the one that is more towards what you want out of the program.

I would recommend you review a variety of dissertations from both schools in the area you are interested in, this might help with your final decision.

Good luck on your final decision.

 

Heather,
This site is not one from which I would draw any conclusions about Capella. Wayyyyyyyyyyy to many graduates of the so-called "Big-3". You will find that they tend to snipe/bash schools like Capella. You will, likewise, find that most posts with the name "Capella" in it will draw many responses and replies. Not sure why but that is the way it is. I often think that if that group can discredit another university in their mind the reputation of their own school is improved. Don't know that is my own conspiracy theory. Oh........you will find that following my post there will be an outcry/frenzy of contrary opinions. Most will tell you that my claims are not true. Yea...whatever. That being said, be wise, do your own careful research and do not - and I mean do not - let the opinions on this board be the exclusive ones from which you form your opinion. Good luck with whatever school you choose.



OK campers................I am ready............let me have it.

 

When I was looking at schools for my PhD, I looked at a lot of the DL programs, ranked them and Walden barely nudged out Capella. I think that the programs were very similar, but the ability to create a specialization at Walden pushed their program above Capella IMO.

For help with researching the Walden program, I found a useful website at http://www.djams.org/waldenphd.htm. It seems that a lot of the information that was on the website is gone now...but you might contact the web-page's author for more information.

It seems that there is a lot of good things happening with Capella and Capella grads, especially with the Psych departments. I've seen quite a few Capella Business grads that seem to be doing well too.

bad921x definitely had a good suggestion...take a look at Proquest's Dissertation search function and review some dissertations coming out of each program.

 

Just do a google search and you will find far more full time faculty with Walden PhDs than Capellas PhDs teaching at the University Level. That should tell you something.

 

Re: Re: Capella or Walden Business PHD Programs?

With all due respect, that can be a misleading statement. I realize that is not the poster's intention. Some time ago, I did a very thorough Google count and found many, many Capella grads already teaching in colleges. I posted that article on this forum. If someone could find it that would be great! Another thing, is that Capella advertises in trade magazines a lot and in reputable outlets such as NPR, etc.

I just got back from the August commencement ceremony in Minneapolis and from the school of business and technology there were approx. 250 Masters degrees that attended (more graduated than that) and about 100 Ph.D.'s that attended. These are held several times a year and only those attending are reported in the booklet handed out at the graduation ceremony. Many more graduate that do not attend. You can figure that from all these post batchelors' grads many will be or are in higher education. Then there is the school of Education, Human Services, and, of course, the school of Psychology.

One thing to keep in mind is that Walden was around probably anywhere from 5-10 years earlier. The guy who started their school of psychology was recruited by Capella to help the school of psychology get on solid ground (Dr. Brian Austin). Walden is a wonderful school. To me, it appears that Capella is positioning itself within academia and the business world as a serious institution. They are seeking every accreditation possible as their goals.

This is just my two cents.

 

For what its worth, both schools are very decent choices. Walden has been around a bit longer so I expect to see more people in academia with a Walden PhD.

Have you considered NCU? They are very new but they are cheaper than both Walden and Capella.

 

Re: Re: Re: Capella or Walden Business PHD Programs?

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Capella or Walden Business PHD Programs?

What do you think about the acceptance of NCU grads in academia?

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Capella or Walden Business PHD Programs?

From a talk with a faculty member working fulltime at Devry that graduated with a PhD from NCU, it is basically a degree that is hard to sell to traditional schools. You might find some schools that are open to NCU as Devry that see the online experience as a plus but in general not a degree easy to sell.

AACSB accreditation is becoming a must for faculty positions in business and neither Capella, NCU, Walden or alike seem to be looking for this accreditation. I would think that any school without this accreditation would be hard to sell in academia.

 

Re: Re: Re: Capella or Walden Business PHD Programs?

I did a quick Google search on these schools and found that:

-Walden was founded in 1971 and has over 20,000 students.

-Capella was founded in 1991 and back then called the Graduate School of America for eight years. The school changed names in 1999 to Capella.
This school now has over 12,000-15,000 students enrolled.

Anyways, both schools are great! Lets move on, shall we?

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Capella or Walden Business PHD Programs?

Ok, thanks for the info.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Capella or Walden Business PHD Programs?

AACSB is definitely the accreditation that your bigger B&M schools like to see with a PhD. AACSB is based in large part on the research function of a school...and most pure DL programs do not have a research function.

If you want to break into academia, it might be easier to do with a AACSB B&M program PhD....or find a good UK or Australian program that is GAAP and go that route. I hope to see this change in the next 5 to 10 years with the wider acceptance of DL in the USA...but we'll have to wait and see.

 

Understand about the accredidation issue. Logic behind seeking an online PHD is simply due to work issues. I do not have the time to drop everything and be at a B&M school like ASU, UofA, etc.. full time. Someone has to pay the mortgage.

What about NCU? I see alot of post about it. Seems to me that NCU, from a credibility standpoint, is one or two steps below even Walden or Capella. The cost appears attractive, but do not want to waste my time on a degree that has little or no credibility.....

Thanks for the responses...

 

It's my opinion that NCU is just as credible as Capella and possibly even Walden. Walden has been around quite a bit longer than most so that would be the only reason that they may have more credibility.

As you can see from my sig, I chose NCU after looking at Capella, Walden, Touro and UOP. I am planning on using the PhD in consulting work and for possible adjunct work.

For what it is worth, NCU is currently a candidate for ACBSP accreditation, which is another step forward for legitimacy for the program if they are accredited.

 

Several points for your consideration:

Based on your expressed future goals but especially the fact that you like the specific specialization at Walden more than the one at Capella, it may be the better choice. It is more likely that a student will complete a doctoral program that is more enjoyable and relevant to their work environment than they would if it was not.

In terms of which school granted doctorate would make one more viable for teaching in a community college or an online environment, there is no evidence, other than anecdotal poster opinions, that it really matters whether you select one or the other school!

You did'nt mention NCU as a possible contender. You may wish to review their doctoral curriculum to determine whether it has any relevance or possibilities. As you are probably aware there is no residency requirements and their tuition is substantially lower than the other two. In regard to its meeting your future career goals, NCU is regionally accredited and cannot be discounted, unless its program content is not congruent with your professional objectives.

I would also suggest that you speak with the chairpersons of all three business schools to obtain a "feel" as to which school and teaching philosophy is more congruent with your personal learning style and future career goals.

Finally, in regard to making a decision keep in mind that regardless of some posters defensive claims that there is a disproportionate number of complaints regarding Capella U. versus other online schools, in fact this is not so! A review of the archives on this forum will reveal that similar and at times very lengthy and vehement disagreements took place regarding NCU, TUI and other online doctoral programs! Regardless of whether the feedback is positive or negative it potentially can be very helpful in terms of forming our decisions. Although some of the negative claims about these schools is very questionable and should be discounted, being able to "hear" how other posters' prerceived their experiences at their respective doctoral programs provides us with potentially vital data that no distance learning guidebook or school's marketing literature will ever provide!

 

Thanks for the comments.

I will check out NCU. The Financial Management Specialization looks interesting.

 

Don't forget to take a look at foreign schools as well. Many very well known schools in the UK, Australia and South Africa provide for external research for a PhD.

 

Financial Management! That's just sick.

Good suggestion.

If regional accreditation (RA) is not important, then these schools are definitely worth looking into. These schools are generally considered RA, but only through a third party [organization] evaluation.