Doctor of Arts in English Pedagogy at Murray State University

I'm curious about whether someone in the forum went through with the Doctor of Arts in English Pedagogy at Murray State University (linked program here). It seems like a while back one of the member in the forum, maybe a teacher from Kentucky?, was going to proceed with the DA degree there. I was interested to know more about their experience with the program. It still looks like an attractive program, very flexible for working educators, but the website info. is kind of lacking.

At any rate, does anyone on this forum know anything more about this program?

 

Their website indicates they understand the purpose of the DA: pedagogy mixed with doctoral-level study in the selected discipline. It would appear difficult to proceed with their coursework, however.

The DA is a unicorn in higher education today. I love the concept myself, but I would strongly (STRONGLY!) caution one to be absolutely sure the degree will meet your future goals. There is a strong possibility that some employers looking for a PhD will discriminate against this degree. That's been the case with it in the past, and was the biggest reason why it is almost extinct.

 

I appreciate your reply, Rich. Yeah, I have my own reservations about the DA degree, and how it could compete with the more familiar PhD programs. However, this program and the PhD English program at ODU are some of the only options for doctoral studies in English, while continuing to work full time. Personally, I like that the Murray program has an emphasis on teaching and it has a pathway to specialize in teaching literature. I currently teach at a community college, and I believe the degree would look good and help me to further my goals, either way. Perhaps one day I might move into teaching at the university level, although probably not on tenure-track, of course.

If I don't go down one of the above paths, I have also thought of getting my EdS or EdD degrees, as well. One of the programs I looked at within my state (NC) is the EdS degree at Appalachian. That degree is about 30 hours and is about the midpoint for their EdD program. It is an affordable option here. That said, as my current interest is mostly in teaching English, I'm not sure how much this degree would really aid me, but it would qualify me for any future leadership roles.

At any rate, I'll keep an ear out for anyone that might have had some experience with the Murray DA program.

 

Consider contacting the school to see if your contact info could be passed along to some current students or recent graduates.

Consider doing a search on LinkedIn to see if you can find people connected to the degree program.