Help locating the right doctoral program...

I tried to post this once and it returned an error... I apologize if this ends up being a duplicate thread...

I've been looking and doing some of my own research but it never hurts to have some outside opinions...

My background:

I'm a nearly twenty year police veteran officer in Georgia. I hold Georgia's advanced law enforcement certification, senior instructor, firearms instructor and field training officer certification. I have a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in public affairs. Both degrees are from state flagship universities. The bachelor's degree was completed in a traditional setting and the master's degree was completed online.

I am now looking to start a doctoral program. My ultimate goal is to use it to teach at a college level, become a police chief or the director of a police academy. If I teach at a college level, I'd be interested in teaching in a political science, public administration or criminal justice program. In any of the above, I'd obviously take an interest in anything geared toward criminal justice/criminal justice administration.

I've looked at the PhD in Leadership from University of the Cumberlands and Valdosta State's DPA program. I don't feel like either of them are an exact fit for what I'm looking for. I'm hoping you guys can help point me in a good direction.

Some of the things I'm looking for:

1. Reputation is important. Regional accreditation is not negotiable. While I don't doubt they are legitimate programs, schools like Walden are not what I'm really looking for.

2. I don't want a straight CJ degree. I want something that incorporates CJ in the program but I'm generally against a strict CJ degree.

3. Affordable. I can't pay $75k for a degree. I'd prefer to keep it under 50k. Cheaper is even better.

4. Primarily online but I'm not opposed to something that has some residencies.

5. Realistic workload for an adult working full-time and juggling family commitments.


I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

 

Here are some programs you may wish to consider that seem to me most/all of your criteria:

Governors State University
Ed.D. in Interdisciplinary Leadership (Concentration in Public Safety Leadership)
Welcome to Governors State University in Chicago Illinois

Antioch University
Ph.D. in Leadership and Change (allows for "Individualized Learning Areas")
https://www.antioch.edu/gslc/degrees-programs/business-management-leadership/phdlc-cross-sector/

North Carolina A&T
Ph.D. in Leadership Studies (has a track in "Transformative Leadership for Civic & Community Engagement")
Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies | A&T Online - North Carolina A&T State University | Online Education
Curriculum Guide: http://online.ncat.edu/PDF/LEST%20Brochure%202016.pdf

 

There are a few people of the law on DI who are doing graduate work. Bruce likes this program.
Doctor of Criminal Justice | Online Doctorate

 

I'm also a police officer looking into doctoral programs. West Chester University of Pennsylvania has a new online DPA which allows for a 9 credit criminal justice mini-concentration. There is not much info on the website as it is a new program, so I'm not sure if there are any on-campus residencies. It might be worth looking into.

 

Johnson University has an online PHD in leadership. $41,230 all inclusive - $10k under budget.
https://www.johnsonu.edu/Online/Programs/Graduate/Leadership-Studies-(Ph-D-).aspx

 

It looks like the OP requires good reputation school. So, Johnson University, Governors State University, and Antioch University might not work. If your price tag is under $50,000...have you looked at Northeastern University's EdD in Organizational Leadership? I might consider the program...the program estimate is $46,000.00

National Ranking: #39 (tie) in National Universities

 

The only regionally accredited Ph.D. in Criminal Justice available by DL that I know of is from Nova Southeastern University;

Ph.D. in Criminal Justice

The other programs aren't pure CJ, or have a different degree title (Doctor of Criminal Justice).

 

To clarify for the OP, I based my recommendations on regional accreditation and avoiding for-profits like Walden. I'm also deliberately differentiating between "reputation" and "rankings".

 

Hi,

A program you may wish to explore is the Doctorate in Strategic Studies offered by Henley-Putnam University. It offers strategic security and leadership subject matter within this context of study. This school is accredited by DEAC and has also attained regional candidacy status with the Western Association for Schools and Colleges (WASC). The fact that this school has achieved candidacy status implies, although not guaranteeing, that they have a very good chance to attain regional accreditation.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I've actually circled back around to the PhD Leadership - Criminal Justice from University of the Cumberlands. I've submitted my application and now just need to knock out the GRE.

 

Hi

This is a new program that is starting this summer. It's one of our state schools here in Pennsylvania so very legitimate.

Doctor of Criminal Justice | Online Doctorate

 

I am considering the PhD/EdD through the University of the Cumberlands as well. Wondering if you inquired about the GRE/GMAT waiver I would think that with your long LE history you would meet the criteria they have listed, I believe it is 5 years of supervisory and budget management experience. I am not at all acquainted with the universities application numbers, I suppose that if they have 20 applicants with qualifying GRE/GMAT scores and one requesting a waiver they might consider the GRE/GMAT applicants as better candidates. Best of luck!