Is a DL Doctorate a New Kind of Animal?

Well, it only took 5 pages to get right back to where we started. What was the question again?

 

Thanks, I got there but was clicking on "Retention and Graduation Rates"

 

These are all valid points and I would never agrue them. My point is that there is a greater number because more people have access to them as a result of them being delivered online. I don't think we are really in a disagreement over this. Would double or triple the number of PhDs and DBAs have an impact on the teaching system and perceived quality of having a PhD if all of those people applied for teaching jobs - sure it will. Would it drive down the price that can be demanded to teach just because you have a PhD - sure. Does it mean that every person getting a PhD or DBA will want to teach - not really. As a matter of fact, many might already be teaching. Does it mean that holding a PhD will be a golden ticket - no. Many years ago just having an MCSE meant an easy job and people would fight over you. Now, you need to bring more to the table like a proven record and experience. I see it as almost the same in some twisted way.

 

Like you said, who cares!. If people find enjoyment in spending 60K for personal enrichment, 3 letters after their name and to tell their friends that they are professors (online at UoP or alike), who we are to stop them from getting that joy.

 

I have know people that have lost more then that at Atlantic City and call themselves "professional gamblers"...and they don't even walk away with those three letters!

 

That study has not yet been done--at least no major jounral has published such a study.

 

My latest post cited data from 2009-10, which is as recent as we can get. I do not have current figures for business doctorates, but over 6,500 doctorates were awarded in education.

 

The DBA is a research doctorate, not a first professional degree, so it would likely be included.

Yes, this is the same source that I quoted for the 2,005 number for Capella, Walden, Phoenix, NCU and TUI. College Navigator copes from the U.S. DOE's National Center for Education Statistics.

True--the largest graduate less than three dozen per year.

Also true--and Capella also offers the Ph.D. in business

 

That's no more expensive than buying a Mercedes or similar car that will wear out eventually. And just think of how cool you would feel when you put your name in for waiting at a crowded restaurant and have the them call out Dr. before your name. What more could you ask for?

 

I would be very interested in such a study. However, it would be difficult to quantify such information. As you said, I don't think you could use the number of times specific dissertations were cited because this information would be skewed by interest in some subject areas over others. I seems that the value and quality of a dissertation is somewhat subjective. Maybe that's why we do not find articles on that topic.

 

This is a really good point. Online schools sell the idea that one could be distinguished from the crowd because the online doctorate. They sell the prestige that the title carries. It is similar to the titles of nobility that are sold by some European countries. People are willing to spend the money and effort just to be respected and noticed.

A pretty lame reason but I guess it motivates some people.

 

Only $60K and you could become nobility. Where else can you get such a deal?

Joking aside, people spend more than that for the sake of vanity. Moreover, you can't discount the people who are doing it mostly for personal achievement. Plus, there are some doctorates that are available for well under the $60K price tag. Liberty is $28K and the teacher pay raise will cover a good portion of that. I think that may be why you see so many grad students going for education degrees. I would guess that many are teachers who, like the military, find that their degree is partially subsidized. In fact, I believe that this is why the EdS degree is so popular; it moves the teacher over to the final, highest column on the pay matrix and yet forgoes the dissertation requirements. It's not a doctor's degree, but it fits the bill.

 

I would never had paid $60K for any degree gained online or even on campus unless it was an Ivy School. My MS-ITM from Touro, which was the branch campus of Touro College a B&M private/non-profit at the time, was under $7K (about $1K out of pocket). My PhD was about $28K (under $3K out of pocket). Above everything I guess I am really just cheap and always have an eye on the ROI.

 

How can you not have a good ROI when your investment is so low? Very impressive. My total outlay for my doctorate is going to be about $14K which is not chump change in any way, but it's not really too expensive either.

 

Randell,

I must confess that I was going to enroll with NCU before getting accreditation. The deal was 6K for the full program and was willing to pay from my own pocket and take the risk of them not getting RA. However, I was able to get a grant for 5K a year that pay for my education in Australia.

Ideally, I wanted to do the Nova DBA or PhD but their price was way out of my range.

You get the best you can get given your limitations. One thing for sure is that NCU, Capella and UoP are not worth the 60K they are charging nowadays for their doctorate programs.

 

I hope that was not meant to be as disrespectful as it sounds.

 

No disrespect meant to anyone. I meant that we have limitations in terms time, money, etc and the chosen program is normally the best at the time we made the decision. There are so many different options now and seems that more will become available so new prospect doctoral students should take into consideration all the possible variables.

 

I took it a true statement. We all have limitations and most are self imposed. Mine was to spend as little as possible out of pocket and not have a residency. Other people limitations maybe the time committment to the program, lack of GRE required for entry, etc. Limitation is just a word.

 

Looks like we were saying the same thing at the same time! As I have said before, if I had to do it all over again I would go with Nova and spend more out of pocket because I have more to spare now then I did 6 years ago. The options are greater now then they were back then.

 

It's not necessarily OK, and people do care, because it is one of the most obvious symptoms of Credential Inflation.

If governments print too much paper money, the value of that money falls. The result is financial inflation.
Similarly, if universities print too many paper diplomas, the value of those diplomas falls. The result is credential inflation.

The cycle works like this:

1. Schools expand access to a given degree.
2. If the supply of degrees exceeds the demand, this dilutes the value of that degree in the job market.
3. So some degree-holders return to school to get a higher degree.
4. Go back to 1.

The cycle works to the advantage of schools, but not necessarily to anyone else. It's been suggested that:

Can anything break the cycle? Well, maybe:

The implication is that employers will eventually refuse to reimburse employees for business degrees from schools that overproduce them, like Capella or UoP. In fact, companies like Intel, Lockheed Martin, and FedEx are already there.