Looking for an online doctorate in Information/Data Privacy

I have scoured the web and have come up empty handed for the most part, so I wanted to reach out here. I am looking for an online doctorate specifically (preferably a Ph.D.) in Information/Data privacy. So think Ph.D. in Information or Data Privacy, not a Ph.D. in xxx with a concentration in Information or Data Privacy. Information Privacy and Data Privacy are technically separate topics, but either one will work for me. I already have a doctorate (D.Sc) in Cybersecurity, but enjoy privacy more (though they are related). I am getting this (if the degree actually exists) simply for the personal challenge, and do not expect this to advance my career. If anyone knows of anything, please share, it is appreciated!

 

I, for one, can't begin to fathom why you would want a Ph.D. in information or data privacy on top of your existing doctorate in cybersecurity. The entire notion of people going for multiple doctorates has always seemed a bit off the wall to me.

On the other hand, I can get behind your rationale if it will divert your interest in calling people like Rich Douglas and the moderators racist and xenophobic, as you have done in the past. See, for example, https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?search/1684740/, with a focus on the posts dealing with U. Cumberlands and the Zimmerman case. Perhaps you should focus on the notion that posts like these can come back to bite you on the ass when least expected.

Be that as it may, FWIW, I did a search here on DI for "data privacy" (in quote marks to form a string) and came up with nothing. Nonetheless, if you were to follow through, why not get a Ph.D. in "xxx with a concentration in Information or Data Privacy?" I've seen people waste their time and energy by naming a degree too specifically rather than getting a broader title that has more market potential. An old example: I remember a guy who told me he was pursuing a master's degree in "The Weathered Women Project," an oral history about this unique group. I remember advising him to change the title of his degree to "Women's Studies" - he did, and found himself far more employable than he would have with the esoteric degree title.
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My advice, also FWIW - enjoy your current doctorate and pursue reading in information and date privacy. Since you already teach and apparently have had no resistance to being hired, don't bother getting an entire degree in too focused a subject. By the way, it was fun reading some of your older messages as cited above. You made some of our more reactionary whack jobs look tame.

Rich Douglas a racist, of all people? Give me a break. Rich and I may not always see eye to eye, but he's the last dude on this board that I would call a racist.

 

I read a book about alchemy once by a guy who had a PhD in History and another PhD in Chemistry. Had dual appointments in the history and chemistry departments at whatever university he taught at and specialized, as you can probably tell, in basically the history of chemistry.

Two doctorates made sense for him, I guess. Two completely unrelated fields, he fuses them together. Neat stuff.

What boggles my mind are the closely related doctorates. I'm not sure who they think is impressed by this sort of thing, but it surely isn't HR or hiring managers.

 

Its a personal accomplishment, why would someone want to hold the Guinness World Record on having the longest wedding dress train?

Meh, Id stand behind calling him dumb (unless you agree that saying Gopalkrishna Vishwanath is an indian name and John Smith is an american name is a racist and xenophobic statement, then I cannot help you). I forgot about those posts from 6 years ago, cant remember if I was trolling or being serious. If you want to consider this biting me in the ass, go for it. I am asking a bunch of people about something that more than likely does not exist yet (or I would have found it on my own and wouldnt need to ask here).

Yeah, there is nothing on this site, and nothing on the internet (that I could find). I was hoping someone here knew of some niche university that had this, but I have a feeling that even if the answer is yes, I will not get an answer with how quickly this thread is devolving.

I would disagree, once we get a democrat back in the whitehouse (not trying to be political, its just the reality of the situation) we will likely see a US style GDPR law passed. One this happens, more colleges will react and start developing degrees on this topic. While this topic will never be as popular as something such as Cybersecurity, with the evolution of tech (especially in the IoT and wearable tech spaces) data privacy will become more popular/mainstream

Come on over to Reddit, Fox News, or Democratic Underground, I look really tame there...

You have to remember that racism isnt only about hate, it is also about stupidity around racial topics. If your definition of racism limits you to only thinking about hate groups such as the KKK, Nazis, etc... then yeah, but plenty of people are racist without realizing it, and it isnt always done with malicious intentions.

 

Show me one HR department (outside of a university) that is impressed with a single doctorate, its actually a detriment in some (if not many) cases. Like I said, this isnt a professional accomplishment. Also, while it may seem like these topics are closely related, that is far from the truth. While you need security for privacy, that is the extent which these topics are related. Remember, data/information privacy isn't about just protecting data from unauthorized access, it is about controlling who has access to your data, how they use it, and so on. This isnt something many cybersecurity professionals worry about, we mostly concern ourselves with security related topics.

 

Another sort of accomplishment would be to use the research skills you have to write a series of scholarly articles on privacy and get them printed in a peer reviewed professional journal. You can tailor them to your interests and, in my mind, it would represent a more significant accomplishment than cranking out a second PhD from some obscure school.

 

What are you looking for...does not exist. Most schools do not offer this specific area of information security because there are not enough Doctorate students who are interested in a specific topic. The student can do research in the Data or Information Privacy.

@@Information Technology/Information Systems ---> Information Security ---> Information/Data Privacy

 

Depends heavily on the field. I can safely tell you that for engineers it is generally seen as a very big deal provided said Dr. Engineer also has relevant experience and that experience is in a desirable area. When this perfect storm occurs, I can assure you that a single doctorate is most impressive particularly when it is from a well regarded engineering program.

If you'd like to know other areas where doctorates are well received, I can only speak to my own experience. Nursing is one where doctorates are well received, provided you aren't hiring floor nurses. Then it is not a help. Though, nurses with doctorates are seldom applying for those sorts of jobs. I've also recruited software engineers, cybersecurity experts and a myriad of other IT and CS professionals. I worked for one of those big, international staffing companies.

I've seen more resumes than bartenders have seen bad decisions.

If not a boon, it is often seen as neutral, at the very least. The only time a doctorate hurts is when you are only qualified at a relatively low level otherwise. No one wants a call center representative or a McDonalds drive-thru crew member with a PhD. This isn't because PhDs aren't well regarded. It's because managing people in high churn, low skill roles is very challenging. More challenging when the people you're managing resent working a low skilled position despite their education.

Yeah, if you were talking about certificates, I'd see your point. My point is that a doctorate doesn't stop at the coursework you took. In fact, if that's how you're treating it then yes, it will indeed appear detrimental to your case.

If I earn a PhD in medieval studies specializing in, say, Chaucer. I take the coursework around Chaucer. I write my dissertation on Chaucer. I publish articles on Chaucer and then, a few years down the line I decide I really want to start researching monasticism, I can just start researching monasticism. In fact, I can probably pivot there pretty easily as long as I at least tie in the medieval era somehow. It would not be required, or even particularly desirable, for me to run out and get a degree in monasticism in this situation.

If I ran out and earned a new PhD in a seemingly closely related field, even to us laymen, whenever I changed research interests you'll just appear degree happy more than actually offering anything to new fields.

You want to do something for personal enrichment? Hey, it's your life. Personally, I'd settle for some additional coursework or maybe publishing some articles or something. But hey, to each their own. You are free to be as freewheeling with your tuition dollars as you wish.

But please, leave the HRing to me.

 

As someone who has earned two doctorates, I'd like to chime in.

I cannot imagine the situation where having two doctorates provides even one iota of advantage in the hiring process. In fact, as Neuhaus states, it could be a detriment as people might get the wrong impression about the candidate. (Or, perhaps, the right one?)

I was having this conversation with someone last week with an EdD from a well-regarding school on the West Coast. She intends to return to the school and earn a PhD in an area that is somewhat different, but not entirely. In fact, she'll still need to take one year of courses before the dissertation--an advantage because she's returning to the same school. She also wants to do a scholarly doctorate vs. the professional doctorate she did the first time. She is interested in the PhD title instead of the EdD, but that seems to be a minor factor. The main reason for doing it is that she wants the structure of the doctoral degree to explore learning and research in her new area of interest. That is what motivated me.

I earned a PhD where I specialized in nontraditional higher education. But my career stayed firmly planted in human resource development. Later, I had an opportunity to further both my practice and my scholarly knowledge in the field by doing the second degree. And so it did. But the degree itself has been absolutely meaningless to my career. I don't anticipate ever applying for a job again, and I earned the second doctorate while in my current job, so I've not seen any negative impact. But I wouldn't expect any positive impact, either.

But the first doctorate? It absolutely changed my career. I doubled my income two years after graduation (while in my early 40's, no less) and it took off from there. Even though the degree didn't have a lot of relevance to my career, the PhD title had a huge impact...and continues to do so to this day.

"You have to remember that racism isnt only about hate, it is also about stupidity around racial topics."

Oh, my. I would look forward to having that pointed out specifically. I would certainly hate to be stupid and racist!