Online DHA - 12 months - $15k

I am expected to graduate in May 2022 with the next cohort. Just wanted to say congratulations!

 

I wanted to post to others about the VUL DHA Program. I was accepted and received the preliminary material today, including syllabus and research links. I am 56, Professor (former healthcare manager) and attained a Ph.D. from a foreign University, I thought the DHA program might be good to transition back to healthcare arena. Currently teach at two universities. I'm just deliberating over the time and commitment needs of this program. Would this be smart to pursue, or maybe a certificate program, to learn and gain more healthcare credentials?

 

When you say transition back to the healthcare arena, do you mean to seek a senior leadership role in a healthcare organization? Given your PhD and past healthcare experience I'm not seeing what the VHL DHA would give you that you don't already have. Others may have more useful feedback, but I think seeking out employment in that arena may be more valuable, if only for a few months to see what's out there, would be more valuable than pursuing a second doctorate.

 

I appreciate that. I just felt relevant academic credentials (DHA) would help in a senior leadership role in a healthcare organization.

 

I just wanted to announce that I finished the DHA program today at VUL. What a great experience I had with the instructors, my cohorts, the assignments, and the various courses we took. I personally learned a lot and had my own struggles I had to figure out between getting assignments to the instructors liking to learning to brand new things I had no prior knowledge of as I am not in the healthcare field. There were some nights I felt stressed, called out of work some days, missed out on vacations, missed out on parties and social gathers, devoted my weekends to working on school work and zoom meetings, and I was still able to balance this program while working on my MBA over at Hellenic American University (just taking one course per 7-week term) and working a full-time job (I wouldn't advise anyone to do the same as it was not easy trust me). If I had to do it all over again and select another program as my first doctorate or only doctorate I would pick VUL as it is a hidden gem and from what I am hearing they have a new doctorate program coming in leadership. Overall I am very pleased and I plan on continuing my schooling as I am applying to a Doctor in Public Health and a Doctor of Health Science program to see where I get in. I can officially call myself a doctorate holder but the journey does not end there. I hope in the future VUL applies for Regional Accreditation to add more value to their degrees. Only time will tell but for now, my degree is going to be used for military and federal employment purposes which NA degrees are accepted.

 

Thank you it’s all about finding time for everything including family and personal things. Time management is key

 

So as I mentioned the program is strong on organizational leadership but if you want deep healthcare knowledge given you already have a PhD I might opt for a certificate. Shamelessly I going to plug University of Minnesota and their Healthcare Management Certificate which cost wise is roughly the same as VUL but you have access to a top ten public health program and number 2 ranked Health Management program. Also you connect with MHA students and alumni. https://www.sph.umn.edu/academics/degrees-programs/certificate/healthcare-management/

 

Come on. We know those rankings don't mean anything for the most part. The only thing is that you'll end up in more student debt and get the same position as someone who graduated from a lesser "ranked" school.

 

If you already hold a PhD and have relevant experience but are trying to set yourself apart, your program's perception by employers (which can include its ranking) is one of the few ways you have to differentiate yourself.

 

Chris, totally I disagree when it comes to the subject of ranking and quality research. There is a difference in the quality of research and faculty at a top R1 school. For some degrees and what the student is choosing to pursue, however, I agree it might not much of a difference between R1 and lower-tier programs. When it comes to public health I'm following the lead of top researchers like Dr. Michael Osterholm who I was lucky to have as a guest lecturer and is well known as a leading expert of infectious disease. Sorry, you don't you get that at a non R1 school. Lastly, top employers look to recruit more from top schools than lower-tier schools. If that wasn't true then I guess holding a MBA from Columbia Southern should afford me the same salary as a Harvard MBA.

 

Looks like tuition is being raised to $18,000 which is still not a bad deal but there are other options since the price is raising. Tuition previously was $15,000.

 

For @Futuredegree and others who finished, is there anywhere to see your or others capstones? I'd love to see what grads are coming up with.

 

I recently completed the program and the DHA did not have a capstone. However, we had an IRB to complete with several practicum courses. I also had to complete an externship. Overall, I am satisfied with the pacing, rigor, and depth of the curriculum. I'm glad to have finished! We are supposed to walk the stage in August, but details from the administration are lacking.

 

Glad to hear they have an IRB process in place for the final project/paper. Congratulations Master Chief and Bravo Zulu!

 

I am curious about how the practicum course goes. Should the students find part-time jobs at some institutes or clinics? What does the externship look like for an online program? Thanks!

 

The practicums were self-contained classes. The requirement for the externship varied as "This program requires graduates to have a minimum of 90 graduate semester credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. An externship of up to 24 credit hours may be required for students to fulfill this requirement." Most of us used opportunities with our day jobs for the externship. We had to plan, organize, manage, etc. outside the scope our normal jobs. We kept documentation and received feedback from mentors (both at the site and within the DHA program). Your mentor will also provide feedback to VUL. You don't need a part-time job for this portion of the program. Because the externship was personalized, no two are the same. For me, I had an in-depth discussion with my academic advisor on expectations before any agreement was made with VUL. Some Doctoral candidates were not required to perform the externship as they had sufficient graduate credits.

 

Congrats on pushing thru and finishing strong. Thankful that I had many units above and beyond so that I didn't have to do an externship. Best of luck #VULStrong

 

Thanks a lot for the details.

 

How strict are they with the writing example/publication?

I've been eyeing the program but I dont have any publication.

I'm currently finishing up my MBA at Lamar University and trying to think ahead.