Ph.D. Online - Public, State University

Hello!

I am new here and it looks like you get these kinds of questions all the time so I apologize in advance. I found another thread on this site that asked my question, but it was discussed back in 2009 so I am wondering if anything has changed since then. I have been looking for an online PhD in sociology (from a real school) for a few years with no success. Either my Google skills have failed me, or such a program does not exist. To be clear, I am needing to attend a university here in the United States.

I have a BA in sociology and an MA in educational psychology, both from tier 1 research universities. I was hoping to be able to teach online CC courses using my MA, but it appears that the specific subject is not taught at the undergraduate level. Sure, I'm fully capable of teaching regular psychology courses but with the flooding of the market of all degrees, it is too easy for schools to hire instructors with general psych degrees so it is not necessary for them to stretch their imaginations and consider that I could be just as qualified as people with more general psych degrees. Most graduate programs in ed psych are dying out, so it would not make sense to continue to study the subject. While this country has never been more in need of educational reform, it is ironic that we are doing away with such fields but I digress...

Sociology has always been my first love, anyway. If I'm going to continue my education, I would like to do so studying something that I just cannot get enough of (excuse the poor grammar in that sentence, please). My husband's work causes us to move often so I am left with two options: either do not apply for a Ph.D., or find one that can be completed remotely. We have chosen to not entertain the option of living apart for 7+ years. Once upon a time, I entertained the idea of earning a degree from a school that technically holds regional accreditation, but is considered a "diploma mill" by some. After doing my own homework on the subject, however, it became apparent to me that such schools actively work to keep students in dissertation approval limbo in order to rack up the financial aid dollars and keep students around as long as possible. I'm just not willing to pay that kind of price for an inferior credential.

I realize that sociology is one of the oldest university subjects so throwing a legitimate PhD online is probably not going to happen anytime soon given the culture, but hey, it could happen.

Any information you might know would be very helpful. Thank you in advance for any advice you might be able to offer.