Phd in leadership or Education - short dissertation research?

This fall I should be done with my masters in criminal justice from Monroe college and was wondering if there is any phd programs in education or leadership that have a short dissertation? I know this question might upset some people but I'm just looking around for the best option.

Also on a side note is there any programs that are self-paced and will accept masters credits towards a Phd?
I have looked into the University of the Cumberlands so far but was wondering if there are any others? The school doesn't have to be RA but can't be a diploma mill.

Im not looking for short cuts just advice... Im not the best writer but not the worst. I score high on exams also if that helps.

 

Do you require any accreditation whatsoever?

 

Johnson University (also Christian) has an online Ph.D. in Leadership Studies. They are RA/ABHE.

The Chicago School has an online Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership.

Lancaster Bible College also has a low residency Ph.D. in Leadership.

I believe Capella and Northcentral as well.

But I cannot imagine a program advertising that you only need to do a "short" dissertation because that would be an incredibly weird thing to be proud of. You want to do research and contribute to your field as long as you are able to keep it under 40,000 words?

There are multiple programs out there. University of the Cumberlands is hardly the only game in town. But any degree worth earning is going to require you to actually produce a body of original research. If you are thinking of it in terms of "long" or "short" it tells me you are probably considering the physical work you have to do without really appreciating the gravity of work that would go into your dissertation. You aren't writing a term paper. You need to go out and do research. You need a thesis statement. You need means of supporting that thesis. You need to do a lot more than sit down and crank out a few pages like this is an undergraduate class.

So yeah, programs are out there. There are avenues for you to earn your Ph.D. Whether you have the motivation, resources (including time and money) and desire to go down this road is up to you.

 

I don't think you're going to have much success finding a PhD with a short dissertation requirement. You may have better luck with an applied doctorate, which will require a project (the project may or may not be as lengthy as a dissertation).

In addition to the schools listed by Neuhaus, you can look at:

Piedmont University (Christian, TRACS accreditation) - PhD in Leadership

Bakke Graduate University (Christian, TRACS accreditation) - Doctor of Transformational Leadership (major project required, but shorter than a PhD dissertation).

Are you a Maryland resident by chance, or at least located fairly close? The University of Maryland - Eastern Shore offers a PhD in Organizational Leadership, but it's not online. They meet on weekends and in-state tuition is only $18k for the program, $25k for out-of-state. This won't be a short dissertation option, but it's an affordable, RA option from a great school system.


If accreditation is unimportant, there may be other options.

 

Have you yet taken a course in statistics or research methods? If so, the key to minimum dissertation length can be found there, to wit:

Quantitative dissertations are generally shorter than qualitative dissertations. The commonality to all dissertations is that they make an original contribution to the body of scholarly literature in your field.

There is an old anecdote/legend of the mathematics major who was able to solve a problem that had been stumping the rest of the world. His dissertation: one page.

Quantitative dissertations may be based on a survey or testing instrument and may require minimal length to communicate their results. Qualitative dissertations may use any number of research methodologies, may be historical or legal, may consist of one or more case studies, interviews, oral histories, ad infinitum…

The key? Once you’ve decided what to tackle as your dissertation topic or project, use as much space as you need. Or as little.

For what it’s worth, my dissertation came in at 328 pages (and consisted of historical, legal, and theological research). But many of my colleagues were psychology majors and theirs came in much shorter. And, as I wrote mine, its length did not concern me at all.

This discussion reminds me of the scene in Amadeus where the king criticizes Mozart for putting “too many notes” in a composition. Mozart’s response? “I used just as many notes as I needed.”

Go thou and do likewise.

 

I’m in full agreement with those who have already offered their insight. Certainly there are additional online /distance options (including overseas programs) that may be of interest, so I’ll merely list one more (RA):

Creighton University: online Doctoral Program (Ed.D.) in Interdisciplinary Leadership

“… a broad and interdisciplinary view of leadership that you can apply to a range of industries, especially business, education, nonprofit, military and health care.

Coursework in this program is mainly online but includes two required residency experiences …

Also, students have the option to attend 2-4 day on-campus writing workshops that take place several times a year.”

First residency: four-day orientation. Second residency: dissertation presentation /defense.
Online Doctorate in Leadership | Creighton University