University of the Cumberlands Online PhD in Information Technology

2 years for your PhD? were you hustling and taking extra courses and made extra effort to write your dissertation?
How did you go through it so quickly?
Congratulations by the way!!!!

 

Took 2-3 classes at a time whenever possible. Followed the rubric; if it wasn't graded, I didn't do it or gave minimum effort. Discussion board posts were basic.

Most importantly, I followed the advice in this thread. I followed the blueprint that is in this thread

 

Dr. Larry L. Cockrum is stepping down as the University of the Cumberlands after 20 years of presidency. The school elevated one of its own graduate, Dr. Quentin Young, who earned his Ph.D. in Information Technology from the University of the Cumberlands, to be the next university president. So, there is always hope for earning a Doctorate degree from a not well-known/ranking school.

 

Only in America does one advertise or care about one's church affiliation when making job announcements!!!

 

I don't remember if this was mentioned in this thread, but will any of the classes have group projects or interaction with other students in this sense?

After my MBA, I'm so tired of stupid group projects and the time suck involved to herd everyone towards completion.

 

I didn't see any. Labs are also a big time suck, however.

 

No, there is no group project. Plenty of forum discussions are part of your grade; post your original threads and respond to at least two posts with APA citations and references to get full credit. There are some lab works and projects, but they are individual. You only see group projects in the cohort environment. The University of the Cumberlands' program is individual as long as you finish in 6 years. Here are some of the sample assessments.

DSRT734 Inferential Statistics in Decision-Making

• Week 1 - Data Survey & Navigation Quiz (2%)
• Week 2 - Weekly Quiz (6%)
• Week 3 - Weekly Quiz (5%)
• Week 4 - Mid-term Exam (20%)
• Week 5 - Weekly Quiz (5%) Article Review Due (20%)
• Week 6 - Weekly Quiz (3%)
• Week 7 - Weekly Quiz (4%) Practical Connection (15%)
• Week 8 - Final Exam (20%)

DSRT837 - Professional Writing

• Assignments - 905 points (90.5%)
• Discussions - 65 points (6.5%)
• Quizzes - 30 points (3%)

ITS836 - Data Science and Big Data Analytic

• UC Plagiarism Pledge 2.5%
• Introduction Discussion 0%
• Discussions 20%
• Literature Reviews 45%
• Final Project Portfolio 22.5%
• Practical Connection 10%

 

Does anyone know if you have to take both DSRT 850 - Qualitative Research Methods and DSRT 834 - Advanced Statistical Applications or either one?

 

Yes, both courses are part of the 24 hours of research courses. At one point, there was a misprint in the academic calendar where it said 24 credits required but only listed 7 courses instead of 8, and I believe DSRT 850 was the missing entry. It came up earlier in the thread somewhere I thought.

 

Yeah, it is confusing.

 

About an hour ago, I received a response from the University. I am on the right track and on the old catalog, where my specialty was 21 credits. Basically, I need to choose only one of these (DSRT 850 Qualitative Research, DSRT 834 Advanced Statistical Applications, LEAS 830, LEAS 730, LEAC 836, or 3 INTR 799 Credits).

Professional Research - 21 Credit Hours Required

Spring 2025__ DSRT 734 Inferential Statistics

Spring 2025__ DSRT 837 Professional Writing and Proposal Development,

Summer 2025__ DSRT 850 Qualitative Research, DSRT 834 Advanced Statistical Applications, LEAS 830, LEAS 730, LEAC 836, or 3 INTR 799 Credits

Summer 2025__ DSRT 736 Dissertation Seminar (16 weeks)

Fall 2025__ DSRT 839 Advanced Research Methods (16 weeks)

Spring 2026__ DSRT 930 Dissertation (16 weeks)

Summer 2026__ DSRT 931 Dissertation (16 weeks)

 

I recently got accepted into the University of the Cumberlands' PhD in IT program. I have two master's degrees, one in Computer Science and another in Information Systems. I got nine credits transferred from my second MS to the Data Science specialty and hope to have more transferred through the Priority Learning program.

I have been working as a software engineer for more than five years in a genetics/genomics research lab at an Ivy League school, but my responsibilities mostly lean towards bioinformatics and data science. I have coauthored more than ten peer-reviewed publications and am currently working on my first first-author manuscript.

My short-term goal with this PhD is to apply for grants through my lab that are only available to PhDs to fund my research. Long-term, I would like to move out of academia and into industry in a leadership position.

My reason for choosing this program at UoC is its flexibility, affordability, and shorter time to complete. My second option is the PhD in Information Science program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Given my background and goals, what are your thoughts? I would appreciate any insights.

 

I think you made the right decision. Of course, the University of the Cumberlands' program is not for everyone. The University of the Cumberlands has a decent reputation, especially its existence for more than 135 years. It has the same ranking as the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. I like the fact that the program is Information Technology, not a specific specialty like a Ph.D. in Data Science or a Ph.D. in Cyber Security.

I highly recommend tackling the core courses first. I was interested in data science or artificial intelligence, but it was not offered until I started. I ended up with Blockchain Technology. I have been on and off due to being a full-time single dad, full-time job, and 2 years MBA at the Imperial College London. Now, I am in the research and dissertation phases; fingers crossed for the next 18 months.

 

I was thinking about UALR as well at one point, but leaned more towards UC for the same reasons. I'm about to finish my MBA at George Washington and already have another MS in infosec.
I just got accepted to UC and should start this fall.
I keep telling myself that if a crayon evangelist like Tekman can do it, so can this old Army guy here! lol.

 

There is nothing wrong with an OLD ARMY guy to follow an OLD MARINE guy. Semper Fi!

 

Go Army, Beat Navy! lol

 

Although the Marine Corps is under the Department of the Navy, I am not a fan of the Navy.

 

After I received this, all access to any university-provided resources for students was cut off. (Microsoft Office 365, up-to-date. etc..)

 

Seems like a fair exchange Actually a bit disappointing to lose those resources as an alumni.