I’m finally done with my masters so Im thinking of moving fwrrd to a Phd.
I now have a baby ( :woohoo: ) so I’m thinking of doing something online.
I found two accredited schools; capella and pheonix online.
Now what should I be looking for to make sure that this is an actual school and Im not being bamboozled.
Re: PhD
Muniya,
I might not be providing a direct answer to your question, but my own stance on the idea of an online Ph.D. degree is to only consider it if and only if it’s the last option in front of you…
I’m nearing completion of my own degree in another 3 to 5 months – inshaAllah… and it has taken me 3 years of full-time and 2.5 years of part-time studies to get to this point. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone take a decision to pursue a Ph.D. lightly.
Firstly, you need to make sure that a Ph.D. degree is really where you want to go. What do you intend to get out of it. Have you conducted formal academic or industry research before? have experience in teaching and developing courseware? do you enjoy these activities – and see yourself in these areas for the rest of your life.
In my case, before I decided to take up my Ph.D. degree, I had already been teaching at community college and University levels as an Adjunct for almost 3 years. I had also written a couple of research papers and presented them at academic conferences… so I was aware of some of the practices around research writing, publication, and peer-review. I also had worked in the private sector for many years, and this gave me the opportunity to compare my experiences and make an informed decision of where I want to be.
It is quite a serious commitment to undertake a Ph.D. – I’ve seen many students who think of a doctorate as the logical next-step after a Masters, but it really isn’t. While many masters programs are built on coursework, and it’s easy to get through courses because you have well defined curricula, structured deliverables, and assigned deadlines… there really is very little predefined configuration to completing your own research in a Ph.D. program… that is why many students drop out of Ph.D. programs when the real doctoral work starts – i.e. proposing your research thesis, defending it with your committee, and in public, conducting empirical research (which can be very frustrating at times), writing up your dissertation (which is a daunting task if you think about writing 300 pages), and ultimately succeeding in defending your results (what if the external examiner or chairperson doesn’t like it). Things can and do go wrong at many of these individual steps and it’s very challenging to get through the hurdles unless you have direct support from your mentors and peers.
That is why I don’t look too favourably upon online Ph.D. programs… because a Ph.D. is a research degree and it requires a lot of specialized institutional support and ample time to complete.
Although sophisticated online technologies have made it easier to collaborate with others, you still need real-time personal interactions to pursue in-depth conversations on complex topics.
I’m not trying to discourage you, but my intention is to get you to think a little more about this before making a final decision. If at all possible, consider any options that might allow you to pursue the degree on a part-time basis within a local context.
If you really want to go the online route, make sure the institution is accredited (beware though… everyone claims they are). It would also help if the institution has professional accreditation in addition to regional/national. Also check out ratings from students, and do some research on the employment success rates of graduates from these degrees. Even with online programs, I know that there are some that insist on a small duration every year where you will have to go and meet with your supervisor and committee members… this is definitely a better model for a Ph.D. then a purely online one.
In terms of U.S. based programs, I’ve heard better things about Walden as compared to
Capella and Phoenix…
Woops… long post – sorry!
Re: PhD
^ Nicely put. Just one addition (if you agree):
Well, if anyone decides to go for a PhD, the most important factor should be the supervisor. Forget, city, university ranking, brand name, etc. If you find a good supervisor, that would make your work more effective and the impact factor would be higher. If you just wanna do a PhD to label yourself a Dr., then ofcourse your decision depends on how 'easy' it is for you.
Re: PhD
I actually want to go into teaching. Professor at some point in my life.
But I'm also used to a certain standard of living and unless I do the PhD i'd be making less as a professor.
LC thanks for the post, wasn't long at all. I really needed that mapping of the degree.
The only person I know that did a PhD is in Pakistan and thats all hogwash anyway.
Thanks -- do you mind if I PM you with some questions as I move forward with this?
First question would be -- I was thinking of starting to teach at a local Community college. But I'm an accountant by profession. How does that work? How do I approach them with no experience at all?
^ Nicely put. Just one addition (if you agree):
Well, if anyone decides to go for a PhD, the most important factor should be the supervisor. Forget, city, university ranking, brand name, etc. If you find a good supervisor, that would make your work more effective and the impact factor would be higher.
Very true… not only do you need a supervisor who is competitively positioned in terms of his/her research and publications record, active roster of projects, and adequate research funding to support graduate students, you also need to make sure that he/she has reasonable expectations of you (many are overly zealous and stringent), ethical in terms of authoring/co-authoring arrangements, and flexible enough to allow you some freedom in the type of research that interests you.
For me, this was the primary reason I opted for my program, since I already knew my supervisor through my masters program and took multiple courses including a directed readings course with him, and collaborated on writing a paper together. Hence, I knew his personality and demeanor to begin with… and it has been a blessing.
If you just wanna do a PhD to label yourself a Dr., then ofcourse your decision depends on how 'easy' it is for you
And that is a really really really bad reason to start a Ph.D. – chances are very high that a person with that “objective” if I can call it that will drop out just as soon as they realize how much work is involved. There are other more regimented academic programs that can still enable someone to get that prefix to their name… they take lesser time, and have higher chances of graduation once candidates get in.
I actually want to go into teaching. Professor at some point in my life. But I'm also used to a certain standard of living and unless I do the PhD i'd be making less as a professor.
LC thanks for the post, wasn't long at all. I really needed that mapping of the degree. The only person I know that did a PhD is in Pakistan and thats all hogwash anyway.
Thanks -- do you mind if I PM you with some questions as I move forward with this?
First question would be -- I was thinking of starting to teach at a local Community college. But I'm an accountant by profession. How does that work? How do I approach them with no experience at all?
Muniya… the course of action I would suggest would also be to get a flavor of teaching at a college/university level… and when you say you’re an accountatnt, I’m assuming you have the requisite professional designation? CPA / CMA? – if you do, and you also have a masters as you’ve indicated, then it shouldn’t be a problem finding an Adjunct position in a college or may be even a University in your area. Keep an eye on postings on the HR websites of the schools, and also check out HigherEdJobs.com from time to time (or subscribe to their email alerts). Don’t worry about not having any teaching experience to start with… if you have the requisite qualifications, then you might still be invited in for an interview and most places would also ask for an audition of sorts where you’ll deliver a 30 – 45 minute lecture on a subject in your area of interest.
I would definitely advise you teach for at least two years before deciding whether you want to pursue this further.
Also remember that teaching is only one of the three areas in an academic profession… research… and administrative service makes up the other two vertices of the academic triangle – and you need to make sure that you have a knack for research. In today’s competitive environment, schools – esp. Universities aren’t interested in people who only teach… they can get Adjuncts to do that too… they want to have their professors actively engaged in research in their areas.
How are you at writing long papers and articles? Expressing your thoughts on paper? Conceptualizing new ideas? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment when your work gets completed / read / published? These are some questions that will help you gauge your aptitude and suitability for a Ph.D.
Especially, if you’re opting for an online Ph.D., then you need to have a good portfolio of published work to differentiate yourself from others who might have graduated from similar programs.
Feel free to PM, email me – I’d be glad to help in any way I can.
Re: PhD
If you are a professional accountant, you can get an adjunct position in a University. Accounting academics are always in high demand because not many accountants opt for academia as a career.
Re: PhD
^ yep - for the most part, it shouldn't be a problem... In most B-Schools though, they ask for a professional designation and a Masters degree.
Re: PhD
Lucid - your honest opinion is much valued, although I am not going to pursue a PHD...it was an interesting read.
At one point in my life, after my BA, I was thinking of PHd. I was lucky enough to work with people who ALREADY had their phd. Their complaint - they were not being paid as much as the time commitment they had in for their studies.
Re: PhD
^ its not about pay. Most of the people like the flexible lifestyle you have as an academic. You are paid to do what you like to do. If, and this is a bit IF, you do not like research, life could be very very boring and on top of that, you don't have much money :)
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^ yes... trust me when I say this... money is not an incentive for a career as an academic, and this is why many academics today also do some consulting work. For me, since I had done consulting before starting my Ph.D., it was a synergistic fit. Many of my consulting engagements also result in publications or future research opportunities in the industry.
And kakaballi, talking about flexibility, there's a saying in academia... "In academia, there's great flexibility... you can work when you want, where you want... as long as you work 100 hours a week".
From my seven years of teaching and research, I can tell you that my average work week is just about 90 - 100 hours. We pretty much don't have a life outside of work - especially in the formative years of our careers.
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^average work hours are really long =( I mean that does not give a women an option to have kids and have a home life. Guys can be lucky if they have a wife at home to "look" after their other commitments - (kids etc.)
Re: PhD
You sure you’re not trying to talk me out of this?
kidding – some really good advice you will surely be hearing from me. Thanks.
Re: PhD
^ hehe... Muniya, that's not the intention... but may be a reality check from someone who has gone through it, and seen some of his colleagues make it... and many who didn't.
You're welcome to gimme a shout any time.
Guys can be lucky if they have a wife at home to "look" after their other commitments - (kids etc.)
there's only so much wives can bear with though - especially, if they have their own careers... trust me - I know... their patience runs out.
LOL
I think if just DISCUSSING about a PHD lifestyle discourages you - then you wholeheartedly DO NOT WANT TO PURSUE IT - but the mere fact that it will add a Dr. to your name! LOL
sahi hai na?
there's only so much wives can bear with though - especially, if they have their own careers... trust me - I know... their patience runs out.
us women are never happy.
if guys don't work - it's a problem.
if they over work - it's a problem.
if they just do "normal" hours and come back - it's still a problem!
LOL
poor guys
but the mere fact that it will add a Dr. to your name! LOL
sahi hai na?
What's the big deal with the Dr. prefix? I don't get it...
we hardly use it - most students refer to us as "Prof. so and so"... and colleagues refer to us by our names - the title prefix is almost never used unless someone you don't know is formally introducing you at a conference - even then, when I've hosted other academics, sometimes, I've been specifically asked to only use their name in the introduction.
us women are never happy. if guys don't work - it's a problem. if they over work - it's a problem. if they just do "normal" hours and come back - it's still a problem!
LOL
poor guys
haha - thanks for the candid admissions - we have you on record now.
I don't blame the spouses of academics though... we really make it difficult for them to bear with us. I use my wife to bounce ideas off her - which she could care less about... and tell her about my daily dealings with boisterous and unruly students... complain about stupid research funding procedures... and the list goes on and on.
Re: PhD
What's the big deal with the Dr. prefix? I don't get it... we hardly use it - most students refer to us as "Prof. so and so"... and colleagues refer to us by our names - the title prefix is almost never used unless someone you don't know is formally introducing you at a conference - even then, when I've hosted other academics, sometimes, I've been specifically asked to only use their name in the introduction.
^ohhhhhh you don't know someone that I know...lol some people are just obsessed with the prefix. It makes them look and feel smart. They think that because of the prefix - they will be respected more.
SOmeone I know, I think is a NUT HEAD. She is sooooo obsessed with the Dr. prefix that she wants EVERYONE to call HER DAUGHTER DOCTOR!!!!!!!! just because she is now married to a dr. (her daughter has NOT EVEN taken any pre-med courses) LOL