next »

[Timothy MacDonnell]

Hi,

I've just started taking online classes at Capella University, and I'd liked to know how much credibility online schools have in the four-year university world.  I'm taking PhD courses and hoping to land a better Academic Administration position.  Would getting a PhD from an online school help or hurt me?

[%sig%]

[Dale]

What position are you shooting for?  In general, online programs are to be avoided, and are not considered equivalent to traditional programs.  There are some who would say programs such as Nova and Union Institute are equivalent, but completely online programs are not generally considered equivalent to "real" PhD programs.

[Tim]

Dale,

I'm shooting for Grantwriting, Curriculum Development, or Director of programs like Veterans Upward Bound.  Thanks for your input.  I've been taking a class online, and although it's a lot of work, I haven't been real impressed with the academic rigor.  

I'd appreciate input from employers who have done some hiring, and see how they have considered online degree recipients.

[%sig%]

[Dean]

I've done rather a lot of hiring, mainly for faculty but some administrative as well, and I would flatly not consider an online degree unless the candidate was otherwise so extraordinary that I could overlook this massive issue.

That's for degree-granting institutions that are primarily online--Capella, Phoenix, Walden, etc.  A regular university that has an online degree program is a different story.  In that case, hiring institutions may well not know that you did your degree online or not.

THe experience of being on campus is part of what getting a degree is about:  I'm sorry, but that's just the truth.  Interacting with colleagues and faculty, getting experience just being an institutional citizen, having direct contact with the whole institutional way of life is very important.

Sorry--I know this isn't what you want to hear.  But I'll bet you that more than 90% of the faculty and administrators around will, if they're being honest, tell you the same thing.

[Dale]

I'm not sure a PhD is required for entry into all of the fields you mention.  A quality MA/MS might get your foot in the door.  Once you're hired you could discuss the feasibility of such a program for advancement with the university.  Otherwise, I think it's a poor investment of time and energy.  Dean, above, is quite correct.

[Tim]

Thanks, Dale and Dean.

[Sean McKitrick]

Unfortunately, an online degree from Capella, Phoenix, and other for-profit institutons just do not have as much credibility as degrees from more traditional institutions. I tend to agree with the comment below that degrees from other institutions, even when most of the courses were online, tend to have more credibility. And transcripts rarely show that courses were online or traditional; nor do most search committees or hiring managers look.

Although some position require doctoral preparation, one way into the a job is getting a job in the field, no matter how insignificant initially, and then moving up (and often around, even if that means moving across the country). From what I have seen, search committees and hiring managers care a lot about experience and "soft skills," although a graduate degree is also helpful.

[good point, Dean]

Dean makes a great point--if you're planning to work for an online university, then it might be acceptable to get an online degree--but if you're planning to work for bricks-and-mortar schools, it's essential that you know the daily grind of being on campus, it has a flow and character that you need to experience first hand.

[mckibbinusa]

Tim,

I think you will find that your online doctorate will be accepted by  mostprospective employers assuming you are truly the person needed for the job.  For the record, I have a doctorate in business from Capella University (together with a masters from Georgetown University, a bachelors from Temple University, and diplomas from the Command & General Staff College and Defense Language Institute).  I have enjoyed considerable success throughout my career of over 30 years, and I continue to make an excellent living as an independent management consultant and adjunct instructor of finance.  I view myself as a consumate business professional who happens to hold a doctorate, albeit from one of those "online" universities.  In the final analysis, a person is generally going to be hired based on the value that person can potentially bring to the client or cause.

Congratulations on your decision to pursue doctoral studies at Capella.  Focus on getting as much as you can from your opportunity, and in the end things will work out for you.  Remember, there is always as "crying need" for good people in both the public and private sectors.  Good luck!

WILLIAM J. McKIBBIN, PhD
Principal, McKibbinUSA, LLC
www.McKibbinUSA.com

[solver954]

As a department head, I have a faculty member working on their PhD from Capella - currently ABD.  Being placebound, this appeared to be the easiest option geographically to accomplish the goal of the PhD.  This person believes s/he is getting an excellent education (and paying for it handsomely), but all I see is a person who is able to generate reams of narrative to satisfy the requirements for a degree.  I am concerned about his/her capacity to perform applied research in the future.

I too believe that the doctoral student experience is enriched by the day-to-day interaction with peers and the faculty in a 'live' environment.  Critical thinking and debate, challenging each other, competition for grades, and collaborating on projects are all part of the growing process as we mature into PhD candidates.  Doing a PhD sans this dimension is like, well, reading about how a bowl of chocolate ice cream tastes but never getting a spoonful.

These online programs have value, especially at the bachelors level.  However the PhD deserves, and requires, more than what is being offered now.

[whitenortherner]

Online education should not be obtained at the BA level unless in extreme circumstances or the case of the non-traditional student.  The on-campus living experience of the BA Degree is critical to the development of young adults 18-22.  Online education is ideal at the MA and PhD levels.

I am a big supporter of Capella, but I am bias because I am half way through my PhD Program with Capella.  How is one to work on a PhD while having a family and working full time?  Capella meets this need and is here to stay.  As more and more people receive online degrees these degrees will be honored more.  Why do you think Havard and other prestigious institutions are just not jumping on the bandwaggon?  When will you jump on the bandwaggon?

A very small percentager of the faculty at these online institutions have obtained online degrees which makes these online degrees more creditable.

Online education might have some issues with the the hard science with the lab requirements (maybe sometime in the future when computer simulation programs improve), but many of the online education faculty are professionals in the field.  Many professors at traditional institutions have not been in the real world in years (i.e., I took a Higher Education Law class from a professor who was a real lawyer in the court room every year.  When I took a similar course in my MA course the higher education law professor was not a lawyer or ever had step foot in a court room.

[thundering_m]

Administrative positions such as you mention will not usually require a doctorate.

You might get hired in higher ed. You probably won't be tenured unless you have managed to get a background in publication that it not usually associated with the online degree programs.

That said, if you are an inspired and compulsive autodidact, you will use the same disposition of inquiry there that you would need elsewhere, and there is no stopping you from accessing the knowledge base (assuming they have stellar online resources of full text articles) and developing your scholarly voice (assuming you have the close attention of a qualified mentor). This is of course highly unpredictable at such an institution, where often the faculty profiles and CVS are not provided in advance.

[mtnlover]

If you get your PhD through distance learning from a school that has on-line programs but on campus PhD programs as well no one will really care.  If the school only has on-line programs avoid it especially if you want to stay in academia.  Twenty years from now the answer may be different but for now it will hurt your chances of landing the jobs you really want.

[aandsdean]

I have to say, if being "half-way through a Ph.D. program" at Capella yields writing and reasoning like Whitenortherr's, it's pretty clear why people don't take these degrees seriously.

And people working full time and raising a family get doctorates all the time at bricks-and-mortar schools....

[zharkov]

I have to say, if being "half-way through a Ph.D. program" at Capella yields writing and reasoning like Whitenortherr's, it's pretty clear why people don't take these degrees seriously.

And people working full time and raising a family get doctorates all the time at bricks-and-mortar schools....

I read Whitenorthern's post as responding to Solver's post, which stated that the PhD experience was better when one lived at the brick-and-mortar school.  (Whitenorthern claiming the BA experience required face to face contact.)

My view is that it differs by person, field, and school. The best PhD programs provide an exciting atmosphere in which to learn and which the students are mentored by faculty. Not all (bricks-and-mortar) PhD programs are really like that at all. Some faculty are committed to graduate education; others see it as a nuisance.