I am looking for feedback on this idea, suggested by someone familiar with the politics/dynamics at Current U.
I am in a temp position, did a great job, and am competing for the permanent post. Our prez has a preference for PhD's, so my position is the subject of a nationwide search. I have a master's and 5 years of FT teaching experience. (One year in an actual FT position, 4 years carrying a FT load as an adjunct.)
I'm good, I'm well liked, I have the support of my dept, my dean, my VPAA, but the prez does the hiring.
It was suggested to me that I enroll in a PhD program in educational administration, or instructional design or some other discipline that could be attained online. (There is some support for people in these programs.) I could also look into an educational degree from a local university. I am in the sciences and do not want to spend 5 years in a lab at this stage in my life.
Theoretically this would remove the stigma of not having the doctorate, and prez has hired people enrolled in programs, but far from completion.
I don't mind the idea, and would have gotten the degree long ago if not for life circumstances. It could open doors, or make the next few years hell. It could buy me the job, in my home town, at a school I like. Otherwise I may need to move, start over again as a single older woman in a new area.
What do you think?
Tricky. The local accrediting body may require 18 graduate hours in the particular discipline. It appears that you have that, however, from the Master's degree. Your colleagues may not feel that a Ph.D. in Educational Administration, especially obtained online, is a "real" doctorate, even if the dean and VPAA agree. And in four or five years, when you come up for tenure, will the department still be mostly the same people, or are large numbers of them slated to retire soon, so that your tenure decision would be made by people who you can't really speak for. But if your department, including your friends and supporters, are at least six or seven years from retirement, there should be no problem.
In the worst case, if you have difficulty finishing the program for whatever reason, you'd be right where you are now, facing the possibility of having to move, but you'd be a few years older and deep(er) in debt. How much would such an online program cost you?
