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[marimbadog]

I'm looking around at various online offerings for PhD/EdD in higher education administration. I'm not interested in the online only places (Phoenix, Walden, Capella, etc) but rather a "brick-and-mortar" that offers the degree online (or mostly online, I know that most have a small in-person component).

There are three that I have located and I am wondering if you had any experiences with these and/or recommendations for places I have missed: 

Colorado State
http://soe.cahs.colostate.edu/Graduate/PhD/DEL/Default.aspx

Nebraska-Lincoln
http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/prospective/programs/EducationalAdministration.shtml

Oregon State
http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-degrees/graduate/education/cc-leadership/

PS, I don't want to get into the whole online vs in-person debate... if I could do it locally I would, and I can't afford to quit my current administrative position in order to move out of state to pursue this. :-)

[zharkov]

Rather than higher ed admin, you may (also) want to consider PhD programs in leadership or educational leadership.  Nova Southeastern is very popular, Antioch U. seems very good, but there are quite a few such programs spread around the country....  Gonzaga, Pierce, and Our Lady of the Lake come to mind, B&Ms with, I believe, limited residency programs.

[chronanon]

Someone mentioned not too long ago that Memphis is taking their program online.  They've got a Ph.D. in Ed Research and an Ed.D. in Higher and Adult Ed.  http://www.memphis.edu/coe/future-students.htm

[zuzu_]

Before I read your whole message, I was going to suggest UNL or CSU. I have two friends currently in the CSU program, and they both seem to like it.

[higheredguy]

May I suggest another option? What if you got into a program that offers an executive style doctorate? I know of several schools that have them (Penn, Georgia, and Alabama). The degree is an EdD in Higher Education Administration. You are on campus one weekend (Thurs-Sat) a month. This typically is the case for the first 6 semesters. Then as you begin to dive into your dissertation, you are on campus less frequently. This is a great option and in many respects an executive cohort program is tougher to get into than an online program, thus looks better on your CV. I hope this helps. If you have more questions about the cohort program I would be happy to try and answer them. I have done a fair amount of independent research on these programs and finally applied to one. I begin this summer.   

[jonesey]

Vanderbilt has (arguably) the best Education program in the country, and they offer a low-residency EdD. 

[higheredguy]

I was not aware of Vandy's program. That would be a great opportunity if accepted. I live/work in Arkansas and was accepted to Alabama. This works well for me with travel and release time from work. Everything really works together for a great fit. I hope you are able to work out something as convinient. Keep us updated.

[amoret68]

Does anyone have any opinions about the EdD at Northeastern?  It's primarily online, with two short summer residencies.  It's bricks-and-mortar, which is a definite plus, but it comes out of the School of Professional Studies (not a School of Ed), so I'm a little wary about the perceived quality of the degree.

[msparticularity]

Does anyone have any opinions about the EdD at Northeastern?  It's primarily online, with two short summer residencies.  It's bricks-and-mortar, which is a definite plus, but it comes out of the School of Professional Studies (not a School of Ed), so I'm a little wary about the perceived quality of the degree.

What is it you would be hoping to achieve through this program? The degree is practitioner-focused (per the web page), and looks to me like a decent option for people who are already in administration or other leadership positions who would like to broaden expertise and/or qualifications, and/or to move up the salary scale. It is not, however, an appropriate program for someone seeking a faculty position in a program in higher education; it provides neither the research grounding nor the courses and experiences that are vital to someone seeking a TT position in a department or college of education.

[amoret68]

What is it you would be hoping to achieve through this program? The degree is practitioner-focused (per the web page), and looks to me like a decent option for people who are already in administration or other leadership positions who would like to broaden expertise and/or qualifications, and/or to move up the salary scale. It is not, however, an appropriate program for someone seeking a faculty position in a program in higher education; it provides neither the research grounding nor the courses and experiences that are vital to someone seeking a TT position in a department or college of education.

Thanks for replying, msparticularity.  I'm a fortyish, mid-career, mid-level administrator who believes that a doctorate would help open doors to higher levels of administration.  I have a young child, and my husband and I wish to relocate in five years (but cannot relocate any earlier).  While I would prefer to pursue a PhD, my university doesn't have a doctoral program in my research area.  It has a fairly new engineering program that comes close (and I might even be able to transfer some of my recent graduate courses), but it is not designed for part-time students.  If I begin that program, I fear that I might not be able to make sufficient progress within my 5-year time frame. 

I agree that this EdD program does not offer as much career flexibility as a PhD or certain other EdDs, but it is certainly more feasible given my time frame, family obligations and financial constraints.  I only ask the fora for opinions to see if anyone has any firsthand information (caveats or endorsements) regarding this particular program.

[msparticularity]

What is it you would be hoping to achieve through this program? The degree is practitioner-focused (per the web page), and looks to me like a decent option for people who are already in administration or other leadership positions who would like to broaden expertise and/or qualifications, and/or to move up the salary scale. It is not, however, an appropriate program for someone seeking a faculty position in a program in higher education; it provides neither the research grounding nor the courses and experiences that are vital to someone seeking a TT position in a department or college of education.

Thanks for replying, msparticularity.  I'm a fortyish, mid-career, mid-level administrator who believes that a doctorate would help open doors to higher levels of administration.  I have a young child, and my husband and I wish to relocate in five years (but cannot relocate any earlier).  While I would prefer to pursue a PhD, my university doesn't have a doctoral program in my research area.  It has a fairly new engineering program that comes close (and I might even be able to transfer some of my recent graduate courses), but it is not designed for part-time students.  If I begin that program, I fear that I might not be able to make sufficient progress within my 5-year time frame. 

I agree that this EdD program does not offer as much career flexibility as a PhD or certain other EdDs, but it is certainly more feasible given my time frame, family obligations and financial constraints.  I only ask the fora for opinions to see if anyone has any firsthand information (caveats or endorsements) regarding this particular program.

A bit more information for you: this program is not ranked at all in the U.S. News grad school rankings for education programs, which could be a problem. However, the thing you need to be really concerned about  is accreditation; while the College of Professional Studies as a whole is regionally accredited, none of the educational programs within it are accredited through any educational accreditor (such as NCATE). The principalship and teacher licensure programs, for example, are done cooperatively and accredited through the partners. For this reason, earning an EdD from there would be a very effective barrier to any TT job in higher ed, and could actually be a problem for you in applying for a new administrative position at a new institution as well, depending upon how the qualifications were listed and how aware the SC members were of the program. 

[amoret68]

What is it you would be hoping to achieve through this program? The degree is practitioner-focused (per the web page), and looks to me like a decent option for people who are already in administration or other leadership positions who would like to broaden expertise and/or qualifications, and/or to move up the salary scale. It is not, however, an appropriate program for someone seeking a faculty position in a program in higher education; it provides neither the research grounding nor the courses and experiences that are vital to someone seeking a TT position in a department or college of education.

Thanks for replying, msparticularity.  I'm a fortyish, mid-career, mid-level administrator who believes that a doctorate would help open doors to higher levels of administration.  I have a young child, and my husband and I wish to relocate in five years (but cannot relocate any earlier).  While I would prefer to pursue a PhD, my university doesn't have a doctoral program in my research area.  It has a fairly new engineering program that comes close (and I might even be able to transfer some of my recent graduate courses), but it is not designed for part-time students.  If I begin that program, I fear that I might not be able to make sufficient progress within my 5-year time frame. 

I agree that this EdD program does not offer as much career flexibility as a PhD or certain other EdDs, but it is certainly more feasible given my time frame, family obligations and financial constraints.  I only ask the fora for opinions to see if anyone has any firsthand information (caveats or endorsements) regarding this particular program.

A bit more information for you: this program is not ranked at all in the U.S. News grad school rankings for education programs, which could be a problem. However, the thing you need to be really concerned about  is accreditation; while the College of Professional Studies as a whole is regionally accredited, none of the educational programs within it are accredited through any educational accreditor (such as NCATE). The principalship and teacher licensure programs, for example, are done cooperatively and accredited through the partners. For this reason, earning an EdD from there would be a very effective barrier to any TT job in higher ed, and could actually be a problem for you in applying for a new administrative position at a new institution as well, depending upon how the qualifications were listed and how aware the SC members were of the program. 

I knew the program would not lead to any TT jobs, but I hadn't considered that the lack of NCATE accreditation might limit my future job prospects in administration.  Thank you for your insight.

[aandsdean]

What is it you would be hoping to achieve through this program? The degree is practitioner-focused (per the web page), and looks to me like a decent option for people who are already in administration or other leadership positions who would like to broaden expertise and/or qualifications, and/or to move up the salary scale. It is not, however, an appropriate program for someone seeking a faculty position in a program in higher education; it provides neither the research grounding nor the courses and experiences that are vital to someone seeking a TT position in a department or college of education.

I think lack of NCATE accreditation is immaterial for jobs in higher education UNLESS the OP is seeking administrative positions in a school of education.  However, though I know Northeastern is a very decent school, Nebraska is for sure better, and it's probably cheaper too.

Thanks for replying, msparticularity.  I'm a fortyish, mid-career, mid-level administrator who believes that a doctorate would help open doors to higher levels of administration.  I have a young child, and my husband and I wish to relocate in five years (but cannot relocate any earlier).  While I would prefer to pursue a PhD, my university doesn't have a doctoral program in my research area.  It has a fairly new engineering program that comes close (and I might even be able to transfer some of my recent graduate courses), but it is not designed for part-time students.  If I begin that program, I fear that I might not be able to make sufficient progress within my 5-year time frame. 

I agree that this EdD program does not offer as much career flexibility as a PhD or certain other EdDs, but it is certainly more feasible given my time frame, family obligations and financial constraints.  I only ask the fora for opinions to see if anyone has any firsthand information (caveats or endorsements) regarding this particular program.

A bit more information for you: this program is not ranked at all in the U.S. News grad school rankings for education programs, which could be a problem. However, the thing you need to be really concerned about  is accreditation; while the College of Professional Studies as a whole is regionally accredited, none of the educational programs within it are accredited through any educational accreditor (such as NCATE). The principalship and teacher licensure programs, for example, are done cooperatively and accredited through the partners. For this reason, earning an EdD from there would be a very effective barrier to any TT job in higher ed, and could actually be a problem for you in applying for a new administrative position at a new institution as well, depending upon how the qualifications were listed and how aware the SC members were of the program. 

I knew the program would not lead to any TT jobs, but I hadn't considered that the lack of NCATE accreditation might limit my future job prospects in administration.  Thank you for your insight.

[msparticularity]

What is it you would be hoping to achieve through this program? The degree is practitioner-focused (per the web page), and looks to me like a decent option for people who are already in administration or other leadership positions who would like to broaden expertise and/or qualifications, and/or to move up the salary scale. It is not, however, an appropriate program for someone seeking a faculty position in a program in higher education; it provides neither the research grounding nor the courses and experiences that are vital to someone seeking a TT position in a department or college of education.

Thanks for replying, msparticularity.  I'm a fortyish, mid-career, mid-level administrator who believes that a doctorate would help open doors to higher levels of administration.  I have a young child, and my husband and I wish to relocate in five years (but cannot relocate any earlier).  While I would prefer to pursue a PhD, my university doesn't have a doctoral program in my research area.  It has a fairly new engineering program that comes close (and I might even be able to transfer some of my recent graduate courses), but it is not designed for part-time students.  If I begin that program, I fear that I might not be able to make sufficient progress within my 5-year time frame. 

I agree that this EdD program does not offer as much career flexibility as a PhD or certain other EdDs, but it is certainly more feasible given my time frame, family obligations and financial constraints.  I only ask the fora for opinions to see if anyone has any firsthand information (caveats or endorsements) regarding this particular program.

A bit more information for you: this program is not ranked at all in the U.S. News grad school rankings for education programs, which could be a problem. However, the thing you need to be really concerned about  is accreditation; while the College of Professional Studies as a whole is regionally accredited, none of the educational programs within it are accredited through any educational accreditor (such as NCATE). The principalship and teacher licensure programs, for example, are done cooperatively and accredited through the partners. For this reason, earning an EdD from there would be a very effective barrier to any TT job in higher ed, and could actually be a problem for you in applying for a new administrative position at a new institution as well, depending upon how the qualifications were listed and how aware the SC members were of the program. 

I knew the program would not lead to any TT jobs, but I hadn't considered that the lack of NCATE accreditation might limit my future job prospects in administration.  Thank you for your insight.

I'm responding here to AandSDean's comment above, which the quote function seems to have eaten. I absolutely agree that NCATE accreditation only applies to K-12 education, so wouldn't be a qualification for a job in higher ed. What I was trying to say was that the approach this institution has taken to accreditation in those areas that require it is a little odd, and would tend to raise some alarm bells for SCs at accredited institutions since the degrees are not actually conferred by an accredited program. This signals the possibility of other weaknesses in the way the entire College is conceived, vis a vis academic employment.

[aandsdean]

I don't know what happened to my post, but Ms. P replies saliently to it, apparently having read my mind....I had also remarked that Nebraska was probably both better and cheaper.