Does anyone have any information on how good online PhD universities are? Walden, Argosy, or Capella?
Are these actually accredited degrees once obtained?
I don’t know what kind of a Ph.D. you are thinking of getting, but I can tell you that in the academic world, if you are thinking of becoming a professor, no self-respecting university would ever hire a Ph.D. from one of these, or frankly, any other online program. There is absolutely no equivalence to an in-person Ph.D. program. The faculty are generally completely unqualified to teach at that level. I would urge you to run before putting any money down on any such program.
Degrees, by the way, are not accredited. It is the organizations themselves which are accredited. Unfortunately, these days, everyone claims to be accredited, because there are all kinds of phony accrediting organizations out there. I looked on all three websites, and while I couldn’t find any evidence that Argosy was accredited, the other two are accredited by the North Central Association. Interestingly, that is a legitimate accrediting organization, but what they are accrediting is that the school lives up to its mission and spends its money accordingly. Accreditation of the whole university does not mean that they do a good job of teaching a specific subject matter. In business, for example, you would need to see accreditation by someone like AACSB (or in a pinch ACBSP) to say that anyone had any oversight of program quality, in addition to the accreditation for the whole university. They don’t have that. No purely distance-learning school does. U of P has applied to start the accreditation process, but as I understand it, has not been approved.
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I don’t know what kind of a Ph.D. you are thinking of getting, but I can tell you that in the academic world, if you are thinking of becoming a professor, no self-respecting university would ever hire a Ph.D. from one of these, or frankly, any other online program. There is absolutely no equivalence to an in-person Ph.D. program. The faculty are generally completely unqualified to teach at that level. I would urge you to run before putting any money down on any such program.
Degrees, by the way, are not accredited. It is the organizations themselves which are accredited. Unfortunately, these days, everyone claims to be accredited, because there are all kinds of phony accrediting organizations out there. I looked on all three websites, and while I couldn’t find any evidence that Argosy was accredited, the other two are accredited by the North Central Association. Interestingly, that is a legitimate accrediting organization, but what they are accrediting is that the school lives up to its mission and spends its money accordingly. Accreditation of the whole university does not mean that they do a good job of teaching a specific subject matter. In business, for example, you would need to see accreditation by someone like AACSB (or in a pinch ACBSP) to say that anyone had any oversight of program quality, in addition to the accreditation for the whole university. They don’t have that. No purely distance-learning school does. U of P has applied to start the accreditation process, but as I understand it, has not been approved.
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walden has the best reputation…but in actuality getting a PhD online is looked on as a joke in the educational community…you can get one, but it is not going to get you a lot of respect…
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Okay first of all, the first answerer, completely ignore. More and more people and employers are recognizing the online degree as being just as competitive and rigorous as any other brick and mortar school. Capella and Argosy are regionally and nationally accredited. That means they have the same accreditation as your Michigan State, Virginia Tech’s, etc. I’m attending Capella for the Masters program and it’s a great school. I know three people who attended Argosy and one girl I know has just completed the Doctorate Program at Argosy and is now a college professor in Wisconsin.
More and more working adults cannot and do not have time to sit in a class 2-3 times a week because of their schedules. So online university is their only option and it’s a great option. Your degree will be worth alot. Employers are really interested in credentials rather than the university you went to. So in saying that, I wish you the best and whatever college u choose, remember to stay focused and determined.
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I have no experience with any of these schools. However, I am in the midst of completing a PhD from a distance education school.
First, I’d say what are you goals? My particular area of interest does not exist in most schools other than as a Graduate Certificate or as a MA.
I reluctantly started this school because I was interested in the subjects required of this particular discipline and the school was in the accrediting process (North Central).
What I’ve found has been a thoroughly enjoyable and challenging program. The work has been much harder than my Master’s work and the research has been just as extensive as any other schools program (I have friends in PhD programs at traditional, named schools).
I have also been offered jobs teaching at various places (not the big name schools). Accreditation is a system that we have to affirm institutions. They are not right about everything and just because one agency is different from another doesn’t mean it’s inferior.
The education process is rapidly changing. We will have those who have paid their dues the old fashioned way "poo pooing" our degrees because we didn’t do it they way they did.
Again, what do you hope to gain with your degree?
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I have to agree with Neniaf. If you’re pursuing a PhD because you want to teach at the college level, an online program won’t get you there. If you apply for a teaching job, the people who decide whether to hire you will have done their PhDs in traditional programs. When I was in grad school students were part of the hiring process, so I know what they were basing decisions on. At teaching schools, like the state university I attended, anyone without teaching experience didn’t get invited to campus. Anyone who came to campus and didn’t teach or lecture well wasn’t offered a job. My department rejected applicants from ivy league schools, because they were prepared to do research, not to teach.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to do research or pursue some other private sector job, this could be fine. Attend conferences in your field and present papers at conferences, as private sector employers will be looking for publications and papers presented. If you don’t already have a job in the field you’re planning to pursue, plan to do an internship. Basically, network, network, network.
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