Currently, Jess is enrolled in the Master's of Education program at Azusa Pacific University. Her employer, Village Christian Schools, assists her with tuition costs up to $5,000. Village does, however, offer 100% tuition assistance if the graduate work is done through the online graduate program of National University, "an accredited, private, non-profit institution of higher learning based in San Diego, California," and is supposedly the "second largest private institution in California."
Technically speaking, there is no difference between the degree she will receive upon completion of her Master's work (right???), so we are wondering if it is worth the $20,000 tuition to complete the program at APU, as opposed to doing it for free via the online courses. The consensus among her colleagues at Village, who have completed the online program, is that as long as she wants to continue teaching high school, the program is perfectly satisfactory. For Jess specifically, if she were to try to get into a top-ranked PhD program, she is worried that there may be some academic bias against online degree programs in general, which may inhibit her progress in that area.
Practically speaking, usually a classroom experience with professors and other students is much more rewarding than an online course, but are these reasons worth $20,000???
If any of you have experience in this area, or know of situations that are similar, any insight/advice would be welcome!
Thanks!
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6 comments:
I have a PhD from the U of Kingston. I got it for 200 dollars and all it took was life experience and charisma points. It seems a bit like D&D now that I think about it.
Paul,
It most likely hinges on whether she wants to do a Ph.D or not. If so, then it might be hard to get into a top ranked one because as you said, most do not look to favorably at on line degrees. There is my two cents.
Cliff
As Cliff said, if her goal is to gain admission into a PhD program (let alone a "top ranked" program), an online degree probably isn't the thing to do. For that matter (and I don't pretend to know much about English PhD programs), APU may not be prestigious enough to gain admittance to a top tier program. Just a guess though, as I really don't know anything about this field. Hopefully, much of her attractiveness as a PhD candidate will have more to do with things like performance...but don't underestimate the importance of a good name. 20k is 20k, but I'd stay away from online degrees whenever possible...especially when it comes to advanced degrees. From a financial point of view, I guess you need to weigh the cost of a 20k investment against things like expected salary difference (ie her salary with a nondescript PhD vs salary with top ranked PhD), anticipated job quality (and therefore satisfaction) with and without a top ranked PhD, etc. She might also stand a better chance of winning a fellowship/grant/etc. for the PhD program if she holds a name-brand Master's degree. That's another financial consideration. If by investing 20k now, you can save down the road...you get the picture. All I can offer are a lot of "if's", because I don't know enough about how English PhD's work. Cliff or Brandon Sheard are probably the best people to talk to about this. I know that Brandon has been going through these motions for a while...so he should know a thing or two about English PhD's. He went to CSUN for his Master's. Haven't heard his latest plans for PhD.
best,
Tim
any way of contacting some people in PhD programs and asking them?
and what will it matter? If she hangs out with Micah too much more she's just going to be raising babies.
Hi It's Beth Tim's sister,
I just found your blog via Tim's page.
I have a BS, MS, and PhD in science. THEY paid me $24,000/ yr for 6 years to get my degree and TA and do research. I did it because I wouldn't go into debt doing it (and I liked it obviously). I got into veterinary school and didn't go because I'd be graduating with $100,000 debt and getting paid a lousy vet salary.
If she is going to be raising kids before she could pay the debt off, I would say- get the extra education for free! Maybe after the kids are grown and she wants to pursue a PhD then she could start over with a Master's from a more elite school.
Even if she can't imagine being a stay at home mom, you wouldn't want to be in the position of not being able to because of debt. I know couples where both have to work because of the wife's old school debt and they wish they hadn't.
I think the online programs are respectable for professionals- like I assume an education degree would be. I know I guy who pulls a six figure dollar salary and is big whig at a company and he took MBA courses online and it was fine. If she was in a science program... or art program etc. then probably a bad idea. Especially for a Master's of Education- it's mainly classes. In science programs it's more interactive mentoring, time in the lab, in the field etc. with just a few classes here and there.
Anyways.. that's my opinion.
As someone who works in higher ed (at APU) I would say that most online programs are perfectly fine IF they are part of an established brick and mortar university. Many institutions offer online degree programs that are simply copies of their in-house programs. And many others are moving toward that, knowing that it is often more accesible for people with busy schedules. However, I would be leary of an "online only" institution. There is a reason it is so much cheaper. Faculty isn't ever as strong. Because of that, prestige is an issue. Doctoral programs are very competitive and you will compete with others who have degrees from attractive institutions. Right or wrong, doctoral programs will compare your institution with theirs. For education, APU is highly ranked on the west coast, so it is competitive. It wouldn't be a liability. Online program might be.
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