Accredited
online life experience Doctorate Degree Programs.
Life
experience PhD and doctorate degrees- how helpful are they
really?
Accredited
on-line doctorate degree programs
are naturally a new phenomena. Of course, accredited PhD
distance
degrees
have existed
for several decades (Correspondence courses, for example) and so have
life experience diplomas. The internet has made it easier to
both
complete a legitimate accredited distance learning program and to
simply "buy" an
accredited doctorate degree on-line, for example. The
question
arises, can an on-line PhD degree program equal the hands on, face to
face, classroom experience of traditional university programs?
For many, the answer is it doesn't matter. But for
those
hoping to advance their career with a PhD that considers life
experience, be careful. Most employers do check to see what institution
gave you your degree, and they are able to sniff out less than
respected ones. that said, some respected university programs
do
give SOME credit for life experience- usually in ways that integrate
that into the program.
Accredited
on-line Doctorate Degree Programs- A Smart Career Move.
For growing numbers
of people, advanced degrees are not much more than
hoops to jump through in order to get an increase in income and
possibly a better position. And this is certainly completely
understandable. For such people, getting an accredited on line
doctorate degree may well be the way to go. Very convenient and time
efficient, and the least amount of life and career interruption.
And of course, in most
accredited doctorate degree on-line programs,
a great deal is learned. Technology is progressing rapidly, and many
accredited PhD degree on- line programs use video conferencing and
other
virtual classroom technologies, as well as require at least occasional
phone or in person projects, interviews and supervision meetings.
It may be that the day will come when the difference between
an
accredited PhD program on line and a traditional program is much less
than it is currently.
The question each
person looking
into accredited PhD programs on-line must answer is "what do I want out
of this, and which program can best give it to me?" In the
past,
many people jumped through the hoops to get a PhD just as people do
today, but they were, for the most part, required to attend a
traditional classroom university.
There seems to be a
consensus in
academia that accredited PhD degrees on line can be effective,
respected and beneficial, but that whenever possible, a traditional
classroom program is preferable. However, then consensus
among
students looking at accredited doctorate degrees on line seems to be
that the advantages are many and the drawbacks are few. Vastly more
flexibility, the ability to "attend class" whenever it is convenient
and interferes the least with work and family, no commuting time (and
no parking fees!), the ability to start the program anytime of year,
and the ability to work on courses from any location. And
when
the choice is to choose from one of the accredited PhD programs on line
or to never get a PhD, the latter is an excellent choice.
A final note for
anyone thinking
of getting a fast PhD online by way of a life experience
degree: Before you give your money to a "respected academic
program" that believes everyone who contacts them is a week a way from
earning a PhD- ask yourself who will it impress? Cetainly employers are
savy enough to investigate- and the fact that someone official sounding
answers the phone and verifies the long list of credentials of the
esteemed "Harvvardd Internet College" isn't likely to convince them.
And anyone else is as likely to ask about the program as not,
and
would soon realize it is a title that was paid for, not truly earned.
If you want the PhD after your name, do it the old fashioned way.
Turn on your high speed wireless internet connection, aim the
camera, adjust the microphone, and give your video presentation for the
class- each of whom will pretend to watch it while playing computer
solitaire at different times throughout the week. Now that's
the
kind of good old fashioned higher education this world needs more of!
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