College selection for doctoral program

Specialties Doctoral

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Hello everyone,

i am contemplating as to which university to enroll- Capella or Walden for. PhD in Nursing. Any suggestions would be Appreciated.

As many others have stated, it is really advisable to select a school that has a quality PhD program. I don't know of any examples of for-profit online programs that produce quality research. Why do you want a PhD? Is it to pursue an academic career or prepare you to be a scientist? If so, you really want to select a program that has faculty that specialize in the areas of research that are of interest. Personally, I would not choose any online program for a PhD. I think a student benefits greatly from the exposure to research and dialogue that is required when you a part of a cohort that meets in person. A PhD requires a HUGE investment in time, money, and effort. I would recommend selecting a program that will give you the best return on this investment.

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Anecdotally, I just attended a conference and spoke with someone presenting a poster of their dissertation work from one of the large for-profit online universities. It was clear to me that the standards for the degree were substantially less than what you would find from a reputable university. This student could not cite (nor included on the poster) key details of their study that would have been required to ensure rigor. I am not sure that the dissertation actually required any type of defense.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
Personally, I would not choose any online program for a PhD. I think a student benefits greatly from the exposure to research and dialogue that is required when you a part of a cohort that meets in person.

A PhD requires a HUGE investment in time, money, and effort.

I would recommend selecting a program that will give you the best return on this investment.

I'm going to agree with you wholeheartedly on points 2 & 3. I had just completed an RN to BSN less than a year before I started this program. I thought it might be slightly more intense than the semester I took 11 hours at the BSN level. Ha!! By my second semester I had to beg my manager to go part time just so I could stay sane.

State University programs in your own State are usually the financial best bet but it's worth looking around.

As far as the benefits from being in personal dialogue with your cohorts and professors, I can't say I so much disagree but rather want to say I learned to utilize technology to my best advantage. Every time I was assigned group work we all had each others' personal phone numbers and would text frequently, plus email. I regularly called my cohorts in my PhD cohort and not just when we had assignments to complete. Sometimes we just needed to blow off steam. We would have Skype sessions with our (very talented) statistics professor and we would text each other all during those sessions to support each other (stats is just hard).

When it came time to study for comps ("orals"), there were two of us that were testing together. We (at the recommendation of our advisors) started meeting in person once a week to review materials. Just so happened we lived within 30 minutes drive so we would meet at another university's library and use their study rooms.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.

TiffyRN, I do not think anyone questions that a large online PhD program at a for-profit school is not filled with content that is time consuming and difficult to learn. I think what some others and Null are trying to state is that reputation for research standards and peer review are important in a PhD program. And so, if you make the choice to spend the money to receive a PhD from a program with a poor research reputation and dissemination it will effect your future career prospects as a nurse expert and your opportunities to further develop and disseminate new knowledge to peers.

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.
TiffyRN, I do not think anyone questions that a large online PhD program at a for-profit school is not filled with content that is time consuming and difficult to learn. I think what some others and Null are trying to state is that reputation for research standards and peer review are important in a PhD program. And so, if you make the choice to spend the money to receive a PhD from a program with a poor research reputation and dissemination it will effect your future career prospects as a nurse expert and your opportunities to further develop and disseminate new knowledge to peers.

I don't think we really disagree on the things you stated above. I guess I might clarify that "online PhD programs" are not exclusive to for-profit schools. The one I attend is almost all online but it is a large State university. If I knew more I might have waited another year and applied to the PhD program that is physically closest to me because as it turns out, I believe they are an R1 facility. But I was impatient and I had missed the application deadline there by the time I figured out what I needed to do. I wish this forum had been active back in early 2014 but that's life, live and learn. None of the new PhDs from my program struggle to get positions commensurate with their education but there would have been advantages to the other university (UTA).

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Anecdotally, I just attended a conference and spoke with someone presenting a poster of their dissertation work from one of the large for-profit online universities. It was clear to me that the standards for the degree were substantially less than what you would find from a reputable university. This student could not cite (nor included on the poster) key details of their study that would have been required to ensure rigor. I am not sure that the dissertation actually required any type of defense.

I second this. I have read morificecripts from PhD students at both the mentioned online for-profit schools and they were laughably inadequate. The level was below what would be acceptable in (real) BSN programs. Interestingly, the faculty almost never appear as co-authors which is odd. Either the faculty don't even want to be associated with these morificecripts or they don't have any expertise in the area of the student's work to contribute anything of substance (or both).

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Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

I thought I found the repository of Walden University's doctoral dissertations then went to the Nursing section. Had posted the link but turns out it's publications, not necessarily dissertations. Let me keep looking

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Specializes in ED, ICU, MS/MT, PCU, CM, House Sup, Frontline mgr.
I don't think we really disagree on the things you stated above. I guess I might clarify that "online PhD programs" are not exclusive to for-profit schools. The one I attend is almost all online but it is a large State university..... None of the new PhDs from my program struggle to get positions commensurate with their education but there would have been advantages to the other university (UTA).

Ah, I see. :) Yes, there are very exceptional programs that are provided online through state universities with good reputations in varying fields of study. So, you may have made the same choice even if you had known of this forum a few years back. Good luck to you! What is your focus of expertise?

Oh, I saw this thread! So I answered my own question:

https://allnurses.com/doctoral-degrees/anyone-else-applying-1174276.html

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