New PhD/DNP program in Oklahoma

[sjt9721, BSN, RN]

just received this from my alma mater...

oklahoma city university has just received authorization from the higher learning commission of the north central association of colleges and schools (nca) to begin offering the phd courses in august 2009!

accreditation of the phd in nursing program is still pending approval by [color=#364414]nca, however, and will be determined in december 2009. although nca has authorized oklahoma city university to begin offering the phd courses in august 2009, oklahoma city university does not guarantee final approval of the phd in nursing program by nca, and offers a full refund of tuition paid by students who take the philosophy of science and/or advanced health care policy courses in fall 2009 if the phd in nursing is not approved. the dnp is planned to begin in fall 2010 and is not affected by this.

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we will admit six students for fall 2009, starting[color=#364414] with a half time phd program focusing on nursing education. we will accept students with master's degrees in nursing or a related field, allowing them to put as many as 33 credit hours of graduate credit already earned toward the minimum of a 90 credit hour total required for the phd. each student's transcripts will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine the number of master's and doctoral credits already taken that can be applied to the phd.

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[color=#364414]the cost of the program will be $975 per credit hour during the 2009-2010 academic year, plus fees and books, estimated at an additional $1,500 per semester. students who take at least 6 graduate credit hours per semester will be eligible for financial aid. however, since the program will not be accredited during its first semester, students will be ineligible for federal financial aid during fall 2009. our office of financial aid will be able to offer certification for personal loans, as well as provide university scholarships to qualifying students, starting in august 2009. they will also help students identify other non-federal sources of aid. we sincerely hope that students will be able to utilize employer-based assistance as well. we will also be applying for federal scholarships for our students as soon as we meet the accreditation requirement.

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the best education includes in-person interaction between professors and students, and among students with each other. however, online courses promote educational access and build technology skills. the ideal program prepares students to utilize both methods, since they themselves will likely be called upon to teach in both venues in their future positions. therefore, our doctoral programs will combine educational delivery methods, allowing students to keep their full time jobs and live in their own communities. students will come to campus for a three-day intensive every fall, spring, and summer during which all courses for that semester will meet. the remainder of each course will be completed online. for fall 2009, the three days required to be on-campus will be august 13-15 (for spring 2010, january 7-9, 2010; and for summer 2010: june 3-5, 2010). persons who cannot meet this requirement need not apply.

[color=#364414]for more information regarding the application procedures and deadline, please visit www.okcu.edu

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[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

Holy crap....$975 a credit hour?

[sjt9721, BSN, RN]

Private school...

Scholarships got me through my undergrad...and one small loan from Uncle Sam.

[BabyLady, BSN, RN]

Private school...

Scholarships got me through my undergrad...and one small loan from Uncle Sam.

Too many public schools offering the same thing at half the price.

For the life of me, I'll never understand paying those high prices.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

I'm with BabyLady. I'm only paying $456/credit hour at a very well-respected research-based public university.

Can I offer a bit of advice? You may want to consider going to a larger, less expensive school for your PhD. I only saw 5 PhD prepared instructors who do research on their site- and 2 of those were the Dean and Assoc. Dean. Plus, the faculty that do research are mostly Assoc. Professors- that probably means they teach more classes than a full professor who mainly does research.

Here's my thing: you're going to be helping them with their research. External grants/scholarships, etc. are darn near hard to find at the PhD ed. level, and I didn't see where they offer assistantships, or any other kind of financial assistance for their doctoral students.

You're going to be working for a pittance as it is during your PhD program. We're talking even with assistantships, you'll be making $20,000/yr, but at least you get free tuition that way.

I would really, really think about paying that much per credit hour, with no chance of an assistantship, working under faculty who may have too much on their plates to mentor you through your own research goals- and believe me- if you want any kind of chance with getting an external grant at this level, you're going to have to do some kind of research project under the mentorship of a current researcher. You're not going to have anything left over from your student loans, and you will most definitely need that money.

[sjt9721, BSN, RN]

Thank you for your comments. I began the thread to highlight only the 2nd PhD and perhaps 1st DNP nursing programs in the state.

The program is brand new so I'm not surprised at the things you mentioned. I received my BSN from there 15 years ago. Since then they have added an MSN curriculum, RN-to-BSN distance sites, and now doctoral education.

Anyways...my PhD is several years away. Maybe my daughter & I will be in school together! :)

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Not to worry- my oldest daughter starts college after she graduates high school next year. We'll probably be in school together, too.

They'll probably have more financial and research mentorship options for you by then. Good luck to you!

[marachne]

Thank you for your comments. I began the thread to highlight only the 2nd PhD and perhaps 1st DNP nursing programs in the state.

The program is brand new so I'm not surprised at the things you mentioned. I received my BSN from there 15 years ago. Since then they have added an MSN curriculum, RN-to-BSN distance sites, and now doctoral education.

Anyways...my PhD is several years away. Maybe my daughter & I will be in school together! :)

I understand that you are just wanting to get the word out there that there are new programs. Gotta agree on the cost factor -- I'm at $490 credit/hr and that's with large increases over the last couple of years (of course, who knows what will happen this year w/all the budget crunches).

But I also want to reiterate what BBFRN stated -- if one is going for a PhD, you really want to check out the school in terms of research faculty -- not only b/c that's where you'll get opportunities for things like assistantships, but because you want an adviser who has a research interest that is related to your interests.

I'm saddened by the fact that it looks like most/all schools are moving away from on-site learning to on-line learning. It is those interactions in the classroom and outside it where so much subtle learning goes on.

[sjt9721, BSN, RN]

I'm saddened by the fact that it looks like most/all schools are moving away from on-site learning to on-line learning. It is those interactions in the classroom and outside it where so much subtle learning goes on.

I agree with you there. My MSN was primarily "in the seat". I wouldn't trade our class discussion & networking for anything!