D is for Doctorate Degree

Picking up where I left off, as other priorities knocked me off the "blog" wagon for a week ... now I have to catch up!

Continuing with the A to Z Blog Challenge, we have D is for Doctorate degree!

Yes, this is the highest degree in the USA for students to earn. According to the 2009 US Census Bureau figures, less than 8 percent of Americans had earned master's degrees, and less than 3 percent had earned doctorate degrees.

I had kept the idea of earning a doctorate degree in the back of my mind as a possible goal to attain some day. Other than the cost (adding to already large student loans!) and the commitment required to be a doctoral student, my other concern was the residency stipulation for the majority of doctoral programs.

Then, of course, I had the task of choosing a path to pursue. Initially, I thought I would go for a master's degree in communication disorders, so I could be a speech-language pathologist (SLP). I had enjoyed my brief time as a speech therapist (SLP Assistant) and would really enjoy getting back into that field. However, after researching programs and realizing all of them required on-campus classes and residencies, and none within easy driving distance, I became discouraged with that plan. (That, and factoring in my age by the time I would have that degree to begin practicing as an SLP!)

So, since I already had my Master of Education degree in Instructional Technology, and have enjoyed the freelance work I have been able to do in that field, that seemed the more logical choice. I began researching for a doctoral program in education, with concentrations in instructional or educational technology, and/or e-learning, hoping to find one with no residency requirement.


The next part of the decision was to pursue either the Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) or Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) path. I wasn't sure about the difference between the two. According to a 2001 Carnegie Foundation study, both doctoral programs are equally rigorous academically, requiring research work and dissertations prior to awarding the degrees, and both are recognized by the National Science Foundation as equivalent terminal (highest academic) degrees.  The Ph.D. program is typically research-based on a wide variety of disciplines, while the Ed.D. program is discipline-based on education.

Differences also arise in the specific career path the doctoral recipient follows. Someone with a Ph.D. degree may continue to do research and/or seek upper administrative positions or serve as a professor  in various disciplines, while the person with an Ed.D. degree is typically more focused on the field of education, and often seeks a strictly academic career (administrative, clinical, or research).

                                  Image via WikipediaWELL ... I discovered Northcentral University (NCU), based in Arizona, offered 100 percent online doctoral programs, with no residency requirements.  NCU considers its Ed.D. program to be a professional degree,  preparing the graduate for a career within the field of education.  The Ph.D. degree is research-based, preparing the graduate to do "significant research that will make an original contribution to the body of knowledge in your field."

Another difference between NCU's Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs is you must take statistics and advanced statistical methods (I nearly flunked that the first time around in college - just really NOT a "math person") for the Ph.D. programs. I really wasn't willing to risk my entire doctoral journey because of statistics courses ...

SO ... I'm several courses into my Ed.D. doctoral program at NCU, with a tentative graduation date of 2014. My career goal is to provide online instructional facilitation and curriculum development services. While a few such opportunities have been available with my M.Ed. degree, I have seen many more career openings listed that require either an Ed.D. or Ph.D. degree. Hence, the reason for my doctoral journey toward my Ed.D. degree, in the dual concentration of Educational Technology and E-Learning!

Next post: E is for ... E-Learning (of course!!)