Any post grads?

[Rench]

So, the long term plan is for me to finish my BA, then a PhD, then land a teaching gig at a community college before my body completely wears out on my current job. Roughly a 20 year plan.

Here's my question: do PhD programs take online/distance learning degrees seriously?

I'm strongly looking at Southern New Hampshire University, as they are a real school that happens to have a literature degree I can earn without commuting my ass to NH. Bonus: a senior thesis class so I can even walk away with a degree AND a serious published work. BUT, am I going to get stonewalled at phase 2 of the master plan because I did my work online?

-Rench

[Mk3]

Everyone will think you're a proctologist with a last name like that.

WTF? Post modern lit with Doctor Colonic? Shit. My ass hurts already

[Zim]

We'll be your host family, young man. SNHU is a 45 minute drive from here. We have a two car hammock garage you can live in... just need to install a woodstove.

[Rock]

looks like you left out a step, most PHD programs require a masters. From what I've seen online degrees now are way more credible than they were 5 years ago. But there is still a bit of a stigma attached.

If you have a goal to be a community college prof, go see what they have and talk to them. Where I am now there has recently (3 years ago) been a directive that everyone gets a Masters, and the motivated ones are getting degrees from real schools the rest are getting theirs from AMU: http://www.amu.apus.edu/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

When I spoke to my friends getting the degree from AMU it costs more than my classes and lacks the pedigree of a brick and mortar school. But its good enough to keep the Admin here happy.

[wzm]

I don't agree with you Rock. Most PHD programs result in a masters if you drop out early, but it's a better choice, because as a PHD student, you get more in the way of funding from the university.

Community Colleges will take people with any degree, but there's a push by the accreditation groups for more PHDs, which is why getting in as a professor with a masters, much less a bachelors, is increasingly hard. There's a lot of PHDs out there, and only so many universities and colleges that are looking for faculty.

Beware, community college teaching in the liberal arts is known to not pay much, and you have to fight to get enough classes to get by. Rev did it, and I've got family members who do it, but everyone I know in that situation has tried to become fulltime (unsuccessfully) for years. Four year universities are not much better, they've been squeezed for cash since the end of the cold war. "The politics of the university are so intense because the stakes are so low" was true in the 1950s, and it is still true today.

[Zer0]

Ahem.

Lotsa things to address, in no particular order: Rench. Make sure whatever school you atttend is accredited. You could always ask a counselor, or better yet, go to your school's HR and ask.

I'm seeing a trend sttarting to respect online programs. I'm on 2-3 hiring committees a year, and all we're interested in is whether the person has an applicable degree from an accredited university in the subject applied for. I've never heard anything from anyone tellling us to beware of online schools, and wouldn't it be hypocritical if we did, given we offer online courses ourselves? If online classes are acceptable and transferrable, why not a degree?

All grad programs are different. The schools I did my grad work in had separate MA/MS and PhD programs, but that was back in the 90s, and I'mm noticing more schools going the combo Masters and Phd program.

I'm surprised to hear that some community colleges are encouraging their profs to get Masters degrees. What? In CA, the minimum is a Master's. Thhe only exception is a certificate, which we stopped recognizing maybe 30 years ago.

Questions I get alot: Does it matter which school I went to?
In my school, no, so llong as it satisfies the requirements I listed above. In fact, we don't kowtow to the Harvard, Yale, USC grads,, as they often prove to be incompetent in the classroom. I learned alot more about teaching in my Masters program from a more applied school, than my PhD work at the more theoretical-based school I attended.

Another Q: Do PhD people have an advantage over masters only?
No. (Remmember, this is California---it may be different in other stats) In fact, we'd have applicants in interviews keep reminding us they have PhDs. This doesn't mattter to us--what matters the most is their androgogical approach and understanding of the unique challlenges of the community college student. In fact, people with no community college teaching experience have a tough time getting a job here. I'm talking about full-time job interviews. A person with 6 yeears part-time community college teaching experience usuallly has an advantage ovver a person with only university experience because it's a completely different student you're teaching.

wzm's right. It's tough as hell to get a full-time gig nowadays, but that's true only today. I know how lucky I am to be full-time. But when the economy bounces back, all the hiring freezes will thaw. Our school hires maybe 2-3 full-time positions a year now, but when I got hired in 2000 I was one of something like 20, and there are a shit ton of community colleges in my area that did the same. When we turn things around, those vacant positions created by the retiring boomers will have to be filled, so get that Masters first, then try to get a class or two at a community college somewhere to get your experience for whhen the eventual hiring orgy kicks in.

I can ask around here if you want. Just remember, though community colleges in IL have a good reputation, other states CC's don't enjoy that reputation, and every state, and even schools in the same state may have differing minimum quals and hiring practices.

PM me if you need anything else.