What Are The Advantages & Disadvantages of Earning a PhD Online?
It's a general rule of thumb: when applying to a doctoral program, prospective students should always visit the school to make sure it is a proper fit for their needs. This same rule applies to people who are applying to online doctoral programs, even if there is no physical campus for them to visit. If you are considering an online doctoral program, you should still examine every aspect of the online institution in order to make certain that it is an appropriate match for your situation. All online doctoral programs have advantages and disadvantages, and the only way to figure out what they are is to investigate the program thoroughly.
Reduced Cost
The first and perhaps most appealing benefit of online doctoral programs is that they cost less than traditional doctoral programs. In general, online degrees are less expensive than those awarded by traditional institutions.
Most traditional doctorates cost between $11,000 and $30,000 per year, depending on the student's residency and school. Meanwhile, online doctorates typically cost between $9,000 and $15,000 per year. These figures are approximate and vary widely from program to program, but since most online schools have far fewer expenses than traditional ones, they are able to offer courses at a lower price.
Increased Flexibility
Doctoral students tend to be more advanced in age than students who are earning a master's or bachelor's degree, which presents some unique obstacles to furthering one's education. It is far more challenging to attend classes regularly when a person has to take care of family or go to their regular full-time job. In today's poor economic climate, it is difficult to justify giving up gainful employment in order to pay thousands of dollars to pursue a doctorate, especially when there is family involved.
Online courses allow these busy students to take credits at their own pace, and not worry about fitting classes into their hectic schedules. Plus, each student can individually decide when is the best time to take a quiz or read a lecture. Rather than receiving an assignment in the classroom, then taking it home and completing it over the course of a few days, coursework for online institutions is delivered via the Internet.
Also, if online PhD students need assistance or clarification, they don't have to worry about visiting their professors during specific office hours. Instead, they can simply post their question on a message board or in a chat room on the course's website and wait for an answer.
Unrecognized Programs
There are many significant advantages to attaining a doctorate from an online university, but there are downsides to it as well. In addition to an unproven reputation in the academic world, online degrees are also not universally accepted by state-regulated employers.
For example, Nova Southeastern, a small school in Florida with a fairly reputable online doctoral program, awards both a doctorate in education and leadership certification. The state of Florida, however, only recognizes the leadership certification and not online doctorates received from that school. Additionally, many school districts have guidelines as to which online degrees they will accept and which ones they will not. It's important to determine in what areas a specific online doctorate is accepted before making the decision to pursue it.
Lack of In-Class Interaction
Another more obvious downside to online doctoral programs is the lack of face time between students and their professors. While the online education industry has made strides in ameliorating this shortcoming, it hasn't been completely eliminated. Most reputable online schools require the occasional in-person seminar and numerous video conferences in order to complete their programs, but they are still a far cry from the day-to-day supervision of a knowledgeable instructor.
There are many reasons to pursue a PhD from an accredited online institution, and there are also a few reasons to think twice about it. In the end, it all depends on the situation of the individual student. For those who have the time and the money to invest in a traditional doctoral program, an online program may not be the best choice. But for the large number of people who simply cannot afford to completely alter their lifestyles in order to pursue a traditional degree, the flexibility offered by online institutions is invaluable.
Article Resources:
Nova Southeastern University
University of Washington College of Education
University of Phoenix
Capella University
"An Online Doctorate Degree is an Asset in Highly Competitive Markets," Articlesbase, January 2009