Doctoral Studies in the U.S Attributes and Overview

Transcription

1 Doctoral Studies in the U.S Attributes and Overview Dr. Frederick G. Kohun Associate Provost of Research, Accreditation, and Graduate Program Support Robert Morris University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA University Structure in the US 4,400 Colleges and Universities in the US Public Private (non-profit) Private (for-profit) Regulation and Quality 3 Types Federal Government (Department of Education) Regionally through the Commission of Higher Education New England States Commission of Higher Education Southern States Commission of Higher Education Middle States Commission of Higher Education North Central Commission of Higher Education Western States Accreditation Commission 2

2 RMU regulated by Middle States Commission of Higher Education Peer Evaluation driven by strictly enforced 14 Standards of Excellence Outcomes Assessment focused Measure, Analyze, Change, Measure, Analyze Cycle for Quality Improvement Full team visit every 10 years for accredited institutions in good standing with 5 year progress report State Regulation through Individual Department s of Education All new academic programs must go through paper and peer review Some good and demanding i.e., MA, MD, PA,TX Some not so good i.e., FL, MS, AK 3 Professional Accreditations Every 5-6 years AACSB ABET Engineering and Informatics ENGINEERING ACCREDITATION COMMISSION (EAC) COMPUTING ACCREDITATION COMMSION (CAC) TEAC Education CCNE Nursing 4

3 Doctoral Program Approval University Mission, Location, History All universities are not permitted to pursue doctoral studies Requires State Approval Regional Accreditation i.e., Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE) Professional Accreditation body (if accredited i.e., AACSB, ABET-CAC) 5 Considerations for Approval Faculty Qualified faculty are available Research record Doctoral committee experience Financial Considerations Sustainability Doctoral program at least pay for itself short and long term Indirect opportunity costs included Faculty not affect staffing and quality of other programs High degree completion rates Demonstrable Employability with data to support 6

4 Research Requirements Faculty research track record/outside professional recognition Books, monographs, articles, conference proceedings all peer reviewed University record of external funding Faculty or university driven Institutional financial support Travel for faculty research participation Library resources Technology for research 7 Doctoral Program Types Traditional Ph.D. Full-time Resident Programs Typically fully funded by university in exchange for research service and undergraduate teaching 2 or more courses per year Tuition Stipend for living expenses 7 year average graduation rate Student takes on average 10 more courses than required to continue funding support Becomes a fixture and dissertation process becomes drawn out unnecessarily Average 15% graduate in marketed time frame 35% in 7 years, 57% in 10 years 8

5 Online Regionally accredited programs without professional accreditation affiliation These are usually part time programs that are on the opposite end being very structured. High drop out rates due to isolation and associated motivational issues. Those that succeed are very good. Reputation is bad regardless how good the program is i.e., Nova Southeastern and University of Phoenix. Primary problem transient faculty not full time academic. 9 Full-time part-time executive style doctoral programs. Cohort style High success rates Usually associated with professional accreditation Students are selectively chosen already have disciplinary content and professional experience University of Pennsylvania Wharton, Harvard, Case Western Reserve, George Washington, Univserityof Maryland, RMU 10

6 Admissions Criteria With Masters degree in-hand Universities attended Job/Professional Experience Standard exam scores i.e., GRE frequently used if student record does not stand out to predict program survival (little correlation high scores and program completion) Recommendation letters Writing sample/strong writing skills Most important ability to model, abstract, or conceptualize is best predictor of success Institution and program cultural fit/personality determined with live or Skype video interview 11 Dissertation Advisor Assignment Difficult process Student research topic/methodology match faculty member Faculty experience in subject area (or related area) Faculty experience with trheesearchmethodology driven by the research Student need/style match with faculty style Writing Analysis Self motivation/independent or Needs to be pushed Availability considerations Faculty load and institutional quality considerations (sustainability issues) 12

7 Student Considerations 88% US students work while in doctoral programs Average age rise to 36. US Dept of Education research report found recent younger students not productive until late 30 s. Those starting later instantly productive. 60% working students have full employer tuition reimbursement others have parital Typical three year work after degree completion requirement Nearly 100% take out Stafford loan regardless. For graduates itis up to $20,500 per year. Some institutions have complex formula to determine scholarshipsbased on merit and need. Noel-Levitsformula, point average metrics, standardized exam scores, and FAFSA form (family finances report) requirements 13 Financing Doctoral Programs Doctoral programs must cover costs Program long term sustainability Research monies applied to doctoral studies can be directed to cover costs from external sources like: National Science Foundation National Institute for Health Department of Defense Microsoft Foundation Alumni gifts Corporate paid tuition Student paid partial tuition schedules 14

8 Institutional research centers that subsidize doctoral programs i.e., Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute, Multimedia Entertainment Center, etc. Relationships with other parties: Formal agreement of RMU with Slovak Ministry of Education 15 Examples and Discussion Overview of US Accreditation Professional doctoral programs Applied versus theoretical research Championed by US Department of Education 16