Looking for a "unicorn" doctorate program

[RingofBarahir]

Sigh. I've searched the Internet (and these forums) up and down until I've gone cross-eyed. At this point, I think I'm suffering from information overload, and I haven't really found what I'm looking for. 

I am seeking a doctorate program (I don't care what it's in or what kind of "D" it is) for personal satisfaction reasons. I am not trying to do anything specific with the degree, though I do require that it's regionally accredited (and that the accreditation is not under warning, if so).

I'm looking for a program that matches the following criteria:

1. 100% online
   
2. Regionally accredited 
   
3. Rolling admissions
   
4. USA-based university, no colleges
   
5. Has a highly flexible transfer credit policy to lower the cost and time of the program
   
6. Extremely affordable, though, if they allow a lot of transfer credits, this can vary
   

I have the following degrees under my belt:

• M.Ed. Instructional Design and Technology - American College of Education
  
• M.Ed. Adult Education and Training - American College of Education
  
• MHRM: Organizational Performance - Colorado State University Global
  

I am seeking any option besides ACE. I realize this is the most inexpensive option. I would like to complete a doctorate program with a university, not a college. It's just important to me.

Does a program like this exist?! I find programs that come very close, but they only allow admission once a year. I'm looking to get started in January or February of 2025.

It's very much outside the scope of this convo, but I'd love if you could share your experience with ACE's Adult Ed. and Training M.Ed. Can I PM?

[hlg38]

Sigh. I've searched the Internet (and these forums) up and down until I've gone cross-eyed. At this point, I think I'm suffering from information overload, and I haven't really found what I'm looking for. 

I am seeking a doctorate program (I don't care what it's in or what kind of "D" it is) for personal satisfaction reasons. I am not trying to do anything specific with the degree, though I do require that it's regionally accredited (and that the accreditation is not under warning, if so).

I'm looking for a program that matches the following criteria:

1. 100% online
   
2. Regionally accredited 
   
3. Rolling admissions
   
4. USA-based university, no colleges
   
5. Has a highly flexible transfer credit policy to lower the cost and time of the program
   
6. Extremely affordable, though, if they allow a lot of transfer credits, this can vary
   

I have the following degrees under my belt:

• M.Ed. Instructional Design and Technology - American College of Education
  
• M.Ed. Adult Education and Training - American College of Education
  
• MHRM: Organizational Performance - Colorado State University Global
  

I am seeking any option besides ACE. I realize this is the most inexpensive option. I would like to complete a doctorate program with a university, not a college. It's just important to me.

Does a program like this exist?! I find programs that come very close, but they only allow admission once a year. I'm looking to get started in January or February of 2025.

It's very much outside the scope of this convo, but I'd love if you could share your experience with ACE's Adult Ed. and Training M.Ed. Can I PM?

Of course. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about ACE.

---

Just wondering... What's the budget? These all add over to $35K?

I was trying to stay under $25k.

To update everyone, I've explored the following schools:

• Columbia Southern University
  
• Purdue Global
  
• Liberty University
  
• American College of Education
  

It's between Purdue and ACE right now, but I think ACE is going to win. I hate to say it, but it just makes the most sense. With ACE, I have 14 classes left to complete with a total of a little over $13k for the program. They are currently offering a 10% alumni discount on top of their already very low tuition. That's really hard to pass up. At Purdue, I'd have 12 classes to complete totaling around $21,300. 

Talking to anyone at Liberty was like pulling teeth. Their student outreach is horrendous, and getting in touch with anyone there is next to impossible. The people I did speak to were very nice, however. The communication is non-existent. I get plenty of their automated enrollment and marketing emails, but I have not been informed, even once, of where I am in the enrollment process. My transcripts still have not been evaluated. I felt like I was entirely on my own to navigate their processes. I worked in higher education for over a decade and know how to navigate these things on my own, so I did fine, but if I can barely get any communication from Liberty as a potential student, they're sure not going improve once they already have my money in hand. Wasn't impressed, can't recommend them.

Columbia Southern was communicative and quick, no issues, but they did not accept the transfer of any of my masters level credits, and that made the total price of the degree astronomical. Many institutions allow the transfer of masters level credits into doctoral programs. Apparently, CSU does not.

I'll post an update on my final decision, but it's looking like ACE for sure. I guess the university status wasn't as important to me as I thought.

[bjcheung77]

Have you looked at the Emporia and UCA programs I mentioned earlier in post #6? The reason I looked into them was because, Emporia is $22K PhD IT with 3 concentrations, at the end of the day, this is a very good program for future librarians! I wonder if I can do that and be a librarian when I retire...

UCA is PhD in Change Leadership (DEI), which somewhat seems like a logical route to ladder into from what your completed or current Masters level studies are, this program is also $21-22K. At the end of the day, if you can get that budget to finish at Purdue Global, that also might work as well.

Last but not least, university status doesn't really matter, there are many top 50 and even an Ivy League with that college designation. It's the course content that counts (well, for me anyways). If the classes in the degree closely matches what I would like to study, that's the degree I would go for first.

[FireMedic_Philosopher]

Sigh. I've searched the Internet (and these forums) up and down until I've gone cross-eyed. At this point, I think I'm suffering from information overload, and I haven't really found what I'm looking for. 

I am seeking a doctorate program (I don't care what it's in or what kind of "D" it is) for personal satisfaction reasons. I am not trying to do anything specific with the degree, though I do require that it's regionally accredited (and that the accreditation is not under warning, if so).

I'm looking for a program that matches the following criteria:

1. 100% online
   
2. Regionally accredited 
   
3. Rolling admissions
   
4. USA-based university, no colleges
   
5. Has a highly flexible transfer credit policy to lower the cost and time of the program
   
6. Extremely affordable, though, if they allow a lot of transfer credits, this can vary
   

I have the following degrees under my belt:

• M.Ed. Instructional Design and Technology - American College of Education
  
• M.Ed. Adult Education and Training - American College of Education
  
• MHRM: Organizational Performance - Colorado State University Global
  

I am seeking any option besides ACE. I realize this is the most inexpensive option. I would like to complete a doctorate program with a university, not a college. It's just important to me.

Does a program like this exist?! I find programs that come very close, but they only allow admission once a year. I'm looking to get started in January or February of 2025.

It's very much outside the scope of this convo, but I'd love if you could share your experience with ACE's Adult Ed. and Training M.Ed. Can I PM?

Of course. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about ACE.

---

Just wondering... What's the budget? These all add over to $35K?

I was trying to stay under $25k.

To update everyone, I've explored the following schools:

• Columbia Southern University
  
• Purdue Global
  
• Liberty University
  
• American College of Education
  

It's between Purdue and ACE right now, but I think ACE is going to win. I hate to say it, but it just makes the most sense. With ACE, I have 14 classes left to complete with a total of a little over $13k for the program. They are currently offering a 10% alumni discount on top of their already very low tuition. That's really hard to pass up. At Purdue, I'd have 12 classes to complete totaling around $21,300. 

Talking to anyone at Liberty was like pulling teeth. Their student outreach is horrendous, and getting in touch with anyone there is next to impossible. The people I did speak to were very nice, however. The communication is non-existent. I get plenty of their automated enrollment and marketing emails, but I have not been informed, even once, of where I am in the enrollment process. My transcripts still have not been evaluated. I felt like I was entirely on my own to navigate their processes. I worked in higher education for over a decade and know how to navigate these things on my own, so I did fine, but if I can barely get any communication from Liberty as a potential student, they're sure not going improve once they already have my money in hand. Wasn't impressed, can't recommend them.

Columbia Southern was communicative and quick, no issues, but they did not accept the transfer of any of my masters level credits, and that made the total price of the degree astronomical. Many institutions allow the transfer of masters level credits into doctoral programs. Apparently, CSU does not.

I'll post an update on my final decision, but it's looking like ACE for sure. I guess the university status wasn't as important to me as I thought.

OP,

Don't know if you saw my earlier post, but LSU online has an EdD in Leadership with several focuses available for under 25. Also, Middle Georgia State University has a DSci in IT. Program is online and less than 20,000.