Aspen University: online Doctorate in Computer Science

[Merlin]

NA schools get a bad rap but not all of them deserve it. Especially at the highest levels of academia. While the original intention of NA colleges was to prepare students for applied, career-based degrees rather than liberal arts or pure academic degrees, there are plenty of NA colleges out there with a strong academic focus. This is particularly the case at the doctoral level. These schools are only NA in name and appear to be biding their time to earn RA accreditation since that is an expensive, multi-year process with lots of milestones along the way that they need to hit.

Ultimately, it depends on what you want to do with your doctoral degree?

• If you want the degree to do independent research, or for personal reasons, then it doesn't matter where you get it really.
  
• If it is for professional advancement or status purposes, a NA degree is probably just fine. Particularly if it comes from a school with a good reputation (or at least without a bad one). That can also depend on the company and academic or professional field.
  
• If your intention is to go into research working for someone else, it may depend on a combination of the school and your academic mentor/supervisor's credentials in the field. People working in research in a specific field tend to all know each other, or at least they probably have mutual contacts.
  
• If your intention is to teach, then it will depend on where you want to teach. Most RA schools require their teaching faculty to have RA graduate degrees. But this tends to be less important at community colleges, private colleges, and for-profit colleges. That said, I'd say if you want to be a full-time tenured professor and teach at the highest levels, the gold standard is an RA Ph.D. from a top university known for research in your field. Your Ph.D. mentor/supervisor will also factor into this like above.
  

Also keep in mind that the best degree is the one you finish. This applies to doctoral degrees in that one of the most important aspects of college selection is finding a school and mentor that is a good match for your research interests and that you "click with". The mentor is particularly important since they will influence your research quite a bit and you'll be working closely together for several years. A high percentage of doctoral students drop out before completing their degree, and much of that happens because of bad choices in college/mentor selection.

So it is very important to create a diverse list of colleges that meet your academic goals and do research. Try to get on a phone call or video chat with the program coordinators or prospective mentors to ask questions.

For anyone considering a doctoral program, also keep in mind that it is super important to apply broadly since you're unlikely to be selected for every program you apply to. Even the less competitive programs only have so many slots available each year, so it may be that you cannot get into any of your top choices. So an NA school may be your best option outside of waiting another year, changing research focus, or giving up.