11-22-2020, 02:03 AM
I've done a lot of research and reviewed a ton of online seminaries and universities and have come away with this conclusion: if I'm going to pursue a PhD I want to do it at an RA school (specifically Liberty). I'll list detailed information about my particular situation below. Would love feedback on the school, the program, and on my specific usability, future prospects, etc. (i.e. is this a good idea).
1. The program, all in, would cost $14k. I can barely afford this. It would require I keep my current job for at least 2 years. I would use about $1000 from savings to make up the difference (I might be able to make it up by really living like a grad student but I'm pretty close to that already). My current job is pretty stable and has longevity (but only to the extent that any job does in this day and age. Translation: I could be fired or laid off for any reason at any time or the company could just fold tomorrow - none of these are likely but always possible). I would not be going into any debt for the degree. But if anything goes wrong I'm up the proverbial creek (i.e. lose job, major vehicle breakdown, and anything else I cannot foresee). But I think it is possible to skip a semester or two and pick back up later.
2. The program is 2 years in length (or, at least, I can complete it in 2 years). Here is the Completion Plan for the degree. The first year would be courses while the second year would be focused on the dissertation + defense. Defense is either in person or virtually. Two people on the committee. They are assigned, I do not seek them out or get to pick them.
3. I'm not particularly comfortable with having to jam all the courses into the first year. It feels kind of scammy that they financially incentivize students to load up on credits each semester (but I think this is the nature of higher ed these days and this is the cheapest PhD I could find online that was RA). They divide up the semester into two terms. I would have to take 2 courses term 1 and three courses term 2. All courses are 8 weeks long. Year 2 Dissertation "courses" are 16 weeks long. Language courses (4) will have to be completed doubled up and back to back in the beginning of the first year. This makes me nervous, though none of the courses require students to gain actual language proficiency.
4. My ultimate goal is to teach online at seminaries or bible colleges as an adjunct instructor (maybe 2 or three courses per year). My target schools are Redemption Seminary (unaccredited but will be seeking accreditation in the future) and NationsU (volunteer teaching). I'm also not opposed to mentoring at Columbia Evangelical University either. The alternative would be (or in addition to) to start my own online school so I have the freedom to develop my own curriculum and offer certificates.
5. If I can swing it, I would also like to get 9 more credits in History (I currently have 9 graduate credits from APUS) so I could qualify to teach History online as an adjunct. Not sure how realistic this is since my MA is only NA and my PhD would be in a religious subject (plus the History market appears to be as flooded with applicants as the Biblical Studies market).
...............
So, here are my questions:
1. Would it be worth it?
2. What is the reputation of Liberty at other Seminaries and bible schools? What about at RA secular schools like community colleges, etc?
2. Do you think I'll end up getting the PhD and be completely unemployable? (making money is really not the goal, but I don't really want to make that kind of financial investment and have the degree be practically useless). I guess I'm hoping for some kind of ROI on the investment.
3. Any reasons you can think of to not do it (yep, looking for people to talk me out of it).
Thanks for any info or advice. Brutal honesty is highly encouraged.
1. The program, all in, would cost $14k. I can barely afford this. It would require I keep my current job for at least 2 years. I would use about $1000 from savings to make up the difference (I might be able to make it up by really living like a grad student but I'm pretty close to that already). My current job is pretty stable and has longevity (but only to the extent that any job does in this day and age. Translation: I could be fired or laid off for any reason at any time or the company could just fold tomorrow - none of these are likely but always possible). I would not be going into any debt for the degree. But if anything goes wrong I'm up the proverbial creek (i.e. lose job, major vehicle breakdown, and anything else I cannot foresee). But I think it is possible to skip a semester or two and pick back up later.
2. The program is 2 years in length (or, at least, I can complete it in 2 years). Here is the Completion Plan for the degree. The first year would be courses while the second year would be focused on the dissertation + defense. Defense is either in person or virtually. Two people on the committee. They are assigned, I do not seek them out or get to pick them.
3. I'm not particularly comfortable with having to jam all the courses into the first year. It feels kind of scammy that they financially incentivize students to load up on credits each semester (but I think this is the nature of higher ed these days and this is the cheapest PhD I could find online that was RA). They divide up the semester into two terms. I would have to take 2 courses term 1 and three courses term 2. All courses are 8 weeks long. Year 2 Dissertation "courses" are 16 weeks long. Language courses (4) will have to be completed doubled up and back to back in the beginning of the first year. This makes me nervous, though none of the courses require students to gain actual language proficiency.
4. My ultimate goal is to teach online at seminaries or bible colleges as an adjunct instructor (maybe 2 or three courses per year). My target schools are Redemption Seminary (unaccredited but will be seeking accreditation in the future) and NationsU (volunteer teaching). I'm also not opposed to mentoring at Columbia Evangelical University either. The alternative would be (or in addition to) to start my own online school so I have the freedom to develop my own curriculum and offer certificates.
5. If I can swing it, I would also like to get 9 more credits in History (I currently have 9 graduate credits from APUS) so I could qualify to teach History online as an adjunct. Not sure how realistic this is since my MA is only NA and my PhD would be in a religious subject (plus the History market appears to be as flooded with applicants as the Biblical Studies market).
...............
So, here are my questions:
1. Would it be worth it?
2. What is the reputation of Liberty at other Seminaries and bible schools? What about at RA secular schools like community colleges, etc?
2. Do you think I'll end up getting the PhD and be completely unemployable? (making money is really not the goal, but I don't really want to make that kind of financial investment and have the degree be practically useless). I guess I'm hoping for some kind of ROI on the investment.
3. Any reasons you can think of to not do it (yep, looking for people to talk me out of it).
Thanks for any info or advice. Brutal honesty is highly encouraged.
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