Distance PhD Degrees

A PhD or Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil in Europe) is the most prestigious degree in the world. Only one in one hundred Americans have the privilege of calling themselves “doctor” but there are a growing number of people who are pursuing their PhD degree and as such new PhD programs are popping up every day, among them distance PhD degrees.

A Google search of “distance PhD degrees” results in almost 3 million results which can be overwhelming but you can understand the lure of a distance PhD degree and e learning opportunities in general– flexibility, no need to move, can keep your regular job, etc. With so much choice it begs the question, which distance PhD degrees are credible programs? The answer is two- fold - none of them, and some of them.

Why are no distance PhD degrees credible? The short answer is that because they are not recognized by all universities which are the most common place of employment for PhD graduates. Most universities require their professors to hold a PhD and if that university deems the PhD not credible, you will not be considered for employment. It’s as simple as that. And to be fair to the more traditional universities, many distance PhD degrees do not have the same academic rigour as a traditional face to face PhD does in terms of admission criteria, courses offered, research, research reputation of the institution and length of the PhD. A few of the largest discrepancies I noticed in my own research was that many distance PhD degrees had more relaxed admission requirements or ones that were much vaguer than face to face PhD programs, there were generally fewer research courses required than in face to face PhD programs and there seemed to be very little (if any) research being produced by institutions offering distance PhD degrees, even though research is a critical component of PhD programs.

Fortunately I think this will be changing in the future. It wasn’t that long ago that distance Master’s degrees were not seem as credible but that has changed as more and more credible universities started offering credible distance Master’s degrees with the same admission requirements and academic rigour, frequently mirroring the face to face program. I believe it is only a matter of time and the same will happen with distance PhD degrees as e learning opportunities will only continue to grow with people's busy lives and need for higher education.

Why are some distance PhD degrees credible? Some distance PhD degrees may have similar, not identical, academic rigour to that of a face to face PhD degree so content wise, students may be learning similar content. Also, some distance PhD degrees may be recognized by employers. For example, the University of Athabasca, Canada’s largest online university that has been providing e learning opportunities longer than any other university in Canada, has an established reputation and its two distance PhD degrees are recognized by some universities in Canada.

Factors to Consider When Choosing A Distance PhD Degree

If you decide that a distance PhD degree is right for you, then you will want to consider these factors, recognizing that a distance PhD degree will likely limit your employment options

Accreditation – Every program, including e learning opportunities, that are accredited by the U.S. Dept of Education in the United States is on this list. If it’s not on this list the e learning opportunity is not accredited and you shouldn’t even think of enrolling in a distance PhD degree that is not accredited. Also be aware of fake accreditations organizations which is a popular tactic used by organizations who extensively market their distance PhD degrees. Note, that just because a program is on this list doesn’t mean that it is a good e learning opportunity. I saw several universities that are generally deemed as “degree mills” with poor reputations on this list so checking this list is the first step to seeing if a distance PhD degree is legitimate but further research will be required.

Admission Requirements – Admission requirements for a distance PhD degree should be similar to those for face to face PhD degrees, which include at minimum: a Master’s degree from an accredited institution in a related field, two to three references, and a letter of intention. Lax admission requirements are a definite warning sign of a distance PhD degree that is a “degree mills” issuing worthless but expensive pieces of paper.

Time to complete – Face to face PhD programs generally range between three to six years of study, depending on the field, so beware of a distance PhD degree that has a faster completion times since this is another warning sign that the program will not be recognized. You can research the average PhD length for your area of study for face to face programs and see how that compares to the distance PhD program that you are considering. You will also want to be sure that you are comparing the time to complete by full time study to full time study. I.e. if the average time to complete a face to face PhD program is four years of full time study, beware of a distance PhD degree that offers completion in four years of part time study, since while this may look like an appealing e learning opportunity, the degree will likely be of little value since time to complete is an important element of PhD programs.

Does the Campus exist? Find out if the university offers only e learning opportunities and distance PhD degrees or if it also has an actual campus that offers face to face programs. Universities that offer both types of programming usually have a better reputation program and are less likely to be issuing fake PhD degrees with no credibility.

Student – Professor Interaction – Mentoring is a critical part of PhD programs and a credible distance PhD degree should include this in its program whether it by via Skype, phone calls, etc. you should have frequent contact with your professor and not only via email.

Choosing a PhD program can be a daunting decision with so many choices and given the large time commitment and often financial commitment (although some PhD programs have full scholarships, but not any odistance PhD degrees that I could find,) it’s important to weigh all the pros and cons.