Capella Doctoral Programs?

[Johmford]

Anyone have any experience with the Capella doctoral offerings? 

Did any employer have anything negative to say about it?
How long did it actually take? 
Any feedback about the structure of the program? 
Anything else worth mentioning?

[sanantone]

Short answer: Stay far away.

Long answer: For most people Capella is a lot more expensive than a lot of other online options. Capella is also known for stalling students during the dissertation phase, and they charge a lot for this. It's not uncommon for people to spend over $100k for their degree.

[dfrecore]

Capella is also known for stalling students during the dissertation phase, and they charge a lot for this. It's not uncommon for people to spend over $100k for their degree.

I think they're being sued for this.  Class-action, which means a LOT of people have had this problem.


No thank you!

[quigongene]

https://www.twincities.com/2019/05/08/ju...-students/

[PrettyFlyforaChiGuy]

I would strongly discourage completing a doctoral program online through any for-profit; I say this as someone who completed both a competency-based M.S. through Walden and a B.S. through one of those "Top Universities" through U.S. News [read: failing news mag]. They have every incentive to stall you, and if your goal is to be in academia, the quality of scholarly output at that level will still likely be viewed with some distrust by many brick-and-mortar institutions. Faculty at online-only programs seem to have not as much of an issue, though.

If you just want more education or a title, and money is not an object, no reason not to pursue it. I'd advise against for most people, though.

[Sagan]

"People say believe half of what you see
Son and none of what you hear"  


-- Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong ("I Heard it Through the Grapevine")

Capella got off to a very principled start as The Graduate School of America. Steve Shank (former CEO of Tonka) was the founder and its first president was Bruce Francis (of Saybrook University). Both were highly respected in their fields. It achieved candidacy for accreditation and full accreditation in amazingly short times. Initially designed as a graduate school, it expanded to undergraduate programs a few years later. It got off to a very impressive start.

Has Capella gone off the rails since its founding? I don't know. But I do know that every school gets complaints, and some schools get sued. I'd be careful about tossing out 25 years of successful operations. But I would also recommend a great deal of checking--into the issue in particular and into the for-profit situation in general. 

There was a time when for-profit schools like Walden and Capella were a couple of the very few distance learning options for doctoral students. This is not the case anymore; the options are plentiful. Shop around. YMMV.

[sanantone]

"People say believe half of what you see
Son and none of what you hear"  


-- Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong ("I Heard it Through the Grapevine")

Capella got off to a very principled start as The Graduate School of America. Steve Shank (former CEO of Tonka) was the founder and its first president was Bruce Francis (of Saybrook University). Both were highly respected in their fields. It achieved candidacy for accreditation and full accreditation in amazingly short times. Initially designed as a graduate school, it expanded to undergraduate programs a few years later. It got off to a very impressive start.

Has Capella gone off the rails since its founding? I don't know. But I do know that every school gets complaints, and some schools get sued. I'd be careful about tossing out 25 years of successful operations. But I would also recommend a great deal of checking--into the issue in particular and into the for-profit situation in general. 

There was a time when for-profit schools like Walden and Capella were a couple of the very few distance learning options for doctoral students. This is not the case anymore; the options are plentiful. Shop around. YMMV.

They have a 17% graduation rate and high faculty turnover. Having the chair and other committee members quit every few months is not good for doctoral students.

[dfrecore]

Has Capella gone off the rails since its founding? I don't know. But I do know that every school gets complaints, and some schools get sued. I'd be careful about tossing out 25 years of successful operations. But I would also recommend a great deal of checking--into the issue in particular and into the for-profit situation in general. 

There was a time when for-profit schools like Walden and Capella were a couple of the very few distance learning options for doctoral students. This is not the case anymore; the options are plentiful. Shop around. YMMV.

It may be that the Bachelor's & Master's degree programs are still good, but the doctoral programs aren't.

[sanantone]

Has Capella gone off the rails since its founding? I don't know. But I do know that every school gets complaints, and some schools get sued. I'd be careful about tossing out 25 years of successful operations. But I would also recommend a great deal of checking--into the issue in particular and into the for-profit situation in general. 

There was a time when for-profit schools like Walden and Capella were a couple of the very few distance learning options for doctoral students. This is not the case anymore; the options are plentiful. Shop around. YMMV.

It may be that the Bachelor's & Master's degree programs are still good, but the doctoral programs aren't.

The undergraduate programs are the ones with the 17% graduation rate. Even TESU manages to have a graduation rate above 40%, and they accept anyone over the age of 21.

Capella is like most other for-profit colleges. They spend a lot more on marketing than they do on instruction.

[ThatBankDude]

I am a big supporter of online education as my MBA and MS are both online...however, if one is SERIOUS about doctoral education they need to look into a brick and mortar university where you will gain the proper networking and support that is offered by the university and the professors. That is just my 2 cents. Take it for what it is worth.