New Computer Science and Engineering Management PhDs at CapTech

[Pats20]

There are cheaper options than $60k.

[bjcheung77]

There are cheaper options than $60k.

That's what I was thinking, if someone is going for a degree "European-style", why not just get one from the UK or European country. They offer similar PhD or doctorate degree programs at a fraction of the price, and some of them are now online without residencies either. I recall there being those PhD by research, it may take up to 3 years but the cost is like $30K or something cheaper. Having said that, those who have the cash and who want a specific US degree, this is a viable option...

[sanantone]

I don't think you can use financial aid for online programs in foreign countries, but that might have changed. I haven't kept up, but $30k out-of-pocket is a lot for many. Capitol Technology University accepts up to 42 transfer credits for all but two of their doctoral programs. If you have a lot of transfer credits, it's something to consider. I think they might even accept some master's-level credits.

[ss20ts]

All courses are courses that guide you through building your dissertation. This is exactly what a dissertation-only program would look like when you break it into credit bearing courses.

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Btw, ABD means "all but dissertation," meaning a doctoral candidate who hasn't finished a dissertation.

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Here's how the school describes their "European model" on the page for one of their aviation doctorates, which is split up into 10 6cr courses just like these two linked above are:

In this European-style doctoral program, there are no formal classes, assignments and -- most importantly for busy professionals -- no residencies. Your schedule is up to you and your committee. There is no rush to complete a dissertation. The program is divided into ten sections that mark your path to completion.

This is what I was looking for! 60 credits is a full PhD program. I know what ABD means. They have already completed all of their courses except the dissertation which is why calling this an ABD program made no sense. If you're ABD then you've already completed your courses.

[jsd]

No one is calling it an ABD (or ABD-completion) program though. It's a dissertation-only program. You spend the 60 credits building your dissertation.

[ss20ts]

No one is calling it an ABD (or ABD-completion) program though. It's a dissertation-only program. You spend the 60 credits building your dissertation.

Why would you ever need to spend 60 credits on a dissertation? Especially when it costs over $60K.

[jsd]

I'm not defending the cost, but I'd rather spend a 60 cr program working entirely on my dissertation instead of having to split those 60cr between a bunch of classes that, by the time I've made it to doctoral level, are redundant and unnecessary and I should already have expertise in, and then still have to do a dissertation on top of that. 60 cr of real world research is a much better approach.

[ss20ts]

I'm not defending the cost, but I'd rather spend a 60 cr program working entirely on my dissertation instead of having to split those 60cr between a bunch of classes that, by the time I've made it to doctoral level, are redundant and unnecessary and I should already have expertise in, and then still have to do a dissertation on top of that. 60 cr of real world research is a much better approach.

But why would you need to spend the time to complete 60 credits on a dissertation? It's still several years long no matter what your expertise is in.

[jsd]

You complete the credits as you finish different phases of your dissertation. There's no timeline. As was explained, it's broken into credit units in order to adhere to US accreditation and financial aid standards. But the actual work you're doing is your dissertation. You're not doing separate course work or watching lectures.

This might sound unusual in the US, but it's not uncommon elsewhere. They just don't apply credit hours in this way.

[sanantone]

I'm not defending the cost, but I'd rather spend a 60 cr program working entirely on my dissertation instead of having to split those 60cr between a bunch of classes that, by the time I've made it to doctoral level, are redundant and unnecessary and I should already have expertise in, and then still have to do a dissertation on top of that. 60 cr of real world research is a much better approach.

But why would you need to spend the time to complete 60 credits on a dissertation? It's still several years long no matter what your expertise is in.

If you're progressing quickly, then you take more credits each semester. In Europe, they do big book dissertations that are actually multiple studies, so it can take a few years to finish. The U.S. has an inefficient system that requires students to complete graduate-level content in their field twice.

The U.S. accreditation system is built around quarter hours and semester hours. As a general rule, doctoral programs should be around 90 semester hours beyond the bachelor's degree. Master's degree programs typically account for 30 to 36 of those credit hours, so most doctoral programs are 54 to 60 semester hours. VUL's doctoral program is so short, they're the requiring the equivalent of two master's degrees or externships for accreditation purposes.

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This is another rare dissertation-only PhD in the U.S. It is 48.5 credits and takes three years to complete.

https://catalog.uarts.edu/preview_progra...&poid=3302