Your experience at California Coast University? Interested in $21k doctorate.

[bjcheung77]

In addition to the ones already mentioned, you might want to consider adding international institutions or others mentioned in the graduate section, I'd advise a search for a few that I mentioned such as the ones in several states or when I researched India, Malaysia, Philippines: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Forum-D...Discussion

[Duneranger]

I at one point had considered Calcoast for the EdD in Educational Psychology but when I researched further it seems they are a little behind on their distance education teaching strategies. I think you have to mail in your work and your quizzes. Plus, you have to go in-person for the dissertation defense. Those were put offs for me for a distance education program.

You have to go in person one time for a dissertation defense? Oh my whaaaaaaaat a burden….

I feel like this sub is ridiculously out of touch sometimes. 99% of PhDs are in person every day for 5-7 years but a one time trip is a bridge too far.

Well, this thread isn't really for this particular discussion, it's for CCU experiences/info sniffing, but I can confess that I am most interested in a remote experience, hence why I am looking into remote programs and ultimately, paying the price for it. Personally, one trip is a huge deal for me because I have a few physical and associated mental disabilities that require more than one care assistant. That takes hopping on a plane across the country into a big deal for me and sadly, an expensive one. I'm very lucky that I managed to get a fully remote job that allows me to work from home and I consider myself very lucky to be alive in a time where there are alternative programs available with remote work. Besides, these are not traditional doctorates in the sense that you'd be compensated for research, etc, so at the end of the day, a lot of them have a price tag for the credential and its convenience. One trip for most people would not be a huge deal and if they are able, I would encourage them to go in person and enjoy the experience of a defense proper. For me, I will be inquiring more and making a decision based on what is virtually possible.

You do what is best for you. Nobody is making the poster sit here and read these posts they are just being a troll. There are some weird people on this site. I have had some strange interactions with people here within the past week so I am thinking of limiting my time here. I had to respond though. No need to explain your situation. I have health problems too that make traveling impossible too. Plus I am far down in my career to just stop everything to do a campus-based program. I have work, volunteer expectations, and hopefully soon board member responsibilities. I just can't stop life for 5-7 years. I don't even want to be a professor. At this point no one even cares where or how I got my degree.

Pointing out the obvious doesn't make me a troll. Based on the OPs response I cant see how a doctorate would aid them in any form other than a wall hanger or coffee table conversation. If a private for-profit university that doesn't even have RA accreditation requires ONE in person visit, then the writing is on the wall right?

A doctoral degree is more than just regurgitating information. Even the EdD type degrees require some sort of research with in person poster presentations, consortiums etc. I would be extremely wary of spending any money at a 100% online doctoral program online unless you are just an arbitrary credential chaser.

At some point, you have to ask the "why" and if the ROI is there beyond just collecting papers. In the end it, likely won't impress anyone but yourself. If impressing yourself is something you are into, go for it. There are a TON of online masters degrees out there that are viable from amazing schools, so I am not sure why people stretch every which way to find a half-ass non PhD doctorate online.

[eLearner]

Pointing out the obvious doesn't make me a troll. Based on the OPs response I cant see how a doctorate would aid them in any form other than a wall hanger or coffee table conversation. If a private for-profit university that doesn't even have RA accreditation requires ONE in person visit, then the writing is on the wall right?

A doctoral degree is more than just regurgitating information. Even the EdD type degrees require some sort of research with in person poster presentations, consortiums etc. I would be extremely wary of spending any money at a 100% online doctoral program online unless you are just an arbitrary credential chaser.

At some point, you have to ask the "why" and if the ROI is there beyond just collecting papers. In the end it, likely won't impress anyone but yourself. If impressing yourself is something you are into, go for it. There are a TON of online masters degrees out there that are viable from amazing schools, so I am not sure why people stretch every which way to find a half-ass non PhD doctorate online.

People have to choose the programs that fit their needs, and the overlooked and important component is choosing a program that fits their learning style. There are "RA" schools with similar systems to California Coast University, and I thank God for them because independent study is how I learn best. The be-here-at-a-certain-time-and-sit and-listen-to-this-2-hour-lecture-at-a-terribly-inconvenient-time programs were never a fit for me, and even less so when I had a full-time job and bills to pay. Sure, I got great grades in those programs, but I never learned as much as I did when I was in independent study programs and had the freedom to learn how and when I wanted to.

ROI is not the be-all and end-all point of education. It's a real shame that this has become the focus above learning. But that's why boards like these exist, so that we can find ways to spend far less money than normal and still get the education we desire. Fact is, most schools are not blowing the doors off in ROI, neither RA nor NA, which is why enrollments hit the wall years ago. People have gotten hip to that fact and don't have that much faith in the payoff of a college degree anymore, and rightfully so with the amount of student loan debt and how wages are being chewed up by inflation. If anything, this is the most critical time ever to find lower cost alternatives.

[Duneranger]

Pointing out the obvious doesn't make me a troll. Based on the OPs response I cant see how a doctorate would aid them in any form other than a wall hanger or coffee table conversation. If a private for-profit university that doesn't even have RA accreditation requires ONE in person visit, then the writing is on the wall right?

A doctoral degree is more than just regurgitating information. Even the EdD type degrees require some sort of research with in person poster presentations, consortiums etc. I would be extremely wary of spending any money at a 100% online doctoral program online unless you are just an arbitrary credential chaser.

At some point, you have to ask the "why" and if the ROI is there beyond just collecting papers. In the end it, likely won't impress anyone but yourself. If impressing yourself is something you are into, go for it. There are a TON of online masters degrees out there that are viable from amazing schools, so I am not sure why people stretch every which way to find a half-ass non PhD doctorate online.

People have to choose the programs that fit their needs, and the overlooked and important component is choosing a program that fits their learning style. There are "RA" schools with similar systems to California Coast University, and I thank God for them because independent study is how I learn best. The be-here-at-a-certain-time-and-sit and-listen-to-this-2-hour-lecture-at-a-terribly-inconvenient-time programs were never a fit for me, and even less so when I had a full-time job and bills to pay. Sure, I got great grades in those programs, but I never learned as much as I did when I was in independent study programs and had the freedom to learn how and when I wanted to.

ROI is not the be-all and end-all point of education. It's a real shame that this has become the focus above learning. But that's why boards like these exist, so that we can find ways to spend far less money than normal and still get the education we desire. Fact is, most schools are not blowing the doors off in ROI, neither RA nor NA, which is why enrollments hit the wall years ago. People have gotten hip to that fact and don't have that much faith in the payoff of a college degree anymore, and rightfully so with the amount of student loan debt and how wages are being chewed up by inflation. If anything, this is the most critical time ever to find lower cost alternatives.

Sure, that works for BA and BS degrees but I am not sure you understand how doctoral degrees work or what they entail. Have you done one? I have.

ROI is a big deal unless you have excess funds lying around. I am assuming most people here don't since they think of the most bizarre ways to hack degrees cheaply which includes going to unscrupulous programs.

[eLearner]

That's condescending. But I'll address your definite uncertainty and let you know that I fully understand how a Doctorate works, enough to know that they are earned in a number of ways you would likely have an issue with, even from prestigious schools, and those degrees and methods of earning them are pretty well regarded. Given your take, you may not be aware of it.

You're entitled to your position. However, it's not indisputable, and it doesn't invalidate everyone else's. Everyone should do what's best for them and that won't always be in agreement with how you view it. No one is looking for an argument. You seem to be at odds with the general philosophy of the board which makes it bizarre that you participate on it. Personally, it would drive me nuts to be someplace I didn't agree with the spirit and direction of.

[Duneranger]

That's condescending. But I'll address your definite uncertainty and let you know that I fully understand how a Doctorate works, enough to know that they are earned in a number of ways you would likely have an issue with, even from prestigious schools, and those degrees and methods of earning them are pretty well regarded. Given your take, you may not be aware of it.

You're entitled to your position. However, it's not indisputable, and it doesn't invalidate everyone else's. Everyone should do what's best for them and that won't always be in agreement with how you view it. No one is looking for an argument. You seem to be at odds with the general philosophy of the board which makes it bizarre that you participate on it. Personally, it would drive me nuts to be someplace I didn't agree with the spirit and direction of.

I’m here to inject reality into the discussion as someone who has done extensive in person and online schooling. If the philosophy of the forum is to collect and gather as many degrees as possible from random third world countries, elaborate transferring processes or unaccredited dubious programs. Then yes, I am at odds with that.

I always ask the, “why”. Well regarded is subjective of course, a PhD in History from UC Berkeley is universally well regarded. A random EdD online from an unknown school? No. There is a reason why 99% of PhDs are in person and online “doctorates” are relegated to either professional fields (DNP, DPT, DBA) or soft areas like DPA or EdD. They aren’t in the same league as a PhD and tensions someone who has one (forced due to my career field), they serve really no purpose practically.

[eLearner]

I’m here to inject reality into the discussion as someone who has done extensive in person and online schooling. If the philosophy of the forum is to collect and gather as many degrees as possible from random third world countries, elaborate transferring processes or unaccredited dubious programs. Then yes, I am at odds with that.

I always ask the, “why”. Well regarded is subjective of course, a PhD in History from UC Berkeley is universally well regarded. A random EdD online from an unknown school? No. There is a reason why 99% of PhDs are in person and online “doctorates” are relegated to either professional fields (DNP, DPT, DBA) or soft areas like DPA or EdD. They aren’t in the same league as a PhD and tensions someone who has one (forced due to my career field), they serve really no purpose practically.

I’m here to inject reality into the discussion as someone who has done extensive in person and online schooling.

Many of us here have done the same.

If the philosophy of the forum is to collect and gather as many degrees as possible from random third world countries, elaborate transferring processes or unaccredited dubious programs. Then yes, I am at odds with that.

Almost no one here is interested in unaccredited degrees as it's well-understood what the issues are with them. I don't know of or recall any rush for degrees from "random third world countries". With "elaborate transferring processes", if one can figure out how to use legitimate schools to learn and make transfers to maximize their endeavors, then that's just savvy. No reason to spend 100K to learn the exact same thing and get the exact same degree (sometimes from the exact same school) that you can for 25K or less.

Well regarded is subjective of course, a PhD in History from UC Berkeley is universally well regarded. A random EdD online from an unknown school? No. 

I don't think it's that subjective at all. Everyone here knows which schools have a standing of prestige and which ones don't. But not everyone is concerned with that, especially after knowing that so many people who went to high-priced schools of prestige are struggling to make ends meet and aren't even working in the field their degree is in just like the people who went to a local community college. That's the injection of reality we all got years ago and we know better now. For most of us, learning is the aim more than the prestige, being in a clearly outlined system with people overseeing our progress and being able to answer our questions and concerns is why we enroll rather than just grabbing books and trying to wing it on our own. And given the not-so-great ROI of the college degree today, it makes perfect sense to seek out those systems without going into crippling debt.

There is a reason why 99% of PhDs are in person and online “doctorates” are relegated to either professional fields (DNP, DPT, DBA) or soft areas like DPA or EdD. They aren’t in the same league as a PhD...

I'm fairly certain that 99% of PhD programs are not in-person only. I've seen some data suggesting 85-90% but that number was about 0% for a few years, I'll touch on that later...

Define "soft", because there is definitely subjectivity there. "Hard" sciences are learned online, and between 2020 and 2023 there was no other choice, but people were already doing that long before 2020. Lots of medical students have been saying since at least 2010 that it was common to listen to lectures and videos at 2x speed, hardly go to classes, and still ace their exams, and medicine is a "hard" science. That just shows us that there are other ways to learn without having to be butt-in-seat for hours in a lecture hall. But what I find hilarious about that is, those exact same people who've said that at places like Student Doctor Network also attacked online medical school learning while they themselves learned by distance and somewhat bastardized it by watching their videos at 2x speed, lol. The logic, smh. After 2020, I haven't seen much negative talk in that regard there, hmmmm... wonder why?

So starting in 2020 and for a few years after, every other subject had to be learned online as well, and that includes all PhD programs. Did they all just suddenly become garbage? Absolutely not, because one thing people who have been with a number of schools online and off know, is that there are good and bad schools online and offline, good and bad courses online and offline, good and bad instructors online and offline. There are online courses that were complained about by students until they went out of existence at top schools, and other online courses at lower-tier schools that won awards and wound up having a waiting list for students to get in. School quality varies.

... they serve really no purpose practically.

For you. That's not the same for everyone else. People have gotten degrees at every level from online programs and transformed their lives. 

This debate feels like one I would've had in 2004 when online learning was still in its infancy, technology had more limits, and most people had never taken an online class (and yet had nothing but negatives to say about them). In 2024 with all of that having changed, the debate is just outdated and weird. You may not like where education has gone, but it's already gone there and it's never going back to what it was before. I'd be more concerned about the nonsense being taught by many schools today rather than the delivery method.

[wow]

Hey mods--

Could the argument about the validity of California Coast degrees, pursuing a PhD for reasons other than what Duneranger approves of, and the purpose of this board be split into a different thread? This thread is supposed to be about peoples experiences at California Coast University and it has been successfully derailed.

[Duneranger]

I’m here to inject reality into the discussion as someone who has done extensive in person and online schooling. If the philosophy of the forum is to collect and gather as many degrees as possible from random third world countries, elaborate transferring processes or unaccredited dubious programs. Then yes, I am at odds with that.

I always ask the, “why”. Well regarded is subjective of course, a PhD in History from UC Berkeley is universally well regarded. A random EdD online from an unknown school? No. There is a reason why 99% of PhDs are in person and online “doctorates” are relegated to either professional fields (DNP, DPT, DBA) or soft areas like DPA or EdD. They aren’t in the same league as a PhD and tensions someone who has one (forced due to my career field), they serve really no purpose practically.

I’m here to inject reality into the discussion as someone who has done extensive in person and online schooling.

Many of us here have done the same.

If the philosophy of the forum is to collect and gather as many degrees as possible from random third world countries, elaborate transferring processes or unaccredited dubious programs. Then yes, I am at odds with that.

Almost no one here is interested in unaccredited degrees as it's well-understood what the issues are with them. I don't know of or recall any rush for degrees from "random third world countries". With "elaborate transferring processes", if one can figure out how to use legitimate schools to learn and make transfers to maximize their endeavors, then that's just savvy. No reason to spend 100K to learn the exact same thing and get the exact same degree (sometimes from the exact same school) that you can for 25K or less.

Well regarded is subjective of course, a PhD in History from UC Berkeley is universally well regarded. A random EdD online from an unknown school? No. 

I don't think it's that subjective at all. Everyone here knows which schools have a standing of prestige and which ones don't. But not everyone is concerned with that, especially after knowing that so many people who went to high-priced schools of prestige are struggling to make ends meet and aren't even working in the field their degree is in just like the people who went to a local community college. That's the injection of reality we all got years ago and we know better now. For most of us, learning is the aim more than the prestige, being in a clearly outlined system with people overseeing our progress and being able to answer our questions and concerns is why we enroll rather than just grabbing books and trying to wing it on our own. And given the not-so-great ROI of the college degree today, it makes perfect sense to seek out those systems without going into crippling debt.

There is a reason why 99% of PhDs are in person and online “doctorates” are relegated to either professional fields (DNP, DPT, DBA) or soft areas like DPA or EdD. They aren’t in the same league as a PhD...

I'm fairly certain that 99% of PhD programs are not in-person only. I've seen some data suggesting 85-90% but that number was about 0% for a few years, I'll touch on that later...

Define "soft", because there is definitely subjectivity there. "Hard" sciences are learned online, and between 2020 and 2023 there was no other choice, but people were already doing that long before 2020. Lots of medical students have been saying since at least 2010 that it was common to listen to lectures and videos at 2x speed, hardly go to classes, and still ace their exams, and medicine is a "hard" science. That just shows us that there are other ways to learn without having to be butt-in-seat for hours in a lecture hall. But what I find hilarious about that is, those exact same people who've said that at places like Student Doctor Network also attacked online medical school learning while they themselves learned by distance and somewhat bastardized it by watching their videos at 2x speed, lol. The logic, smh. After 2020, I haven't seen much negative talk in that regard there, hmmmm... wonder why?

So starting in 2020 and for a few years after, every other subject had to be learned online as well, and that includes all PhD programs. Did they all just suddenly become garbage? Absolutely not, because one thing people who have been with a number of schools online and off know, is that there are good and bad schools online and offline, good and bad courses online and offline, good and bad instructors online and offline. There are online courses that were complained about by students until they went out of existence at top schools, and other online courses at lower-tier schools that won awards and wound up having a waiting list for students to get in. School quality varies.

... they serve really no purpose practically.

For you. That's not the same for everyone else. People have gotten degrees at every level from online programs and transformed their lives. 

This debate feels like one I would've had in 2004 when online learning was still in its infancy, technology had more limits, and most people had never taken an online class (and yet had nothing but negatives to say about them). In 2024 with all of that having changed, the debate is just outdated and weird. You may not like where education has gone, but it's already gone there and it's never going back to what it was before. I'd be more concerned about the nonsense being taught by many schools today rather than the delivery method.

This is a lot of words without saying much. There still very little PhD programs online,  period. All of my colleagues are MDs and I work with residents every single day (probably over a thousand at this point with many recent grads). The newer grads all said the online COVID hard sciences (both pre med and medical school) were a joke and no one thought doing A&P lab online was "just as good as good".  SDF is not real life, I spent many years on that forum and would never use it as a gauge for anything in medicine.

I would love to know how the handful of PhDs in multidisciplinary studies or diversity online changed someone's life. OR are you referring to the Liberty PhDs no one takes seriously?

I NEVER said online school was not viable, so you can cut the strawman nonsense. Only that online PhDs (in meaningful subject areas, literally anything besides organization leadership or the former) are not a thing for a reason.  

To the OP, go to CCU, knock your socks off. Not my life or money. This is more for others reading.

As a side note, if you are paying for a PhD, you are getting scammed. Any LEGITIMATE PhD program is funded. Why? Because you are supposed to be doing research, research generates revenue for the discipline and school. Get out of this echo chamber and ask this question on reddit (academia or PhD sub) or literally any other forum. You will get the same answer.

[Jonathan Whatley]

online PhDs (in meaningful subject areas, literally anything besides organization leadership or the former) are not a thing for a reason.

"Remote" (online) PhDs are reasonably common at major research universities in English-speaking countries other than the US and Canada.

As a side note, if you are paying for a PhD, you are getting scammed. Any LEGITIMATE PhD program is funded. Why? Because you are supposed to be doing research, research generates revenue for the discipline and school. Get out of this echo chamber and ask this question on reddit (academia or PhD sub) or literally any other forum. You will get the same answer.

Even in "hard" subjects in the traditional academic space you're describing, it isn't uncommon to have mid-career students in certain programs with the source of their funding their employer rather than the university.