Doctoral Degree

[sanantone]

Choosing a field in which one would pursue a doctorate is not a casual decision. "Gee, which PhD would get me a job?" is not the question. "What do I want to be the rest of my life?" is a better one, because getting a PhD (or other doctorate) is going to define you and your career from then on.

Pursue an academic doctorate if you want to be an academic. Pursue a professional doctorate if you want to advance in your non-academic field.

But here's the real issue: it isn't the degree, it's the process. You can earn a scholarly PhD and have absolutely no shot at an academic career if you don't take the traditional route. You will not have been part of the academic community, you will not have have presented at symposia, written and published academic papers, have been mentored by faculty members, etc.

There is a lot of literature on how to move from academia to the public or private sector. There is nothing about making the move the other way. Why? Because they don't want you. You can have tons of experience and a scholarly doctorate from a good school and it just won't matter. You're not one of them. Are there exceptions? Sure. If someone at a school really wants to hire you, having that degree will keep a door from being slammed shut. But if you think having a PhD is going to lead you from the private sector or government into academia, you're being naive.

If you post this on Degreeinfo.com, you will get an earful. 

I've made a couple of sensitive cops angry because I told them that their PhD choices will limit their options. However, I didn't tell them that they wouldn't get work because they will. There are many people with online PhDs teaching criminal justice courses at community colleges. There are also many who are adjunct instructors. But, my focus wasn't on whether or not the program was online because plenty of people in online programs have published and presented at conferences. My focus was the particular school and whether or not hiring committees will view it as being non-traditional. Otherwise, they don't know if you went to school online.