I have started my time as a “doctoral learner.” That is what the University of Phoenix’s school of advanced studies calls them. The program I am pursuing is called Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership/Information Systems and Technology. It is going to cost me $770 per credit hour. That is a crazy amount of money. The 62-hour program is going to cost me about $50,000 to complete. Some of this will be on the taxpayer’s dime in the form of veteran’s benefits. The rest will be student loans.
Here is what the University says is going to happen for me:
The mission of the Information Systems and Technology specialization of the Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership degree (DM/IST) is to enable professionals from any industry to understand and evaluate the scope and impact of information systems and technology (IST) from organizational, industry-wide, and global perspectives. The DM/IST curriculum lays a foundation of knowledge in critical thinking, leadership, and the application of IST content areas. Learners integrate this knowledge with their professional experiences and doctoral-level research to create innovative, positive, and practical contributions to the body of IST knowledge. Graduates will be able to influence their organization and environment positively with transformational IST leadership practices.
This doctoral specialization in IST incorporates coursework in fundamental management, organizational, and leadership concepts to engender the development of IST leadership perspectives. As such, learners with a professional leadership background in any discipline will be able to add their unique perspective to the study of the context, breadth, and processes of IST management.
I am about three weeks into the program and I have to say that I am impressed by how many calls I get every week to check up on my status. I almost feel as if the University is babysitting me. The hands on approach to counseling and leading me gently into the first three week course designed to weed out non-serious students is pretty nice even if I am already overwhelmed with phone calls due to my professional duties. Two weeks into COM705, I am learning how to be a scholar practitioner with bleary eyes.
Here’s a course description:
The mission of the Information Systems and Technology specialization of the Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership degree (DM/IST) is to enable professionals from any industry to understand and evaluate the scope and impact of information systems and technology (IST) from organizational, industry-wide, and global perspectives. The DM/IST curriculum lays a foundation of knowledge in critical thinking, leadership, and the application of IST content areas. Learners integrate this knowledge with their professional experiences and doctoral-level research to create innovative, positive, and practical contributions to the body of IST knowledge. Graduates will be able to influence their organization and environment positively with transformational IST leadership practices.
This doctoral specialization in IST incorporates coursework in fundamental management, organizational, and leadership concepts to engender the development of IST leadership perspectives. As such, learners with a professional leadership background in any discipline will be able to add their unique perspective to the study of the context, breadth, and processes of IST management.
My advice to any prospective doctoral student thinking about the University of Phoenix: be very very serious about the time commitment and the financial commitment. A $50,000 degree better lead you somewhere you want to be because those student loans won’t pay themselves off. It remains to be see what wonders I will see in the next three years but they are sure to be painstaking and expensive! Stay tuned.