College doctoral programs

We pride ourselves on offering affordable degree programs to our students, so that everyone has equal access to quality education. There are many fascinating and practical doctorate degrees to choose from. We hope you find something to pique your interest in this comprehensive list of doctorate degrees. UoPeople uses cookies to enhance your experience, to display customized content in accordance with your browser settings, and to help us betterunderstand what your needs are.

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Fact Sheet. Create a FREE account to discover opportunities and get personalized advice for your education to career path. We'll help you get there the easiest way possible. I accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Search Filters. Clear All Filters. Whenever possible we provide full details about the courses in each of the schools, including tuition fees, admission requirements, course description and the admission phone number.

Schools with less than 10 examinees in the past 4 exams, are not ranked. The EdD in Leadership is a hour program that takes three years to complete on a part-time basis, while the DNP requires at least 39 credit hours. Others, including the DNAP and the DNP, are delivered online and in-class and feature a mix of synchronous and asynchronous coursework.

DNP students must travel to campus three times per year. Financial aid is available, and career services provides advising and services to help graduates in their job search. Application requirements vary by program, but most require transcripts, references, a personal statement, and test scores.

Application deadlines also vary by program and can be found on the school's website. Counseling services, academic resources, and career services are available to distance learners.

They have incredible faculty and an environment developed for learning. While it is competitive, each and every student is there to support and help one another.

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center offers three online doctoral programs in the nursing field. The BSN to DNP requires between 67 and 72 credit hours and can be completed in two years of full-time study or three years of part-time study. The PhD in Nursing requires between 58 and 72 credit hours and can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Online courses are delivered through the Desire2Learn learning management system.

Financial assistance is available through loans, scholarships, and grants. Faculty mentors work closely with students on their dissertations and also help to set up research partnerships. The application process varies by degree, but common requirements include transcripts, references, and a resume. The process requires two applications, one through the NursingCAS portal and another through the university.

Applications for the online PhD program are due April 1 for the following fall term. Applications for the DNP program are due January Students have access to technical support, online library resources, and online tutorials. Texas Tech has a lot to offer to the students and will help you to strive both academically and professionally.

Texas Tech University offers 16 online doctoral programs, all but three of which are online PhD programs. All of the degrees are in education or communication and rhetoric. Many of these programs offer further specializations. The EdD offerings require 60 credit hours over three years, while the PhD degrees require hours. While coursework is all online, EdD students must attend an on-campus orientation and three summer professional development sessions.

Students in this program are already scholar-practitioners and are generally seeking to prepare for leadership in higher education. Students may transfer a maximum of 30 credit hours of previous coursework. Students in the Technical Communication program enjoy a mix of online-only and hybrid video-link classes and have access to a range of graduate scholarships. Financial aid is available, and out-of-state students receive a tuition rate that is comparable to in-state students.

Texas Tech's Graduate Center provides a host of resources dedicated to graduate students. Among these resources are free professional headshots, research assistance, and counseling services. All education doctoral degree programs start in the fall, with applications accepted beginning the previous fall. Applicant requirements include transcripts and test scores.

Additional program requirements vary but may include a statement of purpose, recommendations, and a writing sample. Those applying to an EdD program should have relevant higher-education work experience. The teachers are extremely helpful and will work overtime to make sure we understand the material. There are five online doctoral programs at Kansas State University, three of which are online PhD programs.

Degrees vary in terms of length, with the Personal Financial Planning program containing 90 credits and taking three years to complete. The Curriculum and Instruction Doctorate requires 94 credit hours. The PhD in Personal Financial Planning is a hybrid model, with online coursework and day summer intensives for three consecutive summers.

The final summer session culminates in a travel abroad experience. Online students are charged at the same rate regardless of residency. Financial aid, including scholarships, is also available to online students. Program requirements include a minimum 3. Application deadlines vary by program. In general, applications should be submitted two to three months before the semester starts. Distance learners have access to support resources, including career services, academic resources, and technology services.

The professors are some of the top in their field and the staff work hard to make sure students have an enjoyable college experience. The University has a strong alumni network. It is an extremely great value for the level of education that I am receiving.

All of my classmates are competitive and the faculty and staff members are brilliant and helpful. The workload is tough, but it will be worth it. Online PhD programs at the University of Arkansas are in the education and healthcare fields.

Arkansas teachers can benefit from the Arkansas Teacher Opportunity Program to fund their terminal degree. Financial aid, including online student scholarships, is also available. Admission to the Educational Leadership and DNP programs is only offered in the summer; application deadlines are February 1 and February 15, respectively.

The Human Resource and Workforce Development program offers start dates in the fall, spring, and summer. Application deadlines are March 15 for fall and summer terms, and October 15 for the spring term.

Distance learners have access to resources through the Online Student Liaison Office, library services, technical support, and more. I really feel like I learned a lot in my program, however there [were] no career services help to find a job before or after graduation. Mississippi State University offers 19 online PhD programs, almost all in the field of engineering.

There is one doctoral degree in the education discipline as well, a PhD in Community College Leadership. Online doctoral programs in engineering include nine programs in Civil and Environmental Engineering, two in Computational Engineering, two in Electrical and Computer Engineering, one in Industrial and Systems Engineering, and four others. These research-heavy PhD programs require a minimum of 18 hours of committee-approved coursework and at least 20 hours of research for candidates with a relevant BS and MS.

Candidates lacking an MS will have more coursework requirements. Many courses are delivered online through the Canvas learning management system. As a Top Research Institution, MSU offers online students unique opportunities for learning and conducting research. Graduate research assistantships may be available, and online students pay the same tuition rate regardless of residency.

Fall start dates have a March 15 application deadline, while spring start dates have a September 15 deadline. Relevant prerequisite degrees are required, as is a minimum GPA of 3. Students lacking certain course prerequisites may be admitted on a contingent status. MSU's online students have access to resources through the Distance Education Information Portal, online tutoring, and technical support. The faculty is personable and reasonable, working with you to ensure your success.

In addition, tuition and cost of living are less expensive than many other institutions I looked at. Students can pursue advanced study in educational practice and innovation, nurse executive leadership, computer science, and civil, nuclear, and mechanical engineering. These online doctoral programs require credits to graduate. UofSC online programs may have some face-to-face requirements that can include an orientation, internship, practicum, or clinical hours. Instruction can be asynchronous or synchronous, and students are expected to interact with classmates via discussion boards, live chat, blogs, and wikis.

In addition to coursework, students are required to complete 12 hours of dissertation credit. To help offset the cost of education, the university offers several merit-based awards and fellowships, travel grants to study abroad, and an emergency loan program.

Additionally, UofSC provides various professional development opportunities to doctoral-seeking students, including career guidance, grant and proposal writing assistance, individual development plans, publishing tips, webinars, and institutional memberships. Applicants to the online doctorate programs are advised to check the specific admission requirements for their chosen program of study.

Our rankings for the best online programs for doctoral degrees were ranked using methodology that focused on five factors: number of full-time faculty members, student-faculty ratio, total research expenditure, percentage of total expenditure dedicated to research, and research expenditure per full-time student. A college or university's student-to-faculty ratio reflects the average number of students for every instructor.

This measurement is usually expressed as a numeric ratio, such as or The lower the first number, the fewer the number of students per teacher. Although this ratio is important at every level, it becomes a crucial factor at the doctoral level because Ph.

A low ratio also indicates better opportunities for doctoral students to get to know their professors well. These relationships can prove to be essential to future networking and job placement.

Of the more than 4, colleges, universities, and other higher education institutions in the U. Many of them are familiar names, such as Harvard and Stanford, while others are smaller schools specializing in a limited number of subjects. What makes these institutions research universities is the funding they receive from the government and private sector in order to conduct research.

University-led research projects have been the source of many discoveries and innovations in technology, medicine, and beyond. With this additional monetary support, research universities can offer more research opportunities for doctoral students, so they generally have more extensive Ph. The faculty of every college or university will be a mix of full-time professors and part-time, or adjunct, professors.

Full-time faculty work at least 40 hours per week. In addition to the time they spend teaching, they are required to offer in-person or online office hours for students, attend meetings, participate in developing the school's curriculum and programs, conduct research, write scholarly articles and papers, and represent the school at on-campus and off-campus events.

By contrast, adjunct faculty are hired to teach one or two classes per term and provide assistance to their students who need help. There are strong arguments for and against the use of adjunct professors, but they often bring a wealth of current, real-world experience to their classes. Doctoral programs that involve a significant amount of scientific research are more likely to be taught by full-time professors.

However, there will probably be a combination of full-time and part-time faculty in other programs, which offers doctoral candidates the benefits of scholarly rigor and practical experience. Colleges capitalized on the internet boom of the s to begin offering distance education online. Today, students can earn everything from certificates to doctoral degrees online. Doctoral students can choose from 2, different degrees across schools.

Many programs feature exclusively online courses with no in-person class requirements, while others are hybrid programs with a mix of online and on-campus coursework. Notably, some doctorates with no campus components still require that students complete an internship, clinical or lab hours, or another field experience at a designated location. This is more common with professional doctorates that prepare students to practice a vocation, such as the Doctor of Nursing Practice D.

Academic doctorates usually require a dissertation as the culminating experience, and they may or may not have an in-person field component. Most of these programs confer a Doctor of Philosophy Ph. Earning a doctorate takes years of intensive study, so it's important for potential applicants to choose the right subject, school, and format for them.

When researching options, it may be helpful to ask yourself a few key questions:. Most doctoral programs admit only a handful of new students each year, so competition can be fierce. These programs have largely similar admissions requirements, which are typically the same whether you enroll in an online or in-person program.

Although some schools will accept less competitive prospective students, they tend to favor candidates who meet all of the following requirements:. A completed bachelor's degree, or a master's in some cases. Some programs require doctoral students to have completed master's degrees in the same or a related field. Others welcome students who have completed bachelor's degrees or unrelated master's degrees and intend to complete their master's and doctoral coursework concurrently.

A GPA of 3. Schools want to train scholars who are serious about advancing their field of study, so the academic standards are usually higher than for other degrees.

It's sometimes possible for admissions officers to be flexible on GPA if an applicant is passionate and strong in other areas. Competitive entrance exam scores , with thresholds that vary by school. Positive letters of recommendation from professors, managers, and other authority figures. These letters should speak to the student's academic and personal merit and likelihood of their success in the particular program.

An insightful personal essay. Admissions officers are typically looking to understand why an applicant wants to earn the degree and how they intend to contribute to their chosen field.

In addition to these standard requirements, some disciplines require professional work experience or language proficiency. For example, students pursuing online doctoral degrees in nursing may need a minimum number of clinical hours or years of full-time employment in the field, and applicants to Ph.

Most online doctoral degree programs are designed to be completed in three to eight years. It is important to note that some schools place a time limit on the number of years students have to complete their doctoral coursework and present and defend their dissertations or capstone projects.

The number of years needed to complete a degree varies between programs. The main determining factor are:. Without a doubt, completing a doctoral degree is challenging. Although statistics vary among individual schools and programs, in general, less than half of Ph. A survey of 6, recent Ph. When asked to specify the sources of this anxiety, the two most common factors were uncertainty about future job prospects after graduation and work-life balance.

Long hours, a perceived lack of support from advisors, and conflict with colleagues all contributed to a sense of dissatisfaction for some, especially in the latter stages of the programs. We've put together a mental health guide for students that includes information about the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and disorders in addition to hotlines and resources. The following may also be helpful for students:.

Accreditation is an assertion from a recognized agency that a college has passed an independent quality review. Prospective doctoral students should first research schools that are regionally accredited — regional accreditation is more rigorous and prestigious than the national accreditation that trade and technical schools tend to pursue.

Regional and national accreditation ensure that doctoral students can apply for federal financial aid through their school. Regional accreditation also helps the credit-transferring process for students who decide to change schools, because regionally accredited institutions usually accept credits only from institutions that have undergone the same review.

To find whether a school is regionally accredited, review its website or check one of the organizations recognized by the Council on Higher Education CHEA. You might also consider accreditation through the Distance Education Accrediting Commission DEAC , which reviews colleges that offer more than half of their programs online.

Finally, some professional organizations accredit individual programs in their subject area, such as the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education CCNE for nursing.

Program accreditation doesn't affect financial aid or credit transfer, but it gives a program an extra stamp of approval from professionals in the field and may be required or recommended for professional licensure in some fields.

For example, applicants for a psychologist license in Washington need to provide extra assurances to the Department of Health if their doctoral program isn't certified by the American Psychological Association APA.

And the APA does not accredit any online psychology programs. Prospective graduate students should research the licensure requirements in their field to ensure that a particular program will help them meet their professional goals. Online degrees are legitimate if they're granted by an accredited institution of higher education.

Employers and other schools usually weigh a college's accreditation more heavily than how it delivers courses. In fact, much of the work associated with doctoral programs happens outside of the classroom. Students pursuing academic doctorates write and conduct research in various settings, and field work for professional doctorates can happen off campus.

Still, online learning isn't completely free of the stigma attached to it from its early days. Evidence suggests that this perception is changing among employers and HR specialists, but individuals may still associate online learning with low-quality diploma mills.

To weed out illegitimate programs, review each school's web site for accreditation claims and cross-check its accreditation status with an accrediting body recognized by CHEA or the Department of Education DOE. You might be wondering what you can expect to pay for your program, and whether you can save by pursuing your degree online. Although tuition is the most significant portion of a degree's cost, it's not the only expense. Students also need to consider additional fees, housing and meals, and transportation.

These factors typically differ for online and in-person students.