How Online Doctoral Degree Programs Work
Online doctoral degree programs are the most intense educational programs offered by today’s accredited online universities, and in many ways they work in the same way traditional doctoral degree programs have worked for years. Courses are designed to be just as rigorous and research-driven as courses offered from a college campus. The key difference is students will be accessing these courses 100 percent online, rather than being present before an instructor in a classroom.
All students who are accepted into online doctoral degree programs will be required to complete challenging coursework, which conclude with extensive written, and at times oral, examinations. The capstone of these programs is the requirement that students write and submit an effective dissertation, a book-length document that is worthy to be published upon completion and defended orally before a panel.
Coursework
Doctoral students access their courses using a software program designed for online learners. They are assigned a username and password to log in to the program and professors can check how often a student logs in to measure "attendance." Typically, students can log in at a time of day that is most convenient to them, one of the reasons that make online doctoral degree programs ideal for working professionals. Using this program, doctoral students can interact with a small pool of fellow students (doctoral classes are generally very small) and with highly-qualified professors with terminal degrees in their field using e-mail, chat and Web bulletin boards. Students also have remote access to extensive library resources.
Residencies
Not every part of the process is online, however. Students must also earn credits by participating in a specified number of face-to-face residencies, which are planned purposefully at certain points along your doctoral path. At the University of Phoenix, for instance, students must participate in residencies in select cities or countries. One purpose of these residencies is to give students the chance to network with faculty with years of study under their belts. These residencies allow faculty to explain the timeline of a doctoral program to students, to address difficulties students are experiencing with research for their dissertation, and to explain the ins and outs of the student’s oral defense of his or her thesis.
Dissertation
Most online doctoral students will take years to complete a dissertation, but the online university will generally give students a deadline so they will know the maximum allowable time they have to complete it. Students are assigned one or more mentors to assist them with the completion of the dissertation.
