Walden University

I have a brick and mortar MBA and work full time, so I explored the Walden program. The first quarter is about writing skills at the PhD level and is ok for that purpose. Now for the bad part. As you go through the first quarter and begin to determine how you will actually complete your PhD it hit me like a brick... the school has no resources other than a library (a good library). That's about it. Where are the foundation courses that are in the "big boy" doctoral programs? Forget about those. You are on your own. Look at the negative reviews on Walden. They are almost 100% doctoral students who are far into their dissertation and the reviewers are now asking questions that should have been covered before this point or are not responding because because they know the questions should have been asked before it came to this. This is a prescription for academic disaster. Top this off with the lack of respect the degree has in the academic community and I am out of this place after the first quarter and will move on to real alternatives. Chalk this one off to a learning experience in what not to do.

Having completed my MBA at a traditional AACSB-accredited brick-and-mortar university, I was at first skeptical about the marketability of Walden's online PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences. Having attended my first academic residency in St. Charles, IL, last year I am confident Walden was the right choice. One criticism of PhDs in a discipline is that they can sometimes be too focused on esoteric theoretical matters and there is often a disconnect between scholars and practitioners. Walden University has addressed this concern by formulating from the ground up a distance learning scholar-practitioner model that constantly encourages doctoral students to discuss and refine their goals, motivations, and future applications so that their research remains both academically relevant and congruent with the real world. That the majority of Walden doctoral students are already successful executives in their own fields and continue as practitioners throughout their academic careers only serves to reinforce this model. Walden doesn't simply admit students into a doctoral program and leave them alone to complete their research without regard for the real world outside academics--all students before beginning research work complete a Doctoral Foundations course which involves several discussions per week with a professor and other doctoral students discussing and helping each other refine goals and research interests and strategies for success. The Walden University PhD program comprises a series of formal research papers--Knowledge Area Modules--each focusing on a standard facet of a student's chosen research interests, eventually leading to a formal published dissertation. A series of four- and six-day residencies along the way, averaging about one a year, complement the online learning process by providing opportunities to meet students and faculty from all doctoral programs and participate in seminars. With approximately one residency per month in locations across the country and internationally, there are tremendous opportunities for networking and face-to-face interaction. Walden provides comprehensive online access to academic journals and references through a combination of its own licenced resources and document delivery agreements. Its student support, including financial aid, writing centre to assist with the APA Style in place for all doctoral work, and disability and other services are available in an accesible and timely manner. I am confident that Walden, built as a distance-oriented program from its inception, has a winning model for its doctoral programs. If there are any specific questions you have before enrolling, I would be happy to discuss them personally! Please visit http://robincheung.info for contact information!

All you are is a number and if you have a problem all they do is send a standard letter back. If you have stuggled they are not like most normal universities that care or concerned about rentention... they just kick you to the kirb even though you have spent a lot of time and a LOT of money and have done well in the actual courses. All they want is your money. The teachers are okay however it is very confusing with the PhD thing because you are in the class thing throughout the time you are there and paying over 4,000 a quarter for not a lot of helpful info.

Perhaps being there a year, I should not be rendering a review. However, while there are some technical email hurdles, I can say that I am thrilled with my interaction with Walden. A Walden education is what you make of it. You have to put the work in and be diligent about it. The faculty I have been exposed to really care and are helpful if you ask. It has been extremely challenging and not easy, but worthwhile efforts usually are. The PhD Program requires focus, tenacity and the dedication of a saint. But what you will learn is incredible. The tools and thinking you develop are invaluable. Walden is what you put into it.

I graduated with a PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences, Accounting in November, 2008. I started the program in October, 2005. This type of educational experience is not for everyone. It requires a self starter that is focused and committed. You have a faculty mentor assigned to you when you start the program. This is a resource available to you, but not pushed on you. The degree of interaction is up to the student. The mentor can be a valuable source of guidance and structure if used proactively by the student. Like all experiences in life, you get out of it what you put into it. There is a rigorous amount of work assigned and there is a required amount of posting in the form of classroom discussions. Both require time and effort. I did not experience any teacher that would just "pass" you on. You earned your grade. The teachers all seemed concerned and ready to help, but again, you had to be the adult and initiate the contact. Students need to understand this is not a baby sitting service....it is graduate school. The technology was outstanding. Three years without a problem. The cost of the program was expensive and Walden does not miss a chance to charge you, but than again, this is no different from traditional schools. I found that any questions I had were generally answered with quick turnaround times. I was very disappointed, however, in the academic advisors and the lack of coordination between the various support departments. Again, however, this seems to be typical of all universities. I was very unhappy with the approval process for the dissertation. There are several layers of approval. Your committee, academic review, and finally provost. This a very fustrating process with little support for the student. I don't know if this is typical of all PhD programs or not. Finally, it seemed that once the PhD was approved and accepeted, you fall into a black hole and have to jump through hoops to find out your status and the graduation details. Bottom line. It was expensive. I thought the residencies were a waste of my time (the first three were fine and useful, by the fourth, you have already taken all relevant courses). The faculty was dedicated, knowledgeable, and helpful. Academic advising needs to have more interaction with the student. The technology was great. I found the experience to be rewarding, stimulating, and well worth my time and effort. I would have preferred a traditional, on campus approach, but life's responsibilites did not allow it. Walden was a great alternative.

In the beginning, I had insecurities about earning my Ph.D. online, but over 3 years, I have had many opportunities afforded to me because of it. Because of our elite, well published faculty, my research and writing skills have made a 100% turn around.

I am approaching the dissertation phase of my PhD. I have been very pleased with the school and program (although there was a brief period of time that school and technological upgrades caused student support to falter...good news is, things are so much better now). This has been a very enriching program for me, the face to face residencies are a wonderful component of the program that really help to appreciate the caliber of the staff and the validity and rigor of the program. This is a for-profit university, almost anyone with a master's degree of at least a 3.0 can get accepted, but one thing that is VERY APPARENT is that as you move through the program, it is so demanding and rigorous enough to filter true PhD quality students, that only a small percentage of those who enroll actually make it through to completion. There is no way to skate through this program. My experiences have been positive.