I have been searching for a good online university that offers a good doctoral program in higher education.  I'd like to land an administrative position such as Dean of Student Affairs, Director of Academic Services etc.  Most of these positions require a PHD.  I have looked at UOP, Walden, Capella, and Argosy...I have seen positive and negative for all of these schools from prior students.  I don't want to spend tons of money and its in vein.  I also don't want to be thrown to the wolves as some students referred to it and forced to do everything without much support from faculty and mentors or lack of technical support.  Please help!!! Any advise in reference to these schools.

You should look into a public school first in the state where you live. A PhD from a state college should cost less and reputable.

Northcentral University would be a good place to look.  http://www.ncu.edu/?priority_code=SWGOOGLENorthcentral%20university&source_code=SWGOOGLENorthcentral%20university

And as far as bad reviews on some of the other schools, be sure and take these with a grain of salt.  Are you currently working in an academic capacity?

I have been an elementary teacher for the last five years.  I have been thinking of pursuing administration for quite some time.  I just prefer to be in the community college or university setting, functioning on the administrative end.  I am trying to get in to a community college or university right now.  At this time I can only pursue my degree online.  Is North Central the only online reputable school out there?

No, of course not.  I wouldn't consider Capella less than reputable either.  NCU tends to be less expensive but I wouldn't consider them to be more or less respectable than any of the others you mention.  UofP may carry a stigma in some academic circles and they cost a fortune so I might suggest steering clear of them if for nothing other than that.  I believe Nova Southeastern also offers online doctorate degrees as does Walden University.  Check them out as well.

Hi, try Liberty University, they offer a distance learning Ed.D. program, but you have to spend I think 2 weeks in the summer at their main campus, but you do this only once:

http://www.luonline.com/index.cfm?PID=14379

 TUI University also has a 100% online PhD in Educational Leadership you may want to look at:

http://www.tuiu.edu/coe/phd.html

Nova Southeastern University also has several distance learning Education related doctorates:

http://www.schoolofed.nova.edu/doctoral/concentrations/ed_leadership.htm

I wouldn't put too much into hearsay - only the things you can verify. Like accreditation - as far as I'm concerned if they're accredited, they're reputable. Some twit with a axe to grind - anonymously or not - on the Internet just lacks credibility.

However, the Vogon's you'll be talking to about a job may be laughably ill-informed  Either way, you'll have to get past any parochial bias and ignorance.  So check out that now before you invest years and tens of thousands of dollars.

Also, as far as I've been able to determine, Northcentral has the only DL doctoral programs that do NOT require several "residencies" that will easily and quickly increase your out-of-pocket expenses - and well into four-figures each time. I'm sure they serve some function beyond a nifty junket for doctoral students and their faculty advisors, but I'm sure I don't know what that is

On the upside, and this is a major advantage, almost all of these DL programs have completion rates at least as good as the best brick-and-mortar institutions and significantly better than most!  Considering that fully half the doctoral students never get to or beyond the coveted 'ABD' that's not something you want to pass over without a LOT of thought.

Sidebar: Since you seem to be talking about administration at the K-12 level, an Ed.D program might serve your needs better than a PhD program.  I would strongly recommend you check them both out and compare them side-by-side against what you really want to do.  Dissertations are such a bizarre and unique genre, I really can't see the point unless you're going to continue research (and the related 'publich or perish' syndrome) for the rest of your career - and in government schools, as fertile as they are for some original research and outside the box thinking, you aren't likely to have the time or be in any position to 'make the time' unfortunately.

 

JLassiter:

I have been an elementary teacher for the last five years.  I have been thinking of pursuing administration for quite some time.  I just prefer to be in the community college or university setting, functioning on the administrative end.  I am trying to get in to a community college or university right now.  At this time I can only pursue my degree online.  Is North Central the only online reputable school out there?

Not at all.  In fact, rightfully or wrongfully, there's a lot of bias in academia against for profit schools, and you'll have a much tougher row to hoe with credentials from one.  Sure, there are people who do succeed with them, but they often start out already employed by a college and are working their way up from within. 

If, as you say, you must do it by distance, you should consider either Fielding Graduate University, which is a non-profit distance institution that's been around a while, or, if you prefer (or just don't mind) a Christian institution, Liberty University, which is brick-and-mortal but does distance learning very well at at a reasonable tuition rate.

Good luck, 

-=Steve=-

 

There's TUI Univerrsity:

http://www.tuiu.edu/ 

Formerly known as Touro University International.  It was owned by Touro University, a Jewish oriented school. until it was recently sold to private interests.

 

 

Sorry, I see TUI was already mentioned.

 

 

You have been given some good advice so far, in terms of schools to consider.  I would also recommend the University of South Africa, or UNISA.  It has a great reputation, is comparable in rigor to any regionally accredited college in the U.S., and is extremely inexpensive due to the exchange rate of the dollar to the South African rand, even with the fees foreign students must pay in addition to tuition.  I believe you do have to go to South Africa at the end of the program to present your oral defense, but even if you figure in the cost of the trip it is STILL less expensive than U.S.-based programs.  Of course, you will have to determine if a foreign credential will meet your professional needs. 

 

 

 

What edit function?

 Jonnie's Distance Learning Page has many doctorates.  Many require varying length of residency and have varying means of delivery.

http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/haven/2386/dlphd.html