When I was struggling to get my dissertation proposal approved, I looked for assistance on the virtual self-help shelves (in LinkedIn groups and online forums) and wistfully read the suggestions of various experts on choosing Committee members, meeting with advisers, commiserating with peers … I didn’t know what to make of their advice. None of that was my experience.
I “attended” an online for-profit university. I wasn’t given the option of choosing my Committee or my Chairperson. These mysterious people were assigned by even more mysterious administrators. Chairs and Committee members came and went: I usually had no idea my Chair had been replaced until I received a message from a new Chair introducing herself and asking to see my most recent proposal.
I earned my Ph.D. from a regionally accredited, fully online for-profit university. That means my doctoral experience occurred at the intersection of online learning and for-profit higher education. If you are a “traditional” graduate student—that is, if you attend a public institution (like Your State University) or a nonprofit private institution (like Harvard or Yale), you may disparage my experience and question the validity of my degree. I don’t blame you; I definitely had a different kind of education experience, compared to the one you know.
On the other hand, if you attend University of Phoenix, Walden University, Capella University, DeVry University, Strayer University, Grand Canyon University, Northcentral University, or Ashford University, you may find that you and I have a lot in common. Many of these for-profit institutions offer their programs at least partially through distance (online) learning. Some offer 100% online programs, meaning they have no residency requirements. They don’t even have any classrooms.
So, what about these for-profit universities? The mistrust of the for-profits is not just something floating in the zeitgeist: The differences between “traditional” and “nontraditional” higher education are dramatic. Nontraditional students are different from traditional students in some important ways. Similarly, nontraditional (online for-profit) institutions differ from their traditional counterparts, in ways both beneficial and frightening.
The main thing to keep in mind is that for-profit universities are businesses designed to generate a profit for their shareholders or owners. The way they generate that profit is through delivering education. Education is their product, not their mission and purpose. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you now that my dissertation project was about academic quality at for-profit vocational colleges. Hey, what can I say. I was a cranky instructor with a bone to pick.)
The good news is that many for-profit higher education institutions—especially the ones that offer doctorates—don’t offer the types of vocational programs that the federal government is keen on regulating; thus, many of the concerns that led to these federal regulations may not apply to your for-profit institution. However, for-profit graduate universities are considered pretty low on the academic food chain, loved by few and disparaged by many.
The nontraditional graduate experience is not the same as the traditional face-to-face graduate experience. So far, I haven’t seen a book that addresses the plight of the dissertator who attends an online program or a for-profit university (or both, as I did).
I wrote Resubmit! 28 ½ Reasons Why You Can’t Get Your Dissertation Proposal Approved specifically for nontraditional doctoral learners who attend online programs in the social science fields (business, education, psychology, etc.) at for-profit institutions.
Are you a nontraditional learner? Let’s find out.
- You pay your own way (cash or credit)
- You experienced bad educational experiences in the past
- You work full-time
- You care for others
- You have little time to spare for education
- Online education is your only option
- You need support from faculty and others
- You feel a sense of urgency
- You feel a sense of “succeed or die”
- You feel a sense of fear
Nontraditional education options tend to attract nontraditional people. If you attend a for-profit institution, think about why you chose to enroll there instead of at your local state university or private nonprofit university. I’m guessing it was a combination of factors, like it was for me: cost, schedule, and online access.
For-profit 
institutions keep churning out graduates, and like it or not, we are all ambassadors for the industry. I can only hope that in time, the stellar work we do—or at least the solid, trustworthy work that we do—will bear testimony to the quality of the education we received. I’m doing my part, I hope.
If you need some help getting your proposal approved, my new book might help.
