What Is A Doctorate Degree?

Online Education
Online education is becoming more popular as a way to earn a degree for many students across the US. U.S. News & World Report declares "Online education is becoming an essential part of the higher education landscape." It is because students, teachers, and employers have realized the value of distance-learning. According to one estimate, millions of students now enroll in one or more online courses, something unthinkable only a few years ago. According to the Babson Survey Research Group, during Fall 2011, 32 percent of total higher education enrollment took at least one online course.

Select Doctoral Programs

Benefits Of Online Education
The rise in the number of online students is because of the following reasons:

Convenience - Lectures and other course materials may be accessed online and from the comfort of one's home. This suits students with full-time jobs who would like to enhance their knowledge and skills for better career opportunities, but do not have time to attend on-campus courses.

Value for money - Some online courses and degree programs may be cheaper than traditional educational programs; especially when the cost of commuting, textbooks, and other related factors are added into the overall cost.

Employability - One factor often overlook by some is that employers are not discriminating between traditional and online graduates at the time of hiring.

Online Courses And Programs

Online education has expanded in terms of courses and degree options in the recent years. Now certificates, diplomas, associate, bachelor, master, and even doctoral degrees are being offered online in many disciplines. That online education is only good for humanities and social science degrees is a myth; online science degrees are offered by many schools as well. Some of the most popular online degrees are:

• Education
• Educational Psychology
• Sports Psychology
• Organizational Development
• Criminology
• Public Administration
• Business Administration
• Social Work
• IT Management

Online Doctoral Programs
All of the abovementioned disciplines and more are offered at a doctorate level as well. For example, a Ph.D. degree in Information Technology Management may take 3 years or longer to complete. Successful candidates may qualify to apply for jobs in management consultancy, IT strategy, chief technology officer, or chief information officer. Some of the courses taught in an IT management program may be similar to:

• Casual Modeling in Marketing
• Seminar in Organizational Research Methods
• Research Methods in Information Systems
• Theory Development and Research Design
• Seminar in Design Science

While the admission requirements will differ from university to university, some common general admission requirements may include:

• At least a bachelor's degree in the relevant discipline
• High academic record
• A good GMAT/GRE score
• A good TOEFL score (for international students only)
• Letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose
• Previous relevant work experience
• Resume

Online doctorate degrees are a good option for those working professionals who would like to enhance their knowledge and skills in order to advance in their chosen careers.