Capella University: Making Distance Education Work

I already had a Masters degree, but felt that in order to get to the next step professionally, I needed the PhD. I tried the traditional route, first University of Maryland and then George Mason University. The problem was that I was getting professional opportunities that did not make attending classes easy. I started looking around for alternatives. What I found was a bewildering array of for profit distance learning institutions and even distance learning from traditional universities.

I actually enrolled with Walden University, but found that their program was not structured enough for me.

I looked around and did some comparison shopping and found Capella. Long story short, 2 1/2 years later, I am ABD and am in dissertation mode. A few comments:

You get out of it what you put into it. Just because it is distance learning does not mean there is no academic rigor. I still had to do reading and write what were essentially mini-papers every week and submit a research paper at the end of the term.

Believe it or not, you are not the only smart person on the planet. When you look at the course rooms, there are other students (Capella calls them learners) who can help you over some of the rough spots.

Keep everything you write for the course room. I didnt learn this until later, but I was often able to bring together the weekly writing assignments into the final paper, which save me a lot of time, especially when it came down to the APA style guide.

Shop around, but ensure that you with an accredited institution. Find a program that matches your needs, professionally and personally.

Some institutions require residency of some sort. One reason I went with Capella was that they offered a residency in my area.

Most employers offer education assistance; take them up on it. If one (or more) of your papers can be something that you can put forward professionally to assist the company or organization, so much the better.

If you get a chance to publish professionally, do it. Always look for that opportunity.

Course rooms are generally open 24/7 and available through any internet provider. Take advantage of this; but manage your time. Capella usually required posting on a weekly basis, by Thursday of each week. I found it best to set aside time on the weekends to do reading and then draft my response to course questions. You dont want to be late in posting.

Download the syllabus so that you get an idea of what is required far in advance. Get an idea of what is expected in the final paper and direct your weekly postings towards the goal of building the paper.

Find some professors you like and try to stick with them throughout your program. They can become good mentors and even serve on your final committees.