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New Online Doctoral Degree Programs – September 2020

Several major colleges and universities have recently announced the launch of online doctoral degree programs. These schools include Belhaven University, Boston College, Marymount University, Florida International University, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Among the new doctoral programs that are being offered online are programs in business administration, education, occupational and physical therapy, architectural design, and nursing.

Belhaven University – Online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program

Belhaven University, a private, non-profit Christian university located in Jackson, MS, recently introduce a new online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program that is currently accepting applicants. The 60-credit, dissertation-based program is designed for students who hold a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Students in the program take didactic courses in management sciences, professional communication, global information technologies, marketing, human resource management, and the Christian worldview, and spend the final year of the four-year program working on their doctoral dissertation. The program incorporates three campus residencies: an orientation seminar at the start of the program, a dissertation research proposal seminar in year two, and final research proposal seminar in year three. The program’s other course requirements can be completed entirely online.

Boston College (BC) – Online Executive Doctor of Education (EdD) in Higher Education Program

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College (BC) is launching a new Executive Doctor of Education (EdD) in Higher Education program that will be offered in a mostly online format. The program, which is planning to enroll its first cohort in the fall of 2021, consists of 48 credits of coursework that can be completed in three years of part-time enrollment. Students in the program are required to attend one weeklong in-person summer session per year for a total of three in-person residencies. Two of the residencies are held in Massachusetts, at BC’s Chestnut Hill and Dover campuses; the third residency is a travel abroad experience that takes students to Ireland. The program’s curriculum includes courses in higher education law, policy, and politics, social justice, data literacy, and change management, as well as a final applied capstone project. Applicants are required to have a minimum of five years of experience in higher education administration.

Marymount University – Online transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (tDPT) and transitional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (tDOT) Programs

Virginia’s Marymount University has partnered with Rehab Essentials to offer two new online doctoral programs: a transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (tDPT) program and a transitional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (tDOT) program. These programs, which will enroll their first cohorts in January of 2021, are designed for working professionals in their respective fields (physical and occupational therapy) who need to complete their doctoral training in order to retain licensure. The online tDPT program is specifically designed for licensed physical therapists who hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in physical therapy and who reside in a state on the Atlantic coast or in Pennsylvania. Students are required to complete 24-30 credits of coursework, depending on their prior level of training, and do not have to attend any campus-based sessions. The tDOT program is structured similarly: applicants must be licensed occupational therapists and are required to complete 30-credits of coursework in order to graduate. The tDOT program does not have state restrictions for admissions.

Florida International University (FIU) – Online Doctor of Design (DDes) Program

The Department of Architecture housed within the College of Communication, Architecture, and the Arts at Florida International University (FIU) will begin offering an online Doctor of Design (DDes) program in the spring of 2021. The 60-credit doctoral program will provide training in architectural research and the latest computer tools used in architectural design. In addition to online coursework, the program will require students to attend two residencies per year for lectures, workshops, and seminars held on FIU’s Miami campus. Applicants to the program, which can be completed in two years, are required to have a master’s degree in architecture.

University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) – Online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Program

The Solomont School of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) has begun accepting application for a new online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program that is being offered through UMass Online. The program is designed for Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and Registered Nurses (RNs) who hold a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and have completed a minimum of 500 supervised practicum hours. Students can complete the 11-course program, which has a nursing leadership focus, in two years of full-time enrollment or three years of part-time enrollment. In addition to online courses, students in the program are required to attend five short on-campus intensives, each of which lasts for two days and includes opportunities for networking, mentoring, and scholarship.