Quick Degree Finder

Accredited Ph D

Earning your accredited Ph D online?  Is it really possible?

It certainly is possible.  Not only is it possible, but more people are choosing online Ph D study as an option, and more colleges and universities are developing distance learning PhD programs in order to meet the growing demand for more options to continue education.

Getting your accredited Ph D online isn’t necessarily “easier” than earning your Ph D through an accredited on-campus program, but distance learning options certainly do make PhD more accessible for more potential students.  Why?

Similarities and Differences Between Online and On-campus Accredited Ph D Programs

Whether you earn your Ph D online or on-campus, you’ll be engaging in in-depth research in your field, preparing yourself to write–and then writing–a publishable dissertation that outlines your thesis and the research that backs it up.

You’ll take part in classes that teach you new and traditional research methodology and theories, forms of analysis, and other classes that supplement your information on the topics you’re researching.

The main difference between on campus and online programs is not what you do, but where you’re doing it.  In an online accredited Ph D program, you’ll be conducting your research on your own, writing at home, and communicating with your advisor through telephone and online contact methods, rather than participating in face-to-face meetings as you would if you were enrolled in a residency program.

Challenges unique to online programs

Regardless of location, Ph D programs require a candidate to learn to research and study in a way that is uniquely independent.  Ph D study is entirely unlike either undergraduate or even graduate study, and it is not an easily accomplished transition for students to make.  Students in online accredited Ph D programs bear an even larger share of personal responsibility in making this transition on their own, and in being proactive at utilizing the tools the program provides to aid that transition.



Quick Degree Finder