Walden University Reviews of Doctoral in Education

The completion of my doctoral degree at Walden was a huge learning curve for me. I did not expect such a comprehensive package of courses. They were relevant to my specific area of study and scaffolded the research process. By the end of the doctoral journey, my competence was not limited to one research method but I graduated with expertise in all. The high quality and commitment of the instructors was exceptional. As an international student, the prompt and detailed feedback from my committee was... Read More greatly appreciated allowing me to complete within a financially manageable period. For the first time in my career, I focused on social change in education and now I am carrying that torch. Thank you Walden for a doctoral journey which has allowed me the opportunity to take my research efforts globally.

Doing my doctoral degree at Walden University was a great experience. The quality of instruction was first class even though I did not realize it until I graduated and began helping my peers who were working on their doctoral dissertations and Masters' research. Being a Walden graduate also opened doors of opportunities that I never anticipated, such as presenting at international conferences and getting lucrative job offers. I'm glad I chose Walden over the various other universities that I reviewed... Read More in my search for a tertiary institution to do my doctorate.

My degree involved some great classes and I learned a lot, but the program was very regimented and a number of the courses were not sequenced properly. Most of my books were 7 years old. I had to supplement what I was learning with coursework from other universities because there was not enough variety in my program. The coursework did not prepare you well for the research and dissertation/doctoral study phase of your degree. Consequently, you are forced to spend additional time and money trying... Read More to setup a research study that you are not prepared for. I finally got a wonderful doctoral chair who helped me immensely, but the for profit motive of the school encourages the least amount of instructors for the highest amount of students (so she was very busy). Nonetheless, all but one of my instructors were good teachers who genuinely cared about the students they taught, but It was sad to see a student drop out of the program due to one horrible instructor who had an emotional IQ of 50. This teacher had a Ph.D. in education with little to no knowledge of how to teach others effectively.

The advisor gave me bad information which cost me money. I requested a different one. I then was hospitalized and the new advisor had me submit paperwork for refund/withdraw. Did everything I was supposed to. I was told by advisor it was approved. The next thing I know I'm getting calls about owing tuition for the semester I had withdrawn. When they called I explained and they said I had to find the advisor and have them clear it up. The advisor was gone and they assigned the first advisor back to... Read More me. Then they turned it over to a collection agency. They promised refund and withdraw and now I have a collection on my credit report. Thank You Walden University., the only recommendation I will give is "Don't go to Walden." To all veterans, be careful they will give you bad info and then charge you.

At first I was really intimidated by the lack of direction when it came to figuring out the system but once I had that, I was good to go. good instructors, good classwork and knowledge base, very few complaints. It is not easy, but if you keep at it, anything is possible. Some people are not suited to totally online studies, and I assume that is where the negative complaints come from. I, however, love the format and find it stimulating and refreshing to have this much freedom to do well. If you... Read More are serious about getting your degree, this is the place for you.

Walden University is corrupt. I started the program in March of 2010. Things went well until I finished the courses and began my dissertation. I faced the same problems many others have listed, changing committee members, long waits for revisions, long waits for the writing center, and committee members constantly making me completely changes things. This, of course, led to extreme debt, because Walden charges all the way through the dissertation process, over $5000. a quarter. In 2015, I was forced... Read More to withdraw. I have over 160,000. in student debt from this degree alone, and the saddest part is, I have no degree. I was informed by one of the faculty members who left, that I will probably not be able to transfer, because Walden's KAM system does not transfer well. I was an honor student on scholarship at two respected brick and mortar institutions for my bachelors and masters degree. Walden is all about corporate greed, and students all over the world suffer.

Walden purposefully prolongs the dissertation phase simply for profit. My entire experience in the Ed.D. program was terrible. My first chair was hardly around, the 2nd committee member in that group missed tons of problems according to the URR. What was all that committee work for to have it rejected by the URR? Oh, yeah, so I would have to start the whole process over while paying more tuition. Also, the amount of other technical issues and lack of professionalism I dealt with would take forever... Read More to type out and it's an embarrassment that I ever put up with any of that at a supposed school, in the first place. When I called Walden out on being a scam, the guy pretending to be a Chief Academic Officer actually sent me someone else's transcripts, complete with that person's private information. Walden is a con and I hope we see criminal charges against Walden and Laureate officials.

I recently completed my doctorate at Walden. Walden, like many schools, is what you make it. If you want it to be a transformative experience, begin each course with this lens. I got ill at one point in my program and needed to take time. I found my professor was incredibly supportive and helped me get through the semester relatively unscathed. Expectations didn't dropped, but there was flexibility when it was warranted.While yes, it is a business, the learning environment provides a space for growth... Read More and development, as does the mission itself. I sought out to be changed by the content and my experience learning it, and I did. There are quirks here yes, but if you are focused on your development and learning, you will thrive. If you want others to make this happen for you, I suspect you will likely not have a great experience. Bring your life to Walden and connect what you learn back to your community.

I am currently having a terrible experience with your school. I am in the Doctor of Education program and received an incomplete from my professor for a paper that she acknowledged that I did correctly. I have been trying to contact her for three weeks with the response that she is traveling "this week". I assume there is no rush to correct the error on the school's part because I am on temporary leave while I have my baby, and they are not in danger or losing money by not responding immediately.... Read More I am incredibly disappointed with the lack of service I have received for this problem. Although I think the program is great and the education of quality, this lack of response and lack of concern for the student should make anyone hesitant to enroll in the programs.

One has to be self-motivated to complete an online degree. No excuses; one has to do the work and progress through the program as outlined. Is every faculty member perfect? No. However, having spent my entire career in higher education (30+ years), I can say that there are plenty of faculty members at excellent "bricks and mortar" institutions that are far from perfect, as well. The program at Walden worked well for me. I had only one suspect faculty member, but because the material in that course... Read More was mainly focused on current literature, the instructor had little bearing on the course itself. I also committed myself to the program. I put in 3-5 hours/day for at least 6 days per week. I learned a great deal and am appreciative of the opportunity to earn my doctorate and advance my career.

The good old days when life was simple and the faculty and process was exceptional. I cannot review the current situation but can attest to the excellent service and dedication of both faculty and staff. The courses were rigorous, the feedback timely and the quality of summer institutes second to none. The cohort of the late 80's were practicing professionals who dedicated an inordinate amount of time in pursuit of their goals. I have a sense that the current students are not willing to dedicate... Read More the time and energy needed to complete their degrees with efficiency. Maybe the growth of the univ and staff have lessened the overall dedication of each to completion. Tis ashame.