Walden University Reviews of Doctoral in Public Administration

At first the Walden was inviting but soon turned into nothing more than a financially focused machine. I started my program prior to using my federal GI Bill benefits but had to take a break from classes due to being deployed. Despite acknowledging my absence, Walden attempted to enroll me in class and claim my benefits without follow up. I had to email my advisor and remind them that I was not able to participate until my return, Walden University seemed not to care. The quality of instruction is... Read More best described as a pay to pass. I have since enrolled in a separate online university that is challenging and will fail students who do not adhere to standards. I WOULD NOT recommend this school and DEFINITELY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND this school to military members. The "For Profit" stereotype is strong with this organization.

I began my Walden University journey in 2012 by entering and completing the Strategic Planning and Public Policy graduate certificate program. During my participation in the program, I truly enjoyed the coursework. What caught my attention was the organization of the course content in addition to the articulated class expectations. After completing the certificate program, I began to think about the prospect of completing a PhD in Public Policy and Administration with a concentration in Law and Public... Read More Policy. I made the decision to enroll in the PhD program during the summer 2013. Keep in mind that I completed my undergrade degree and master's degree in a brick and mortar school setting and it is within this context that offer my experience. As many of the people who provided positive reviews have stated, your success at Walden depends on your self motivation. If you are not self motivated, have difficulty reading, writing, comprehending information, and following instructions, most likely you will have a less than positive experience. The situation will be compounded, especially if you expect a doctoral level professor to hold your hand when you (the doctoral student) wil have the responsibiility to consistently demonstrate that you are worthy of the doctoral degree. Many students also miss the point when they enter the prospectus/dissertation phase of the program. Based on my experience, some students believe that the committee chair is responsible for their success or failure. However, once a student completes the prerequisite coursework they are considered a doctoral candidate and it becomes paramount that the student consistently demonstrate to the committee chair that they know how to conduct research in contrast to engaging the committee chair to direct them or guide them in completing the research project. It is within this dynamic that many students fail. All of my teachers at Walden motivated me to the highest level and you will only get out of the program what you put into it. I hope you find this informaiton helpful.

This is my second term at Walden University for a DPA. The faculty seems pretty nice and precise with discussions and assignments. The only real problem I am having with the University is the delay in refunds. I have a full time occupation and three daughters, whom are solely dependent on me. Classes started on November 26, 2018 and I have not received my refund yet for the term. It is now December 11, 2018. Time is money and if I am expected to take the time to discuss, post, research, and complete... Read More assignments on time then I need to be compensated on time for the refund that I am going to have pay anyway. I can find other activities that will grant me money for my time. Walden is seriously breaking regulations on refunding checks to students. A refund is to be disbursed on or before class starts and the latest is 10 days, in which the whole 10 days is exhausted with Walden. In my case, approximately 14 days has passed. I spoke with a financial aid advisor and I was told the reason for the hold up is to see if students are participating in the discussions and assignments, which I have done faithfully along with a writing assessment test to see if another class will be added onto tuition. I requested a book advance and never did receive confirmation to receive the book advance. I have never waited for a refund disbursement of funds after classes start. Does not make sense at all. I have to wonder if their is another agenda to the sloth upon disbursing funds.

Walden University is the reason for profit schools get a bad name. I took over 11 years trying to complete a PhD program in Public Administration with no success and over $200,000 in student loan debt. Walden University is specifically designed to: Keep you tied to ensure the student takes as many courses and gets into the most amount of debt in federal student loans. This is done by regularly and inexplicably changing the Programs of Study by constantly changing and adding classes to programs to... Read More make students take more classes and pay more tuition. Dissertation process is amorphous, ill-defined and grossly uncoordinated. Dissertation chairs do not communicate with other committee members and in my case were unsure of the Walden Dissertation process. In addition to this, contradictory reviews of dissertation proposals makes the student confused and frustrated. My URR for instance contradicted the approval of the dissertation chair when she had no experience in the field of Public Administration! Changing committee members for students is impossible even when members are underperforming. It takes up to 10 business days to get any feedback on your work on the dissertation drafts. In a 12 week semester, this ensures student work will barely be looked at, vague feedback is provided and students has to go back and rewrite work with vague directions. These edits are later contradicted by the university reviewer or a committee member. Students are basically on their own with this horrible school.

I just completed my PhD program at Walden. I found the academic rigor of the program comparable to brick and mortar institutions, and personally found I learned more in the online environment due to the requirement to engage with students and faculty with the written word, several times/week. All of my professors were working in industry as well as teaching so brought to their comments points of views that enriched the learning experience. I particularly enjoyed the engagement with classmates from... Read More all over the US and World and think more strategically as a result. During the KAM writing and Dissertation stages of my program, it was important to remain self-motivated and willing to be the scholar that Walden trains you to be. Walden University will not hold your hand as you complete KAMs or your dissertation. Completion requires self-organization, self-regulation, self-management, self-motivation. If you are unable to think independently, you will not succeed at Walden. In addition to the academic rigor, the student support services at Walden were excellent. I always received a response to questions/issues/problems within 24 hours and always satisfactory from advising, financial aid, the writing center, the research center, registrar, etc. Also, the Walden Library is superb and I will greatly miss having access to it. I highly recommend Walden University.