Serious, non-facetious question. Are there internet PhDs that are worth the expense of getting them?
Internet PhDs???????? There is such a thing? Please tell me you are joking…
yeah, when I think of a PhD I think of a research degree, so I am confused. is there another kind? I guess maybe in some of the humanities it would be possible to do a distance research degree, but... it would still be weird.
Not only weird but AFAIK, professionally useless. You certainly can't become a college professor or instructor with an online PhD, and you also can't parlay an online science PhD into a research or similar position. And AFAIK there are no online PhDs that are accredited by the American Psychological Association, so in most states (possibly all) you wouldn't be able to use such a degree to get licensed as a psychologist.
There must be some avenues for such degrees but they're not the normal PhD avenues. If you're applying for a position and you're up against people with PhD's from bricks-and-mortar schools, your chances of success are extremely slim.
Anyone looking into a degree needs to do their homework. When you get a degree, it does not state that it was "on-line." If you get a degree from an accredited school (especially one with a campus) that is well known, no one will even know how you earned your degree so the impact on your resume and career is identical to one earned "on-campus." I earned my BS from the University of the State of New York and never set foot in Abany, NY. It was before the internet but I still did all my work off-campus. When I applied to schools for my Masters, none of them questioned my undergraduate degree at all. I earned my MS from Virginia Tech and again never set foot in Blacksburg, VA. No one has ever questioned by educational credentials.
I have a friend who has been very successful. He earned his BS at a non-accredited university that no longer exists. He got a good job because it was a local school and people in the field knew it provided a good education. When he learned it could become a problem for the future, he did a masters at George Washington University. He had excellent grades and tested well on the GRE. They did accept him provisionally--he had to achieve a 3.0 average the first term. He did and after that, all was well.
Another friend got a BA degree in 18 months using CLEP tests, GRE tests, and some classes at the local junior college. The entire degree (25 years ago) cost about $1000. Then she got an MBA at an accredited school where all the classes were on Sat and Sun. Worked full time whilr she did both degrees. No down side for her career but then again, she was smart and an excellent worker.
People can waste a lot of time and money getting an education. There are faster and cheaper ways but most folks don't look into them.