I'm still digesting the idea of online versus in person degrees... So I wrote this quick email:
I sent it to Professor Bertram Malle, in the Brown Linguistics Department, among others. He was kind enough to give me this reply:
Dr. Katherine Kiss, the professor of the class I am currently taking at Umass Boston's online program, responded this way:
I'll post more on this subject if I hear anything from the other people I contacted.
Update here!
Hello,
I am currently considering enrolling at the University of Boston in their online Applied Linguistics program.
I am doing an informal survey for my blog, trying to get a sense of how online programs are received at other universities.
Do you admit any students into your program who might have received a degree from a real institution, but did their degree online?
At this point, would you be aware of it?
Sincerely,
Julia
I sent it to Professor Bertram Malle, in the Brown Linguistics Department, among others. He was kind enough to give me this reply:
I have not encountered a case, and if I did encounter one I would do additional research into the institution and the program. Ultimately it's the whole application package (incl. research experience, letters, etc.) that raises students to the top. I could imagine that online study may have negative consequences for some of the package elements (e.g., research experience) even if the degree itself is of credible quality.I received a short reply from Professor Buckley, who has been grad-chair for the past several years of the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Linguistics. He replied:
Best,Bertram Malle
We would presumably judge as when a student has limited
background in formal linguistics (NOT applied). We have
never received such an application.
Dr. Katherine Kiss, the professor of the class I am currently taking at Umass Boston's online program, responded this way:
I am not sure I am one to respond to this[.] I teach only in the online offering of the UMass apling master's. I can only say that the few students I am aware of from the online MA who have applied to Ph.D. programs have gotten into excellent programs in the country, and in one case in the UK. Others have gotten University jobs. Others have started publishing in peer reviewed journals, including their original research even if our MA is not intended to have a research component.
I think that UMB IS a real University so the question strikes me as strange. Having been involved in the application process, it was never evident to me if the courses on a student's transcript were done online or in a f2f classroom. That was irrelevant to the process. What we looked at included the statement of purpose, the transcript, the accreditation of the degree granting university and the references, among other things.
I'll post more on this subject if I hear anything from the other people I contacted.
Update here!