Low-Residency PhD programs?

[cxh1054]

I'm currently employed at a college as a lecturer in the school of education (specifically teaching in early childhood education as well as child & family studies at the moment). I'm hoping to move to a tenure-track position somewhere, but I will need to get a doctorate for that. I want to pursue the degree, I've wanted a PhD for a while, but I do not want to give up my position at the college if I can help it. Can anyone recommend any schools with low-residency PhD programs in the field of Education?

For reference, I have come from a K-12 teaching background, but I have graduate degrees in education and counseling and have worked as a therapist as well. My initial thoughts are in curriculum/instruction or teacher education, but I'm open to looking into different kinds of education degrees for my PhD. 

[kudrinskaya]

On 10/10/2020 at 10:59 PM, cxh1054 said:

I'm currently employed at a college as a lecturer in the school of education (specifically teaching in early childhood education as well as child & family studies at the moment). I'm hoping to move to a tenure-track position somewhere, but I will need to get a doctorate for that. I want to pursue the degree, I've wanted a PhD for a while, but I do not want to give up my position at the college if I can help it. Can anyone recommend any schools with low-residency PhD programs in the field of Education?

For reference, I have come from a K-12 teaching background, but I have graduate degrees in education and counseling and have worked as a therapist as well. My initial thoughts are in curriculum/instruction or teacher education, but I'm open to looking into different kinds of education degrees for my PhD. 

Low-residency doctoral programs are not incredibly common, though they do exist. Some PhD programs do not even offer part-time enrollment options; PhD programs in the low-residency format are even more limited. From what I have seen, you're more likely to find EdD programs in this format. Some of these I have seen are intentionally designed for working professionals (though they may meet semi-regularly, not just over summer sessions, for example, so proximity/convenience may matter.)

When I first began considering the idea of applying to doctoral programs I had a similar idea, as I was living/working overseas at the time, but the scarcity of programs - and lack of funding for students in those programs I found - made me realize it wasn't the right option for me. If it makes sense for you, however, there are options which may meet your needs, they just may be limited.

Honestly the best solution is to go through university websites and see who has degree options in this format. Since you are looking for a unique situation that isn't going to be offered by every university, it shouldn't take long to come up with a list of programs which, 1) are available in the format, and 2) are financially feasible, and 3) seem most appealing based on the details. It isn't an incredibly commonly offered or sought after situation, so I think the easiest way to figure it out is to just get into it and do the background research yourself. Good luck!