Walden University : Ed. D. Educational Leadership Reviews

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God Help Us If This Is True

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on September 22, 2011

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I sincerely hope that what I've read about Walden's delay practices is not true. I'm ABD right now (in the EdD program) and suddenly my 4.0 gpa has found me in jeopardy of academic dismissal because I earned a "u" in 1 non-credit course. I understand the work required, but if things continue as others have experienced them, I will transfer before I go down with this horrible practice.

Walden - If you coast you will languish

By: Anonymous (Graduate) on July 23, 2011

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I am a PhD (Educational Leadership) 2006 graduate of Walden. The university is designed for the adult learner--meaning any individual who attends and expects to earn a degree must be self-directed.  Many times I encountered other students who were still working on their first KAM or had not even begun it.  From my perspective, Walden becomes a filter in the sense that those who can and will do the work move forward and earn the degree while others--again from my perspective--simply languish by not doing the required work either because they thought it would be much easier or simply are not capable of doing it. If you are thinking of Walden, the convenience of a vitrual school is a true advantage.  At the same time, if you are not self- directed and need a "face to face" environment to motivate you, Walden is not a good match. The "delays" that other individuals refer to happen at most schools and to most doctoral candidates. There are few folks with a doctorate who do not have some kind of horror story about revisions, the committee, etc.  This is all part of the process. Overall, I found Walden to be a good experience for me and would recommend it.

Ed.D. Warning

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on January 17, 2011

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As so many others have written regarding the Ed.D. Educational Leadership degree program; do not waste your time and money. I sailed through my coursework with all "A's" and great encouragement from all my instructors. They told me my dissertation topic and research was great and I was right on track to move ahead. Then I got get kicked in the face by my almost non-existent doctoral committee.

Having also been an employee with Walden during my program I can assure you that the speculation regarding a planned strategy to delay your doctoral graduation is real. Unlike most universities, Walden's profits drive the Ed.D. programs; instructors do as they are told. 

And I was also unfortunate enough to have my review committee  assigned from both Ph.D. and Ed.D. programs. I experienced professional warfare I would never have imagined. 

This review only pertains to the Ed.D. Educational Leadership program and not the MST programs. I am very biased against Walden's overall treatment of customers which is why I chose to leave the university, but my experiences on the Ed.D. program are very real and unbiased.

Think twice before attending this "university"

By: Anonymous (Graduate) on September 26, 2010

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Think twice before attending. I did finish the program but it took over 6 years and the Ed.D was advertised as a 3 year program. 
There are a few good instructors but overall I have to agree with previous comments that the faculty is trained in stalling as long as possible. It is all about the money and instructors wait until the last possible moment to edit, review, etc.  

I strongly advise anyone considering this program to look at other programs as Walden is only concerned about taking your money.

Worth It

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on April 22, 2010

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I attended Walden for their Master's program for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, and am now working on my Dissertation  for the Education Doctorate in Teacher Leadership.  An honest, fair assessment of this school is that they are constantly updating, and changing whatever it is that needs to be changed to stay at the forefront of education research and practices.  The Walden Library is vast and extensive, and definitely gives you access to materials you need to complete all of your assignments, and complete research projects. The Writing Center staff is one of the best ones out there, who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our community of learners.  They are also personally available during residences to meet the needs of students.  The residency allows you to connect with academic advisors, meet with various faculty on topics of that you are interested in, as well as walk you through all of the steps you will need to meet rigourous IRB standards for ethics.  My professors have cumulatively ranged from Harvard graduates to state universities, all holding their own doctorate degrees.  Walden has put in a lot of time and effort to build and maintain their education standards.  My salary has increased rapidly along teacher paycharts in CA, as well as allowing me to meet requirements for professional development to maintain my CA credential.  Walden is associated with Canter and Associates and Laureate International.  It is only one school in many in this huge network of colleges and universities.  I took the time to write this review because I am tired of seeing my school blasted from students who are blaming the entire school for a few poor experiences they may have had.  You have to work to earn your grades, and you have to be self-sufficient to complete your work. There is no hand-holding at Walden, but there are several dedicated professionals who understand working adults' schedule.  Walden does very much run its school as a business, but this allows room to have ivy league and state professors alike.  It is a very diverse environment.  Check out Walden for yourself, and make your own decision.  I am biased, because I have had good experiences with this school, and my professors.  It is a quality education at a competitive rate.  Books and materials are included in your fees. If there are others who have had good experiences with Walden, please write so we can drown out these poor experiences. Walden is not a 1 or 2 star school, and deserves better!

Ed.D Program

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on March 30, 2010

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I have finished my first year. This is a rigorous program, and I am getting alot out of it. I am a lifelong learner who has  completed degrees and programs at three other brick and mortar universities. This is on par with those other universities.If you are thinking about an online program,  I highly recommend Walden!

In ABD status

By: anarmyfamily2000 (In Progress) on March 20, 2010

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I am a current student in EDUC 8090 - The Doctoral Study Intensive which means you are ABD and working on your dissertation. I do feel similarly to the other posts about no one supporting me through the dissertation process. The Chair does nothing yet gets extra money being my assigned committee chair. Now, I must disagree with the others regarding the work. I attended the University of Phoenix and felt like it was a diploma mill. At Walden, I believe I have gained a great deal. Yes, it is a lot more self-directed learning, but that is to be expected from an online learning program. Academic advisement has been helpful, though not perfect, yet my financial aid has been seamless. The academic residencies, which you only have to attend 1 of, yet I elected to attend 2, were beneficial if you made the effort to get all you could. My 2nd residency was almost entirely the library sessions, by choice, so I could learn all their hints, tips, and tricks for research. I videotaped sessions with my Flip camera and have them with me to refer to again. Did I find it some great, networking event? No. Did I gain valuable information? I certainly did. No school is perfect, but I have been pleased for the most part. I had 2 duds as "facilitators" (what they refer to their professors as), but some amazing ones, too.

An Absolute Joke!!!

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on July 2, 2009

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Do not waste your money!!!  My "Walden Experience"(which is their motto) has been has been nothing but a massive headache, and a VERY expensive one. Committee members, Academic Reviewers, IRB reviewers, and URR personal have clearly been schooled in the "stall as long as you can so we can get more money" department.  You receive very little guidance and there is always something else to hold up progress.  Walden advertises the Ed.D program as a 3 year program then tells you at the residency (1/3 of the way through your classes) that to be completed in 3 years is rare.  I will graduate in December 2009 and refuse to even attend the ceremony because of the disgust I have for the way my peers and I have been treated.  Again, save yourself the time, money, and stress- do NOT waste a minute on this university.

EdD Dont Waste your $$$

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on June 5, 2009

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My Dr Chair did NOT know I was in the class, even though I submitted work.

Walden will stall your completing the program to get more money from you,

ANY ASSISTANCE WAS SUPERFICIAL AND WHEN YOU GET TO THE DISSERTATION NO ONE WILL HELP YOU AND THE CHAIRS ARE UNAVAILABLE.

Not a diploma mill this is a MONEY mill for Walden and no one else!

ED.D Walden University

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on April 24, 2009

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This has been a very unpleasant experience in the Teacher Leadership Program. Professors do not help their students to pursue their degrees. They often give very limited or vague information that provides no help to the students. They constantly change their policies. There is no consistency in the courses. If it was done correctly, students would be able to finish without any or little difficulty. It is hard to contact someone for help. Again, the WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!

Torture

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on April 8, 2009

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This has been the worst graduate experience I've ever had and heard of! Walden's Ed.D Teacher Leadership program is very unorganized. Faculty members change requirements whenever they desire to do so. This university is not fulfilling its mission of positive social change when the faculty is being cruel and unfair to students. Instructors are lying to students and are not meeting the 7-10 business day requirement for returning papers with comments, which prolongs students' abilities to move forward and ultimately complete the program. There is no instruction provided. Everything I learned came from reading the course textbooks and from my editor. If you express your opinion about any of this, you are penalized by having to make even more revisions to your paper,including revisions to parts that were never problem areas before. There is no support. This was marketed as a three year program; however, Walden faculty members now state that it is impossible to finish in three years. Talk about false advertising! I would not recommend anyone to attend Walden University. This experience has been nothing but torture!

NIGHTMARE

By: Anonymous (In Progress) on January 28, 2009

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Walden changes requirements, went up on tuition 105% one semester, after orals I was told we have changed the project study rubric, you will need to redo your dissertation with the new rubric and redo orals.......
the 3 year program has been a 5 year nightmare that doesn't end!

A REAL Former Student

By: Anonymous (Graduate) on December 29, 2008

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Walden University generally does not allow individuals to post anything negative about their school anywhere online. If you do so, they either lobby the site to have it removed or a couple dozen "students" all show up at once, using the exact same language, to tell you how wrong you are. So here is an unvarnished review of my Ed. degree, for as long as it lasts:

Walden University is the community college of online schools. It is the bottom of the barrel. Can't go any lower. Couldn't get accepted into anywhere else, so you had to go here. That should be understood at the onset. I feel into this category. 

I ended up at Walden University because I needed the piece of paper in order to advance in my career. Nothing more, nothing less. What I got was a fight from my employer that still rages to this day. They do not want to accept Walden University as anything more then a diploma mill. And I can't say that I blame them. The "residencies" are a joke. All of the classes are canned (prepared classes where the "teacher" does nothing but facilitate and grades on Walden's parameters). This is not education by any stretch of the imagination. It is the equivalent of you sitting down with a reading list and teaching yourself - except that they charge you 40K+ for that privilege. 

Since receiving my Ed. from Walden University I have had nothing but problems. The school system where I work looks at it as if it were a foreign degree from a third world nation - and it might as well be. Walden gives nothing back to the academic world as a whole, publishes only when it must, and strives to cover up the fact that they are more of a marketing company then a institution of higher learning. 

I understand the appeal of Walden University. Sitting at home in your spare time, working on a degree to further your career... ...but reality just doesn't work that way. Trust me, find a different school and you'll be happy you did. I wish someone had talked me out of going to Walden, it would have saved me years of frustration and misery. 

Now, "anonymous" users in no way paid by Walden University, have at me.

Great School

By: mscoronak (In Progress) on May 16, 2008

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Walden is a wonderful university.  I am a current student.  I found the classes to be challenging and the information timely.  The classes are not a cake walk, but you do learn a lot of important information realated to your field of study.  Walden is not for individuals who are not self-directed.

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