2
Introduction
In the competitive job market that university graduates face today, there is considerable
pressure to compelete the course of studies with distinguised scholarly accomplishments. This is
particularly true for graduates intent on appling for positions in the academe, where a record of
academic achievement earned during the course of doctoral studies is certainly an advantage
when entering the job market. Position announcements are made, qualifications are presented
and search committees evaluate applicants who are waiting final approval for their dissertation,
have a degree in hand or have a number of years experience. Once finalists are selected to fill a
positioin, recommendations are made to administration or faculty for final decision. In order to
effectively compete for desirable positions, these new entrants to the job market need to have an
academic achievement record demonstrating the right kind of coursework, research, teaching and
recommendations to win an interview and ultimately, secure a position.
In recent times there has been a trend in higher education to increase the number of
internet-based course offerings to non-traditional, undergraduate and graduate students. In
addition to online programs and classes offered through traditional institutions, many private
businesses have emerged to offer non-resident classes and degree programs. Indeed, due to the
greater number of courses available through the internet, the number of graduate students
enrolling in these courses is increasing. While studies have been conducted to examine how well
online courses stack up against traditional education with very good results this study sought to
investigate the acceptability of college credits – or degrees – earned through an online, non-
resident program to gatekeepers in hiring situations.
Background
Currently, there are approximately 400 doctoral degree granting institutions in the United
States. During the past ten years there has been a steady increase in the number of graduates
from doctoral programs with 43,682 students graduating in 2001 (American Counsel on
Education, 2001a). These graduate students are almost equally divided in their career aspirations,
Convention