The view from within: a comparison of traditional and non-traditional doctoral education from students' perspectives ... then and now.

Abstract

This article compares and contrasts the differing doctoral experiences of the traditional and nontraditional doctoral programs. This paper examines the doctoral experiences at a traditional doctoral program, the University of Alabama at Birmingham's (UAB) Administration of Health program, and at a nontraditional program, the University of Central Florida's (UCF) Public Affairs doctoral program. Additionally, this paper explores the characteristics of each of these types of programs, including the benefits and drawbacks based upon research, as well as from firsthand experience. The authors share their personal experiences from the perspective of academics working in the field for several years. Lastly, the authors present several avenues for future research to further explore the differences between traditional and nontraditional doctoral educational programs.