Rockcliffe University is working towards the development of a new concept in higher education for the Fall of 2011.

The introduction of a Ph.D in Virtual Collaborative Environments for ABD students.

The program will allow students of recognized accredited universities that have completed their Ph.D. course work, but for whatever reason could not finish their disseration component, to be able to complete thier Doctorate without having to be penalized by starting back at square one. Currently there is no accredited University anywhere in the world that allows for full transferance of credit from one institution to another when it comes to achieving a Ph.D.. Rockcliffe is developing a program to fill that gap.

Program details will be available in September, 2010.

Application deadline will be March 31, 2011 for the fall 2011 semester and enrollment will be limited to a maximum of 12 students.

No cost has been associated with this program yet.

The program will focus on dissertation projects that examine how VCEs are influencing science, organiational design, education, leadership, politics, and social change. Students will be able to select from a number of dissertation projects that will demonstrate the students capability to produce Ph.D. level work. Unlike other programs, students will not be required to work individually. Teamwork will form a major part of this program in order to establish a more collaborative approach to the dissertation process.

There is no time limit associated with this program. The goal of this program is to ensure the student learns the skills necessary to produce defensible Ph.D. level work. Students should expect to spend a minimum of 18 months on the program and will be required to suppliment their existing education with 4 additional courses (12 credits) and 2, 1 week residencies.

To be eligible, the applicant must have completed at least 55 credits towards any Ph.D. or Doctorate program from a recognized accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA or better.

Rockcliffe uses the U.S. Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) database to verify the validity of the accreditation status when students are requesting consideration of credits for transfer. Institutions not included in the CHEA’s databases will not be considered eligible.