Alternative Delivery Doctoral Programs in Higher Education

Societal demands of the 21st century have demonstrated the need for alternative delivery doctoral programs. Decreasing graduate student enrollments, need for additional qualified faculty, demand for academic program accessibility, and the need for colleges and universities to develop additional sources of revenue are concerns of administrators in higher education institutions. The purpose of this study was to describe the emergence, development, and implementation, and evaluate the alternative delivery doctoral programs.In addition, this study determined the effectiveness of the alternative delivery format in doctoral education. The desire of working professionals to earn a doctoral degree while maintaining their current full-time positions was studied. Overall, student and faculty respondents found the alternative delivery doctoral programs at ISU as successful and an accessible alternative to traditional on-campus doctoral education programs. Results showed that alternative delivery doctoral programs are viable solutions to meet needs of diverse student populations.