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What is a PhD?
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PhD stands for "Doctor of Philosophy".
This is an abbreviation of the Latin term, (Ph)ilosophiae (D)octor.
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The word "Philosophy" in this sense refers to its original Greek meaning: "philo" (friend or lover of) "sophia" (wisdom).
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Although this evokes connections with Ancient Greece, the PhD is not actually that old. It is a comparatively new development in Academia. The PhD developed in nineteenth-century Germany, alongside the modern concept of the "research" university. It is the academic product of rapidly advancing human intellectual and academic progress.
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The PhD is the most common form doctorate in Academia today. It is considered a "research", "professional" or "working" doctorate. The PhD differed in concept from traditional higher education which focused on demonstrating the absorption, and ultimate "mastery", of an existing body of knowledge. The highest academic rank available was, appropriately enough, a "Masters" degree.
Nineteenth century Europe, especially Germany, was a hothouse of scientific and academic innovation and saw a change in focus to value the production of "new" knowledge and ideas. This was opposed to the slavish and absorption and regurgitation of that which was already known and which was rapidly being rendered obsolete by new developments. The PhD recognized the achievements of those with expertise in the development of new skills, ideas and capabilities.
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A PhD is a "postgraduate doctoral degree". It is awarded to students who complete an original Thesis offering a significant new contribution to knowledge in their subject. In theory a PhD is possible in all academic subjects but in practice individual institutions (including Senate College) offer a list of approved subjects which exclude those subjects not permitted.
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Is the holder of a PhD permitted to use the title "Doctor"?
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Yes. A PhD is a doctorate. A PhD graduate has the choice of two formats to refer to the degree. In the "pre-nominal" form the graduate's name is preceded by either the word "Doctor" or the abbreviation "Dr.". In the "post-nominal form the graduate's name is followed by the abbreviation "PhD". The graduate must choose one form or the other. The two forms are never used together.
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Can I enter a Senate College PhD program without lower degrees such as Bachelor or Master?
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Yes, although most people have normally completed lower degrees before attempting a PhD. The term "postgraduate" is often erroneously rendered to mean a program that can only be accessed by graduates. In fact the term refers to the level of academic achievement, independent of prior academic undertakings. Because the Senate College PhD is based upon Thesis publication, prior achievements are rendered inconsequential.
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Is submitting and publishing a PhD Thesis the only way to graduate through Senate College?
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Yes. (See: Tips & Advice on creating a Thesis)
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Why does Senate College insist on a PhD Thesis?
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The core concept behind graduation at Senate College is Transparency. With a single, neat and unequivocal requirement Senate College removes all doubt as to the nature and justification for graduation. Any third party can immediately access the distillation of the academic achievement of the graduate. Senate College graduates must literally and figuratively stand by their work.
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Do you have minimum criteria for the Thesis?
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Yes. Senate College follows the generally accepted criteria for a PhD Thesis in Academia. It must be between 75,000 words and 100,000 words or it must be deemed by a peer review panel to equate to the equivalent workload and it must contain original work and innovation.
The maximum length of 100,000 words is waived when the Thesis is a literary work such as a novel.
The equivalent workload criteria is applied to a body of work submitted in a different format such as coding, audio, visual or manual submissions such as the case with creative artists. Senate College adheres to the gold standard of authorship protocols in Academia known as the "Vancouver Rules" or "Vancouver Protocol", originally set down by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
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How can Senate College justify graduation based on a Thesis? What about lessons, lectures, credits etc?
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At Senate College the emphasis is on transparent proof of achievement. In conventional academic institutions, most credits towards a degree are achieved by merely being present at a lecture. Little or no proof of understanding or retention is required. Simple attendance is what generates credits.
Most interim assessments are little more than box ticking exercises. It is only right at the end of a degree program that any proof of ability is required in the form of a Thesis or Dissertation but often it is a formality since the required credits for graduation have already been racked up by simple presence and the Thesis is only a formality that has little impact on the overall degree grade. Conventional Academia is so inflexible and intransigent that when Steven Spielberg decided for personal reasons to go back to college to finish his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television Production he had already won three Oscars and was a cinema-graphic legend. Despite this de facto talent and capability, he still had to fulfill the same core requirements as other "undergraduates".
This included a final work that required him to produce and submit a "a polished film of at least 12 minutes duration". He submitted "Schindler's List". The person responsible for the production and direction of the film "Schindler's List" should not have had to do anything else to be considered worthy of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television Production.
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Does Senate College only grant PhD degrees?
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Yes. Senate College specializes exclusively in graduation by Thesis at PhD.
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Is a Senate College PhD a terminal degree?
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Yes. All PhD degrees, regardless of the institution from which they are granted, are terminal degrees. As a terminal degree a PhD is considered an apex achievement rather than a step in progression to something higher.
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Senate College is an international university. What does that mean?
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An international university is one whose organizational structure is independent of a single jurisdiction or national education system and which offers its programs to the global academic market. Senate College's legal structure is an international consortium which is the result of a network of agreements, trusts and associations between individuals and collective bodies that ensures its legal existence and its right to grant degrees. The structure is designed so that no matter where a person resides the degree is deemed to be from a foreign institution. This allows Senate College graduates the legal right to their doctoral titles under the general exemptions and recognition afforded such degrees. Its legal structure allows it to operate as a private, independent, international university and thus the freedom to set its own standards.
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How did Senate College start?
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Although some constituent elements to the Senate College consortium have existed in various forms since the early 1990's, Senate College International University was formed in January of 2018 as a research and policy group (think-tank) assessing shortcomings in education delivery mechanisms. Research showed that there was no economically viable means available to assess, quantify and recognize existing knowledge or achievements acquired outside of or independent of the traditional classroom. It was decided to use international legislation that could imbue legal existence to such an entity whilst allowing it to remain independent of national educational jurisdictions. This independence and international nature is an essential factor in the legal ability of Senate College to grant degrees.
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Can the whole program be completed online or is it necessary to attend a campus or fixed physical facility?
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Yes. Senate College delivers all of its program through this website which can be equally accessed by any potential applicant anywhere in the world without favor or preference. No travel or physical attendance is required at any stage.
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How are Senate College PhD degree diplomas delivered?
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Entirely digitally. As a modern, forward-thinking organization dedicated to utilizing new technologies for program delivery, Senate College has entirely dispensed with the obsolete concept of a physical diploma - much in the same way as airlines have dispensed with printed tickets in favor of digital boarding passes that can be printed at home or simply stored on a device such as a smartphone to be scanned at a boarding gate.
The electronic diploma features a unique Graduate ID code and a unique QR code for verification. The document itself is a PNG image of the highest quality which can be downloaded in either A4 or US Letter size and printed out if required. It can also be stored on a device or sent as attachment.
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How can a Senate College PhD degree be verified?
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In real time, online. It takes less than 5 seconds. Senate College graduates benefit from modern state-of-the-art verification facilities allowing any third party to verify their graduation details in real-time. The fastest is via QR code on a smartphone, or alternatively by searching the graduate ID code on this website. Senate does not provide out-dated verification methods such as "sealed" documents which have been rendered obsolete.
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Checking a valid code either by search or QR Code will link directly to the Graduate Record, which will include Graduate Photo, a digital copy of the diploma in A4 and US Letter sizes and a direct download link to the Thesis in PDF format. A further option allows the profile to be emailed directly from the Office of the Registrar.
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Can I see an example of how the Senate College degree verification system works?
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Yes. Here: https://www.senate.college/profile/67161-78787-55555 or here.
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Does a degree need to be Accredited to be legal?
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No. Institutions can elect to be to remain unaccredited. Accreditation does not confer legality on a degree.
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Here is a quote from the US Department of Education on that matter:
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“The database does not include a number of postsecondary educational institutions and programs that elect not to seek accreditation but nevertheless may provide a quality postsecondary education.”
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Does a degree need to be accredited to be considered legitimate?
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No. This is often erroneously thought to be the case, but no. Accreditation is not an endorsement of degree legitimacy.
Here is a quote from the US Department of Education on that matter:
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"The accreditation database is brought to you by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Post-secondary Education (OPE). The database is provided as a public service without warranty of any kind. The database does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any of the educational institutions or programs."
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Is there some universally accepted accreditation that guarantees a degree will be accepted?
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No. Degrees and the institutions that grant them can be accredited by individual jurisdictions but there is no guarantee that such accreditation will be accepted elsewhere or can be applied elsewhere.
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Here is a quote from the US Department of Education on that matter:
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"The Secretary of Education’s recognition of accrediting agencies is limited by statute to accreditation activities within the United States. Although many recognized agencies carry out accrediting activities outside the United States, these actions are not within the legal authority of the Department of Education to recognize, are not reviewed by the Department, and the Department does not exercise any oversight over them."
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What does accreditation do if it does not guarantee quality or acceptance?
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The shocking answer is "Money". Specifically, institutional access to taxpayers' money. Despite sweet sounding aspirational declarations about quality, confidence and ease of credit transfer, the only mandated, guaranteed and enforceable purpose to accreditation is access to taxpayer funding. For example in the United States Title IV funding. Senate University is a fully funded, independent, private university that has no need for access to public money.
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This shocking reality is best enunciated by George C. Leef and Roxana D. Burris for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in their excellent work:
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"Can College Accreditation Live up to Its Promise?"
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This erudite, well researched and expertly presented study can be distilled into the following synopsis:
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“Putting the matter in a nutshell, we conclude that accreditation has not served to ensure quality, has not protected the curriculum from serious degradation, and gives students, parents, and public decision-makers almost no useful information about institutions of higher education. Accreditation has, however, imposed significant monetary and non-monetary costs. We call for changes in policy at the federal, state, and institutional levels."
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Is it possible to get an Apostille on a copy of my PhD?
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Yes. We have a successful history with the services provided by WWW.APOSTILLE.COM and it's the only service for getting an apostille which this school recommends.
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