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A. Full-Residency English-Language Foresight/Futures MS and PhD Programs
FERN counts nine full-residencyfull-residency, English-language MS and fourfive full-residency, English-language PhD programs in Foresight / Futures globally. See Global FS Programs. for details. These represent a primary foresight community that needs to be better connected and supported by the FERN network.
B. Low-Residency English-Language Foresight/Futures PhD Programs
Foresight professionals who have a masters and work full time need an affordable, low-residency (mostly distance-based, with four weeks or less of annual residential requirements) Foresight/Futures PhD option (three to six years) that can be done while working. Promoting and improving these is another major priority of the FERN network.
Existing Low-Residency PhD programs can be divided into three categories. The first two include all programs that we know of. The third category includes only a subset of programs, and is the least recommended.
Category I: All Known Programs with Some Resident Faculty in Primary Foresight Specialties
This category includes only programs that have resident faculty who publish general foresight materials, and have experience in primary foresight specialties. So far, we've discovered four such programs. Let us know if you find more! Relevant faculty, average time to completion and estimated costs (2009) are listed for each.
1. Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia)
2. University of Manchester (Manchester, UK)
3. University of Stellenbosch (Stellenbosch, South Africa)
4. University of the Sunshine Coast (Sunshine Coast, Australia)
If you are interested in a PhD in Technology Foresight, the University of Manchester program is particularly strong. Ian Miles, Luke Georghiou, Jennifer Harper, Mike Keenan, and Rafael Popper are all foresight faculty there. They do both governmental and corporate tech foresight work. See their recently published The Handbook of Technology Foresight, 2008.
Category II: All Known Programs With Some Resident Faculty in Secondary Foresight Specialties
There are no known primary futurists at these universities, although they both have affiliations with futurists. Leeds Met used to have Graham May, a primary foresight faculty member, but he left in 2004. Jeff Gold has taken over his role, but he is an HR and leadership specialist, not a foresight scholar. Planetary Collegium is an art/new media oriented program where one may do secondary foresight work of various types.
1. Leeds Metropolitan University (Leeds, UK)
2. University of Plymouth/Planetary Collegium (Plymouth, UK)
Category III: Select Programs With No Known Foresight Faculty
These programs are all accredited by one of the "Top Six" accrediting agencies, but have no known affiliation with academic or professional futurists in either primary or secondary categories. Particularly useful degree choices might be Education (PhD,Ed.D), for academic futurists, or Business (Ph.D.,DBA) for professional futurists. Your employer may pay a portion of the tuition. A 2006 comparison of some of these: Doctoral Studies by the Internet. Here is a comparison of doctoral costs for the Ed.D program for some of these. Prices listed below are 2007 guesstimates.
1. Argosy University ($47,000)
2. Capella University ($43,000)
3. Fielding Graduate University ($47,000)
4. Northcentral University ($30,000)
5. Nova Southeastern University ($34,000)
6. Union Institute and University ($70,000)
7. University of Phoenix ($45,000)
8. Walden University ($34,000 to $46,000)
Of these, both Fielding and University of Phoenix seem a cut above. The most expensive of these, Union Institute, has a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies that is particularly customizable, if you really want to pick your own thesis committee and do your own unique thing.
Some Benefits to a Low-Residency Foresight/Futures PhD
Below are a list of reasons why you might want to do a low-residency foresight PhD. The third reason under teaching, ability to start a foresight masters program, is a particularly powerful one for growing our global foresight community.
Teaching
Finding, networking, and supporting more Category I and II programs above seems a high-value strategy for the continued development of the global futures community.
Usefulness and Limits of the Low-Residency PhD.
It is true that a low-residency degree from an accredited university may not grant you access to a top research university, unless that university already has a futures department or center (and few do). But such degrees will work very well for adjunct positions in all but the most exclusive universities, community colleges, private colleges (University of Phoenix, etc), technical colleges, etc. It is true that you will be less competitive (meaning you'll have to bring other things to the table) if you are applying for full-time or associate positions with these degrees, even in non-research universities, but not for part-time or adjunct positions, especially if you are willing to develop curriculum (and there is much open courseware futures content available now for the shaping). In particular, for working professionals interested in adjunct positions, not at the top research universities, a low-residency terminal degree from an accredited university is a perfectly fine credential.
Importance of Empirical Research (Original or Applied) in Your PhD
Most low-residency PhD degrees from accredited universities require the student to do some original or applied empirical research as part of the degree, but a few do not. If you are doing the low-residency option, it will serve you best to do a PhD that requires empirical research, either original research, as with most PhDs, or applied research based onexisting theory, as with many DBAs (Doctors of Bus. Admin), rather than a thesis based solely on discourse, rhetoric, argument, professional practice, or any other path that does not require the use of modern research methods. We'll list only programs here that allow empirical research as part of the degree (though they may not all require this). We encourage all low residency PhD students to take that path, for their own future benefit.
Proposed Ideal Low Residency Futures Studies PhD Program Structure
One example of what we think would be very helpful for our profession (please let us know your thoughts on this) is a program represented formally, in a public web page, with the following characteristics:
Marketing Low-Residency FS/SF PhD Programs
FERN should do our part to make sure the foresight community knows about these programs. Places to market the best of our Category I programs to are the over 2,000+ foresight master's students and alumni of the existing global programs. Such love to know about these programs. There is also the World Future Society, which has over 25,000 members. Our Global Futures Network already has over 1,000 members, many of which who would be interested in this. Shaping Tomorrow's Foresight Network has over 1,400 members. The Association of Professional Futurists has over 400 members. The World Futures Studies Federation has roughly 300 members.
Would anyone in FERN like to help build a global foresight MS student and alumni list?
FERN counts nine full-residencyfull-residency, English-language MS and fourfive full-residency, English-language PhD programs in Foresight / Futures globally. See Global FS Programs. for details. These represent a primary foresight community that needs to be better connected and supported by the FERN network.
B. Low-Residency English-Language Foresight/Futures PhD Programs
Foresight professionals who have a masters and work full time need an affordable, low-residency (mostly distance-based, with four weeks or less of annual residential requirements) Foresight/Futures PhD option (three to six years) that can be done while working. Promoting and improving these is another major priority of the FERN network.
Existing Low-Residency PhD programs can be divided into three categories. The first two include all programs that we know of. The third category includes only a subset of programs, and is the least recommended.
Category I: All Known Programs with Some Resident Faculty in Primary Foresight Specialties
This category includes only programs that have resident faculty who publish general foresight materials, and have experience in primary foresight specialties. So far, we've discovered four such programs. Let us know if you find more! Relevant faculty, average time to completion and estimated costs (2009) are listed for each.
1. Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia)
2. University of Manchester (Manchester, UK)
3. University of Stellenbosch (Stellenbosch, South Africa)
4. University of the Sunshine Coast (Sunshine Coast, Australia)
If you are interested in a PhD in Technology Foresight, the University of Manchester program is particularly strong. Ian Miles, Luke Georghiou, Jennifer Harper, Mike Keenan, and Rafael Popper are all foresight faculty there. They do both governmental and corporate tech foresight work. See their recently published The Handbook of Technology Foresight, 2008.
Category II: All Known Programs With Some Resident Faculty in Secondary Foresight Specialties
There are no known primary futurists at these universities, although they both have affiliations with futurists. Leeds Met used to have Graham May, a primary foresight faculty member, but he left in 2004. Jeff Gold has taken over his role, but he is an HR and leadership specialist, not a foresight scholar. Planetary Collegium is an art/new media oriented program where one may do secondary foresight work of various types.
1. Leeds Metropolitan University (Leeds, UK)
2. University of Plymouth/Planetary Collegium (Plymouth, UK)
Category III: Select Programs With No Known Foresight Faculty
These programs are all accredited by one of the "Top Six" accrediting agencies, but have no known affiliation with academic or professional futurists in either primary or secondary categories. Particularly useful degree choices might be Education (PhD,Ed.D), for academic futurists, or Business (Ph.D.,DBA) for professional futurists. Your employer may pay a portion of the tuition. A 2006 comparison of some of these: Doctoral Studies by the Internet. Here is a comparison of doctoral costs for the Ed.D program for some of these. Prices listed below are 2007 guesstimates.
1. Argosy University ($47,000)
2. Capella University ($43,000)
3. Fielding Graduate University ($47,000)
4. Northcentral University ($30,000)
5. Nova Southeastern University ($34,000)
6. Union Institute and University ($70,000)
7. University of Phoenix ($45,000)
8. Walden University ($34,000 to $46,000)
Of these, both Fielding and University of Phoenix seem a cut above. The most expensive of these, Union Institute, has a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies that is particularly customizable, if you really want to pick your own thesis committee and do your own unique thing.
Some Benefits to a Low-Residency Foresight/Futures PhD
Below are a list of reasons why you might want to do a low-residency foresight PhD. The third reason under teaching, ability to start a foresight masters program, is a particularly powerful one for growing our global foresight community.
Teaching
- Higher pay (vs. master's holders) as part-time or full-time instructors
- Access to better universities (vs.master's holders) to teach foresight as part- or full-time faculty
- Ability to start foresight master's programs at many second and third tier institutions
- Contribute to advancing and grounding the methodology of the foresight field
- New research and writing skills around a particular topic of interest
- More respect and better pay in the corporate world
- Professional skills around a particular topic of interest
Usefulness and Limits of the Low-Residency PhD.
It is true that a low-residency degree from an accredited university may not grant you access to a top research university, unless that university already has a futures department or center (and few do). But such degrees will work very well for adjunct positions in all but the most exclusive universities, community colleges, private colleges (University of Phoenix, etc), technical colleges, etc. It is true that you will be less competitive (meaning you'll have to bring other things to the table) if you are applying for full-time or associate positions with these degrees, even in non-research universities, but not for part-time or adjunct positions, especially if you are willing to develop curriculum (and there is much open courseware futures content available now for the shaping). In particular, for working professionals interested in adjunct positions, not at the top research universities, a low-residency terminal degree from an accredited university is a perfectly fine credential.
Importance of Empirical Research (Original or Applied) in Your PhD
Most low-residency PhD degrees from accredited universities require the student to do some original or applied empirical research as part of the degree, but a few do not. If you are doing the low-residency option, it will serve you best to do a PhD that requires empirical research, either original research, as with most PhDs, or applied research based onexisting theory, as with many DBAs (Doctors of Bus. Admin), rather than a thesis based solely on discourse, rhetoric, argument, professional practice, or any other path that does not require the use of modern research methods. We'll list only programs here that allow empirical research as part of the degree (though they may not all require this). We encourage all low residency PhD students to take that path, for their own future benefit.
Proposed Ideal Low Residency Futures Studies PhD Program Structure
One example of what we think would be very helpful for our profession (please let us know your thoughts on this) is a program represented formally, in a public web page, with the following characteristics:
1. Offers a Futures Studies / Strategic Foresight track of their (Business, Strategy, Policy, Education, Sociology, Communications, or other Departments) PhD. This track can be done by working with adjunct/affiliate faculty and/or dissertation committee members that specifically have futures studies PhDs, publishing professional futurists, and pubishing future-oriented academics from a number of postsecondary specialties. The program would briefly list the FS dissertation domains (FS methods and subject areas) that would be well-supported in the FS track.
2. Lists additional admissions prerequisites to the FS track that would minimize the educational overhead for these programs and guarantee the quality of the graduates. Ideally a distance PhD in FS would be for mature, self-motivated individuals who are already somewhat established academic, business, or institutional futurists. Entrants might have any of the following:
3. Lists an Alumni Council (volunteer based) that is available by email to help the incoming FS PhD students. I believe a number of global FS PhD alumni would be interested in participating, if asked. Ideally the program would also list the already completed futures graduates of their existing programs, if any, and a brief outline of their dissertations.
4. Encourages program students to publish in and cite the existing Primary Futures Studies / Strategic Foresight journals as part of the PhD requirements. There are at least twelve of these journals (and many more related journals), but these core FS journals are still "silos waiting to be networked" according to Clem Bezold, who has been on the editorial committees of several of them. Ideally examples of primary and secondary FS/SF journals would be listed on the program web page, further promoting the field to the prospective student.
a. A Masters from one of the recognized Futures Studies MS programs
b. Two or more years of futures studies or professional futures publications (sole author or as part of a team).
c. Two or more years of experience as a business or institutional futurist (with references to validate).
3. Lists an Alumni Council (volunteer based) that is available by email to help the incoming FS PhD students. I believe a number of global FS PhD alumni would be interested in participating, if asked. Ideally the program would also list the already completed futures graduates of their existing programs, if any, and a brief outline of their dissertations.
4. Encourages program students to publish in and cite the existing Primary Futures Studies / Strategic Foresight journals as part of the PhD requirements. There are at least twelve of these journals (and many more related journals), but these core FS journals are still "silos waiting to be networked" according to Clem Bezold, who has been on the editorial committees of several of them. Ideally examples of primary and secondary FS/SF journals would be listed on the program web page, further promoting the field to the prospective student.
Marketing Low-Residency FS/SF PhD Programs
FERN should do our part to make sure the foresight community knows about these programs. Places to market the best of our Category I programs to are the over 2,000+ foresight master's students and alumni of the existing global programs. Such love to know about these programs. There is also the World Future Society, which has over 25,000 members. Our Global Futures Network already has over 1,000 members, many of which who would be interested in this. Shaping Tomorrow's Foresight Network has over 1,400 members. The Association of Professional Futurists has over 400 members. The World Futures Studies Federation has roughly 300 members.
Would anyone in FERN like to help build a global foresight MS student and alumni list?
