My question is, is it worth it to go through the hassle of getting this document? It is suggested when you make a profile with them, along with other documents I could see the worth of like certificates/degrees. However, every school I've ever got a contract with has asked for a check once I got the job (so it is fresh) and some countries have varied a bit in what they have asked for. So, anyone with experience doing this and is it worth it?

Have you seen this post from ISR?

https://internationalschoolsreviewdiscu ... cam-alert/

@Psyguy
I've gotten word back and based on their numbers the cost for completion in 4 years, which they expect, is just the tiniest over 50k USD. Still, a bit of an expensive option all things compared.

There are other programs in the US that offer cheaper, U. Minnesota mentioned earlier, for example, lower than 40k.

I've heard students of GMU speak well, but it isn't worth it for me at that price.

> GMU has always been pricey, and your going to pay thrice the UK rate

Thrice the UK rate would be about right if you are taking GMU at the values you indicated.

University of Bath has tuition for out of state/country as being 15,200BP a year and the program for a PhD at 2-4 years. Optimistically that is 2x15,200= 30,400BP in today’s conversion 36987 USD.

That would put Bath on parity with some of the slightly cheaper US institutions.

@Psyguy, I think you are making a too fast a judgement. Those graduate programs in education for the PhD also currently say, "We do not offer online classes." There may be a totally separate fee structure for this course. I've seen it both ways among the courses/universities I've research lately, one for online program and one for in house.

It also states this on the current page for the PhD in Ed. program, "The average length of time is four to six years. Full time students can usually complete the program in four years." and it states that for the college of education, "The out-of-state tuition discount is approximately 40% off the university’s approved rate for out-of-state graduate students"

If I were to take that optimistically, that is 4x USD$24,170/year = 96,680*.6= 58,008 From the programs I've looked at lately they range from 24k up to 70k USD with most resting in the 35-40k range.

Bottom line, I will wait until I hear from them before I see if I am personally interested, but it is information that could be useful to others no matter what the outcome. Let's get it right. I'll post back here with whatever information they give me.

@Psyguy, where are you getting your numbers from? It is a 4 minimum year program according to them. As for tuition, I've had no luck finding the information on this specific program, but I've asked them for more information and will post it here when I receive it. If you are right about the tuition, even if 4 years not 7, that would be too hefty a price to pay.

Just FYI for those who see this in the future, George Mason University is beginning a summer program in 2018 for PhD https://gse.gmu.edu/phd-in-education/ph ... ialization

@yoplay I can't seem to find a Phd/Edd for Bath. I will check out Durham, thanks. Minnesota looks great, but cohorts only run every 3 years and the next opening would be in 2020. Thanks for the tips.

@ Psyguy, Thanks. I will ask around to see if the unis around me offer anything, but I kind of doubt it. My area is just not a great place for that kind of thing. Thanks for the info on the EU style programs, I hadn't realized that. Huh, also recommending Bath. I'm looking at their web page, but I only see a master's distance learning, not doctoral/research.

Has anyone had or heard of good experience with Ed.D or Ph.D programs that are online or (preferably) hybrid? Are there any schools you would say to stay away from?

Fresher than most places, yes, but not safer. Soil, air, water in China are polluted and health and safety standards are not up to par with western ones. Ok, you can get a fresh fish, veggies, or chicken or whatever at the market, but what was that chicken fed? What kind of water was the fish in? Where is the field those veggies were grown in? I've seen people fishing in disgustingly polluted lakes, use water from rivers that were purple and stunk of sulfur to water veggies, seen chickens left to roam feeding from trash piles. It does not inspire confidence. oh, and the fake food...

Thanks Shadow, Yeah, I'm familiar with SAS and I think you are right there. Not familiar with the UWC, but will have a look to confirm. There has got to be more though. Unfortunately/fortunately econ is a pretty popular topic in much of Asia and in some other pocket of the world.

A fellow teacher and I were talking about which schools in the international circuit had more than 5 sections of economics in their school. We only came up with 3 schools; American School Mumbai, IS Beijing, FDR(peru). I appeal to the masses, are there other schools out there that have 5 or more sections of Economics? AP/IB/IGCSE/whatever.

@PsyGuy
Yeah, in the city there isn't much burning of coal by households. Almost never see it, but outside of the 5th ring road (the outer limits of Beijing proper) this isn't the case. People still burn coal briquettes and I have personally seen spent ones outside of small homes. Its not so common anymore, but still happens. Also, the air moves. Beijing might have a good few hours on its own, but everything outside the 5th ring road blows one way or another eventually. Tens of millions of people relying mostly on coal powered plants for electricity still seems to result in pollution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_m ... in_Beijing

Additionally, neighboring provinces do not have the same restrictions as Beijing and it just takes a few hours of wind for Hebei or wherever's air to blow into Beijing. Not that I blame them, their pollution is largely the result of Beijing "solving" its pollution problem by moving industry to neighboring areas. Heck man, the only reason that Beijing stays good any amount of time is because of the north wind blowing this region's pollution south. You can see it if you follow pollution forecasts with aqi.cn or aqcast.com Actions inside Beijing, up to this point, have done very little. Fingers crossed, the north winds blows forever.

Have to say that Psyguy and Ellie may be wrong. Coal is burned for heating. There are still coal burning plants that supply Beijing with power for electricity and that increases in the winter. Besides, the air in Beijing is not only dependent on Beijing. It matters what happens in neighboring provinces where coal burning stoves are still common in the winter. Air moves easily.

I live in Beijing and study the pm 2.5 quite a bit. Winter is definitely worse for pm 2.5 and many other indicators of polluted air. Yes, we get some strong north winds, but the worst days when we get 400+ are more so during the winter, not summer. You can check this out if you want to see what it is like season to season. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015 ... harts.html
Of course there are better sites for measurements, but this is a fine overview and doesn't conflict with other sites. The thing is, most people are more reluctant to wear masks in the summer since its hot and stuffy, so that would be the only reason that I would say its worse in summer. People are less likely to protect themselves, not like most people do anyways though.

Before coming to Beijing I thought that I would never do so if I had a child anywhere between 2-18 years of age even if I had a super good offer and I stand by that. I did get a super good offer, which is why I am here, but I am not a parent nor have any obvious health problems and, obviously, I take precautions. I have a filtered school, 5 filters in my home, about a half dozen masks I alternate between and spend at least, if not more, than one day every two weeks at home because the aqi is just too high to justify going to the corner store or out to eat.Kids need to get out and there are not enough good days for this. It might seem extreme, but its the only way to keep air moderate to good. Sure, there are plenty of days that are "good" as in not heavy haze, but there are less than 25% days that are "good" on the aqi scale. Kids, that young especially, are developing. You bring them to Beijing and they have a good chance of having problems later on.

Bottom line, if you have asthma already you will likely suffer. If you have a kid that is 2, you may want to ask yourself if you can picture a future conversation with them where you justify their severe asthma because you wanted to live in Beijing. If you were single and healthy, it may be a different story.

Got nothing much to add here since the previous posts pretty much got it for you, but just want to reiterate that getting filters for your water and air in your apartment are necessary. In fact, get a few to distribute throughout your apartment. You would be surprised the differences between one corner to another.
Good place, but be careful. Filtered air (and masks!), filtered water, filtered (mostly imported) food to dampen most of those negatives. Great city to live in, but probably consider it a stint, not a lifetime gig.