Purdue Global DBA Coming Soon, Edgewood DTech Coming Possibly

[SteveFoerster]

Even if so, in this case that would not be the best kind of correct.

[Sagan]

It's important to stress that Purdue University Global is NOT Purdue University.

Technically it IS Purdue University in the same way that, say, Purdue-Fort Wayne or Purdue-Indianapolis are -- in that it's a campus in the Purdue University system. But yes, it's not Purdue University West Lafayette.

It is difficult to know what to do with a response that both agrees and disagrees with you.

Purdue Global is a separate entity. Acquired as Kaplan University and renamed, its only connection is that name. The logo is different, the degrees are conferred by Purdue Global. It's accreditation is separate. 

For example, if you attend the University of California at Davis, everyone knows you're not attending "Cal," which is the main campus in Berkely. But you're still attending a prestigious school--as are all the UC schools. Each campus is part of a system.

Purdue Global, on the other hand, didn't grow organically from the Purdue University system. It was acquired and had a new label slapped onto it. And it wasn't integrated into the greater Purdue University. In fact, the main value of the degree will come from confusion over this matter. And it is not part of any system; it is owned by one.

To further cement this distinction, the real Purdue University also has an online component: Purdue Online. There they offer degrees at all levels in many disciplines. They even have a tag line: Ready to become a Purdue Boilermaker? They sell it HARD.

The program that is the subject of this thread is offered by the re-named Kaplan University. The only additional value added here is the potential for confusion that one's degree actually came from Purdue, which it clearly does not. But you can get a doctorate from Purdue by studying online. You just have to enroll at Purdue University to do it.

[walruspanda]

Purdue Global is a separate entity. Acquired as Kaplan University and renamed, its only connection is that name.

That's not the only connection. It has the same oversight as the other Purdue campuses: the same Board of Trustees, the same President, etc. It is a full part of the Purdue system, the same as, say, Purdue-Fort Wayne.

The logo is different, the degrees are conferred by Purdue Global. It's accreditation is separate. 

Also true of Purdue-NW and Purdue-Fort Wayne -- all are HLC-accredited, but listed by HLC as separate institutions. And all have different logos, different sports nicknames (go Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons!), etc. But they're all Purdue campuses, including Global. (Purdue-Indy after the IUPUI split is, it looks like, an expansion of the WL campus, so that falls under a different category.)

Purdue Global, on the other hand, didn't grow organically from the Purdue University system. It was acquired and had a new label slapped onto it. And it wasn't integrated into the greater Purdue University.

I legitimately don't understand what you mean by this last sentence. Not integrated into the main Purdue University, i.e. Purdue-WL? Yes, I completely agree. Not integrated into to greater Purdue system -- to me, it seems quite clearly it is. You may argue that it's the weakest of the Purdue campuses, or you may argue that Purdue shouldn't have bought Kaplan (probably true!). But you can't argue that Purdue Global isn't part of the Purdue system. 

In fact, the degrees that we're talking about here -- EdD and DBA -- were both created post-Kaplan by Purdue Global, so it's not even possible to say these particular degree programs are just Kaplan rebranded.

Look, I don't think anyone here is trying to equate a PUG degree to a Purdue-WL degree. I have my own issues with the quality of some of what I've had with PUG, although things have been improving the further they get from Kaplan. But for better or worse, it is a campus that is part of the Purdue University system, same as Purdue-NW, same as Purdue-Fort Wayne.

[Sagan]

It's not the same.

Those other campuses grew organically. Kaplan was purchased. But the point is made: getting a degree from "Purdue Global" is not graduating from Purdue University.

But if you're looking for a REAL Purdue University degree online, they have those.

[bjcheung77]

Purdue Global is not the Purdue University flagship. Having said that, I remember they used to be on different accreditation agencies, have they merged everything and made it similar to the Purdue University with a campus name (within their system of institutions). It's been a few years now, I don't recall if they're all under that umbrella or if they're within the same RA accreditor.

[SteveFoerster]

I don't recall if they're all under that umbrella or if they're within the same RA accreditor.

The accreditation of the two are separate because they are separate institutions.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Update: In August 2026 the HLC denied Edgewood University’s request to introduce a Doctor of Technology degree, despite the HLC having approved Edgewood to offer a DTech in August 2025. Perhaps the 2025 approval had a condition attached that Edgewood didn’t subsequently meet.

[mcjon77]

Update: In August 2026 the HLC denied Edgewood University’s request to introduce a Doctor of Technology degree, despite the HLC having approved Edgewood to offer a DTech in August 2025. Perhaps the 2025 approval had a condition attached that Edgewood didn’t subsequently meet.

Now that's interesting. Were there any details regarding the reason for denial?

[Jonathan Whatley]

Now that's interesting. Were there any details regarding the reason for denial?

No details posted by the HLC.

[Sagan]

There was a time when South Africa had several polytechnics ("technikons) that awarded the BTech, MTech, and DTech degrees. But the technikons were absorbed into universities a little more than 20 years ago, and the "XTech" degrees were phased out. (The last DTech enrollment occured in 2019.)

I always thought they were a cool way for mid-career professionals to improve their abilities to practice and to advance in their careers.