Graduate Students Find Success at Tennessee Tech University
Hanging on the wall in Jennifer Murphy’s office is the evidence of her dedication
to something she believes strongly in - the power of education. The degrees framed
neatly on her wall offer inspiration to the students she serves in her role as interim
director of student success for the university’s College of Engineering, all while
she is working on her third graduate degree at Tennessee Tech University.
Murphy, who is in her second year of a Ph.D. program in higher education, credits the flexibility of Tennessee Tech’s graduate programs, which give working students the ability to complete the program at their own pace.
“Tech makes a graduate degree attainable and tailorable to your schedule, whether the classes are online or on land,” she said. “The professors in this program want to be here – they love the content that they’re teaching. But more than that, they love students as a human first. You will not find humans who care more about the students anywhere like you will at Tech.”
While working full-time as a high school English teacher, Murphy earned a Master of Arts degree in educational psychology and counselor education at Tennessee Tech. The degree led to her getting a school counselor position, and during that time she returned to Tennessee Tech to earn a second graduate degree – an Education Specialist degree, or Ed.S, in instructional leadership. She also graduated from Tennessee Tech with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in English.
In the Ph.D. in higher education program, Murphy plans to apply her dissertation to her current position. She will use logistic regression to predict graduation rates for transfer students. She will later use the data to develop programs to support transfer students.
“I have the opportunity to help students succeed by learning how to create, establish and refine different programs,” Murphy said. “I am learning how to evaluate and assess what I have, and then how to better support students based on the data that comes to me, and so it all comes back full circle. I'll be able to use my dissertation to help students.”
Tennessee Tech’s Ph.D. in higher education program is driven by data science, giving students the knowledge and skills needed to address the challenges facing colleges, universities, higher education agencies and foundations.
The flexible program gives full-time professionals an opportunity to balance their academic studies with their work and family life. Online course offerings are taught both synchronously and asynchronously, and some classes can be taken on campus. The program is self-paced, and depending on enrollment status, many students can complete the program in approximately four years.
Tennessee Tech’s other graduate programs also offer flexibility for working students. They include master’s degree programs in counseling, English and computer science; doctorate degree programs in engineering, health behaviors and literacy; and education specialist degrees in instructional leadership, curriculum and instruction, and counseling and psychology, just to name a few. Visit Tennessee Tech’s website to view the full list of programs.
Murphy went into the higher education program to learn something new. As a first-generation college student, she has seen first-hand how education can change a person’s life.
“I am a lifetime learner,” she said. “I am a follower of the Lord, and the Lord drew me to Tech in the first place. So if He chooses, if He wants me to go somewhere and do something, then I’m absolutely going to do it. But I’m never going to be a ladder climber – I want to be a ladder builder. I want to help people around me and build ladders for other people to climb up on.”
Her studies have inspired her sons, who also are in college.
“I joke with my youngest, who is in pre-med, that I would be the first Dr. Murphy,” she said. “That’s our little joke back and forth – who’s going to get it (the doctor title) first.”
To qualify for the Ph.D. in higher education program, applicants must have at least a 3.0 grade-point average from their last graduate degree or 60 hours of undergraduate work and should submit a statement of intent, two letters of recommendation, academic transcripts and an academic writing sample.
Murphy suggests taking the first step and not letting self-doubt get in the way.
“What I know about this experience is that there can be a lot of hesitation and self-doubt that I felt about going back,” Murphy said. “It came from the anticipation – the anticipatory anxiety, not the actual coursework. As a human, you’re more capable than you think. Most of the time, you’re going to love it and you’re going to want to push forward.”
To learn more about Tennessee Tech’s Ph.D. in higher education program or other graduate programs, visit TNTech.edu.