Degreechoices is a team of education researchers working together to provide valuable financial advice and guide prospective students to find schools and careers that best suit their needs.
Ory is an experienced entrepreneur and investor who founded Degreechoices in 2021. Prior to Degreechoices, He founded XLMedia PLC in 2003 and is an active investor in many companies. He is fascinated by the way people make choices and wants to use his extensive experience in product and service comparison to help people make optimal career and education choices. He is also a self-proclaimed full-time dad, amateur poker player, fitnessholic and holds an Industrial Engineering degree.
Dr. Michael Nietzel began his career in education as the director of the Clinical Psychology program at the University of Kentucky. Later he was the chair of the psychology department, dean of the graduate school, provost, and in 2005 was appointed president of Missouri State University. Post retirement, Mike became the senior educational policy advisor to Missouri Governor, Jay Nixon, a role he held for a further 6 years.
Mike directs much of our featured content, writes articles, and brings in the contributing experts.
David Levy manages the content, product, and data strategy for Degreechoices. Recently he has been spending much of his time developing and honing the economic valuation methodology used for ranking colleges and programs. David graduated way back in 2001 from Kenyon College in Gambier, OH, with a major in political science.
Brandes Gress assists the content team with the management of daily operational activities, ensures content is published on a timely and accurate basis, and works on content-related projects. She likes long walks to the fridge and breakfast burritos.
Jeremy is a content writer and editor for Degreechoices. He also has previous experience translating and teaching English. In his free time, he likes learning languages, baking bread, and spending time with his two basset hounds, Chowder and Snuffles.
Our team of qualified educators, writers and researchers provide first-hand industry knowledge to help inform your college and career planning decisions.
Dr. Charlson is a creative social work educator who is dedicated to teaching and mentoring students. For the last fifteen years, she has developed and implemented innovative social work curriculum at both the master's and bachelor’s levels. She has served as a tenured professor at Northeastern State University and California Baptist University, and has worked to infuse gerontology into social work curriculums, as well as connect older adults and students through community art and history projects aimed at combating ageism, homophobia, and racism. A passionate advocate for health equity, Dr. Charlson specializes in ageing, addressing health disparities for marginalized populations, and the relationship between art and social justice.
Brennan Barnard, M.Ed is the Director of College Counseling and Outreach at Khan Lab School, CA and the Director of College Counseling for the College Guidance Network. He also serves as the College Admissions Program Advisor with the Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A native of suburban Philadelphia and practicing Quaker, he is a graduate of Westtown Friends School. Brennan earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish from Franklin & Marshall College and a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from The University of Vermont. This father of two lives in Hopkinton, New Hampshire where he is a volunteer firefighter.
Miranda Marquit, MBA, is a freelance financial writer and money expert. Her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including Marketwatch, NPR, Yahoo! Finance, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and more. In addition to writing about money, Miranda is also an avid podcaster, contributing to the Money Talks News weekly podcast. She lives in Idaho, where she enjoys hiking, traveling, playing board games, and spending time with her son.
Dr. Victor R. Prybutok is a Regents Professor of Decision Sciences in the Information Technology and Decision Sciences Department and Associate Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School at the University of North Texas. He received, from Drexel University, his B.S. with High Honors in 1974, a M.S. in Bio-Mathematics in 1976, a M.S. in Environmental Health in 1980, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Analysis and Applied Statistics in 1984. Dr. Prybutok is an American Society for Quality certified quality engineer, certified quality auditor, and certified manager of quality / organizational excellence. He is also an accredited professional statistician (PSTAT®) by the American Statistical Association. Dr. Prybutok has authored over 200 journal articles, more than 300 conference presentations / proceedings, and several book chapters in applied and theoretical areas of information systems measurement, quality control, risk assessment, applied statistics, and the instruction of statistics.
Dr. Usher is the Dean in the College of Engineering at the University of South Alabama. He has spent 34 years in higher education, previously serving as Professor and Department Head of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Mississippi State University. He holds several degrees in both chemical engineering and industrial engineering. John is a Fellow of the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers and a senior member of both the SME and the American Society of Engineering Education. He serves as an ABET program evaluator for industrial engineering and is a registered professional engineer in Mississippi.
Alisa Regnier works in healthcare communications, supporting content and campaigns that reach 15,000+ employees and millions of consumers. Alisa holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Minnesota and is based in Minneapolis, MN. She’s spent more than 15 years working in communications and marketing in agencies and large global organizations. As an experienced storyteller she’s passionate about creating meaningful content that people want to connect and engage with.
Dr. Amanda Hannon, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist working in private practice near Atlanta, GA. She provides counseling and testing services to her clients and has a background in college counseling and student outreach. She received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and Human Systems from Florida State University and conducted research examining help-seeking attitudes and behaviors regarding students' mental health. She completed an internship and postdoc in college counseling centers and has provided several presentations on various mental health and student life topics. Her current counseling work focuses on helping individuals manage and overcome anxiety, develop healthy boundaries, and improve their sense of self-worth.
Andy is on a mission to help candidates do what they love. He is the Founder & Director of CareerHigher and a Careers/HR strategist, writer, and speaker. Andy has 10 years of experience in Career Consulting, Recruitment, and Business having worked with companies including Oracle, Pearson, and BP. Also, he has earned an MSc in HRM from the University of Edinburgh, is a Chartered Member of the CIPD, and a certified Career Consultant. Outside of work, Andy loves traveling, photography, and the digital nomad lifestyle.
Austin Wetmore is a scientific writer for a biotech company near Atlanta, Georgia. He holds a B.A. in Chemistry from St. Olaf College and an M.S. in Cancer Biology & Immunology from the University of Minnesota. He has also completed coursework in an MPH degree program at A.T. Still University. He recently changed his career plans from becoming a rural family practice osteopathic (DO) physician to pursuing a career in medical writing, but he remains committed to improving the quality of care for patients and reducing health disparities. Along his professional journey, he has served as a chemist, graduate medical education researcher at a national association for medical colleges in the US, and freelance medical editor. He currently resides in the Atlanta area with his dog, Oliver, but he grew up in Minnesota and played NCAA men's ice hockey during undergraduate college.
Brittany is a content writer with a passion for education, travel, and the great outdoors. With experience in both international education and higher education, she has a passion for helping students achieve their dreams and find their place in the world. When she's not writing, you can find her hiking, camping, studying herbal medicine, or enjoying live music with friends.
Currently studying to take the LSAT to pursue a career in criminal law, Emma is a criminal research professional who specializes in background screening for small and large businesses. She has a B.S. in criminal justice, and has interned with her local police department where she was able to relate her studies to real life situations, while gaining insights into law enforcement policies. Her interest in criminal justice and sociology are based in a passion to understand the complexities of social behaviors as they pertain to crime.
Dr. Greg Hodges serves as the fourth president of Patrick & Henry Community College (P&HCC) in Martinsville, Virginia after having served for four years as the institution’s Vice President of Academic and Student Success Services. Previously, he served at P&HCC as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Effectiveness, and Campus Life (and Executive Director of the P&HCC Foundation), the Dean of Academic Success and College Transfer, the Dean of Developmental Education and Transitional Programs, and the Assistant Dean of Arts, Science, and Business Technology.
Gwen Stevenson is a law student at the University of Washington. Originally from Utah, she completed her B.A. at the University of British Columbia, where she studied Political Science and English Language/Literature. Focused on finding practical, community-oriented solutions to justice, she is passionate about making the justice system more accessible. As a queer woman, she hopes to someday be a part of a more diverse and representative legal field. Gwen is a firm advocate for having a chat over a cup of tea as a problem-solving method, and a fan of David Bowie and mystery novels.
Harvey J. Graff is Professor Emeritus of English and History, inaugural Ohio Eminent Scholar in Literacy Studies, and Academy Professor at The Ohio State University . Author of many books, he writes about a variety of contemporary and historical topics for Times Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, Academe Blog, Washington Monthly, Publishers Weekly, Against the Current, Columbus Free Press, and newspapers. Searching for Literacy: The Social and Intellectual Origins of Literacy Studies was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2022. My Life with Literacy: The Continuing Education of a Historian. The Intersections of the Personal, the Political, the Academic, and Place is forthcoming. “Reconstructing the ‘uni-versity’ from the ashes of the ‘multi- and mega-versity’” is in progress.
Ivy Love is a senior policy analyst in the Center on Education & Labor at New America, where her work focuses on community colleges, their students, and federal and state policies that support them. Prior to New America, Ivy worked as a policy analyst for the Association of Community College trustees, as a lecturer at Washington University in St. Louis and Webster University, and as a refugee orientation educator at the International Institute of St. Louis. Ivy is a Ph.D. candidate in higher education administration at Saint Louis University. She holds an M.A. from the University of Sheffield (UK) and a B.A. from Missouri Southern State University.
Julie Masterson, Ph.D., is Associate Provost- Dean of the Graduate College and Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Missouri State University. She currently serves as Chair of the Master’s Committee for the Council of Graduate Schools and is on the advisory boards of the Missouri Science and Technology Policy Initiative, Education Testing Service (formerly GRE), and ProQuest. Julie served as Chair of the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools, as a trustee for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation, as VP for Research for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and as chair of the national advisory committee for CSDCAS, the centralized application service for CSD programs. Julie received the Honors of the Association from American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2015, from the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders in 2018, and was named one the region’s Most Influential Women by Springfield Business Journal in 2017.
Dr. Karen A. Stout has served as president and CEO of Achieving the Dream since 2015, leading a network of over 300 community colleges working to eliminate inequities in educational and workforce outcomes. She previously was president of Montgomery County Community College (Pennsylvania) from 2001 to 2015. Stout, a former AACC board member, is currently chair of the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research Advisory Board at North Carolina State University. She was recently presented the 2022 AACC Leadership Award and is among the newest member of the newly created AACC Hall of Fame.
Dr. Kevin Shriner is a higher education researcher with a passion for promoting student access, engagement, and success in distance education. In 2014, he founded the Center for Distance Education Research to share unbiased research on the progress of distance learning in the United States. Dr. Shriner has over 25 years of experience in higher education and was a past Fellow for the National Summer Data Policy Institute on the Datasets of the National Center for Education Statistics and National Science Foundation and a recipient of the Association of Institutional Research and National Center for Education Statistics Fellowship Program in Institutional Research. In addition to distance education, his education research interests include college attainment, underrepresented populations and workforce development.
Kristen Parillo, MS RN, is a nurse educator who specializes in active learning in a flipped classroom environment. She acquired her master’s in nursing education in 2020 and her primary interest lies in the care of marginalized populations with a specialty in psychiatric nursing. In 2000 she first started working as a registered nurse in mental health. She completed her bachelor’s in psychology in 2006 and her bachelor’s in nursing in 2015. Becoming an educator has allowed her to combine her passion for mental health nursing and her lifelong love of writing. Outside of the classroom, Kristen teaches the public about mental health initiatives and passionately advocates for the care and rights of the mentally ill. She was a volunteer after hurricane Katrina in 2005 in the lower 9th of New Orleans Louisiana and volunteers for many local organizations. She has many various interests including organic micro farming, history, travelling, languages, ice-fishing, and camping. In her spare time, she runs her small farm in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains with a focus on organics and sustainability. She is currently developing the plans for a food forest on her land and can often be found working in her gardens alongside her trusty flock of chickens.
Lindsay Caplan is a graduate nursing student at the Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai, working towards her second accelerated degree in nursing. She holds a B.S. in Biology and English from Boston College. Her decision to pursue a career in healthcare is fueled by her passion for creating a meaningful connection with others and creating a safe, open space for those in need to feel comfortable seeking care. She has also received her personal training certification to combine her love of being active with the desire to help others better their health and their lives. Currently living in Manhattan, she loves travel and experiencing culture, as well as investigating how different societies function in terms of healthcare. Outside of that, her goal is to lead others by example and to share her experiences with others.
Matthew D. Linton is Publications and Communications Manager at the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C. He has written for The Washington Post, The Journal of American-East Asian Relations, and other outlets. His recent publication for CGS, Making a Grad School Plan: From Application to Orientation (2021), is a brief guide for prospective graduate students interested in pursuing a graduate degree. Before joining the Council, he received his doctorate in History from Brandeis University.
Michael R. Acosta has over 7 years of experience in the finance industry, he focuses on helping others create better habits around managing their personal finances to increase the odds of achieving their personal goals.
I am president emeritus of Missouri State University. After earning my B.A. from Wheaton College (Illinois), I was awarded a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Illinois in 1973. I then joined the faculty at the University of Kentucky, where I progressed through the professorial ranks, serving as director of the Clinical Psychology Program, chair of the department of psychology, dean of the graduate school, and provost. In 2005, I was appointed president of Missouri State University. Following retirement from Missouri State in 2011, I became senior policy advisor to Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and continued in that role for six years. Recently, I have authored two books: Degrees and Pedigrees: The Education of America's Top Executives (2017) and Coming to Grips With Higher Education (2018), both published by Rowman & Littlefield. I currently serve as.Senior Contributor to Forbes Online, focused on higher education.
Rashad Skinner is the founder and Executive Director of Sapphire Therapeutic Services, Inc. His non-profit agency has been working with families by providing counseling and training for over a decade to preserve and improve the family unit for children. Prior to founding the agency, Rashad’s social work expanded to include helping clients in hospital settings, treating drug addiction in the criminal justice system, and with families involved in the child welfare system. He specializes in motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, structuralism, and grief counseling. Rashad has bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s in Social Work He is a Licensed Clinical Social Work Supervisor, DWI educator, parenting instructor, and devoted dad.
Rayelle Davis is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Nationally Certified Counselor, and Board Certified Telemental Health Provider specializing in addictions and trauma. She is also a Doctoral Candidate in the counselor education and supervision program at Duquesne University where she works as an adjunct faculty member and clinical supervisor for master's level counseling students. She is passionate about mental health education and reducing related stigma. Her research focuses on the cultural trauma of the Appalachian region of the United States. She has presented at various professional conferences and received research awards from Duquesne University and the American Counseling Association. She owns her own practice in western Maryland where she resides with her family.
Tamsin Copans is a part-time student counselor at the Charles University medical faculty in Prague, Czech Republic. A B.A. (Hons) student and now a student again currently studying psychology, with the UK-based Open University. She has also completed diplomas in holistic nutrition, psychotherapy and counseling and a certificate in meridian psychotherapy. Tamsin is absolutely passionate about fully understanding the human interconnections of all things physical and emotional in the environment in which we live. Her goal is to find new approaches to pinpoint the right balance between mind and physical functions. Originally from South Africa, Tamsin now resides in the Czech Republic with her 4 year old daughter and her husband.
Tiffany Belcher is a dedicated healthcare professional in Washington State. She holds a Master's of Business Administration with a focus in Healthcare Management, and a Bachelor's of Science with a focus in Healthcare Administration. Tiffany has 15 years of experience including care delivery, program coordination, project development and implementation, process improvement, training and development, leadership, and more. She has spent most of her career working with fast-paced, complex healthcare organizations. When she’s not at work she enjoys writing, fitness, and spending time with her family.
Dr. Will Bennis, Ph.D., is a cultural and environmental psychologist focused on ways in which culture and built environments interact to influence cognitive processes. Will’s research explores cultural, environmental, and psychological influences on how people think and decide. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in the Department of Psychology where he examined how the environment contributed to important creative insights. Following his doctoral degree, Will worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, and then in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. His current interests concern the conflicting human needs for autonomy and community, and how that conflict is getting resolved among remote workers, freelancers, and other location-independent professionals.
Without access to relevant information, potential students risk making costly mistakes in their choice of school or program. Based on curated data from official sources, we provide free access to the essential information and resources students need to identify, select, and apply to the programs and schools that best match their goals and circumstances.
Whether it is choosing a degree, researching a career, applying for financial aid, or going to college - students can learn about it on Degree Choices.
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Degree Choices was founded by Ory Weihs in 2021. Ory has a successful track record as founder and advisor of several high-authority companies in a wide variety of sectors, including online marketing, SAAS, and healthcare. His newest venture builds on his experience and focuses on guiding students to make their best educational and career choices.
Ory is joined in this mission by an experienced team of educational experts, data analysts, and researchers, who work together to ensure that the information students need to decide on their future career is relevant, factual, and easily accessible on the website.