Advice Needed

Hello, everyone!

I need a bit of advice from all of you distance learning experts. I am nearing the end of my MBA program with Columbia Southern University (DETC), and I am currently trying to decide on a PhD program that will work best with my needs. I admit I did not do my accreditation homework when starting at CSU, and I am puzzled as to what my next step needs to be. My ultimate goal when I finish my PhD program is to teach at a traditional four-year university as a business professor. I have been looking at Capella and Northcentral's PhD programs, but I'm not sure these will be good choices for pursuing a tenure track position at a traditional RA university. Does anyone have advice/experience with a PhD from these types of schools and teaching afterwards? Would it help me to pursue a second MBA from an RA school, or will a PhD from Capella or NCU suffice since it is regionally accredited? Any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

If you want to look at it in a strictly probabalistic way it would seem that your chances are poor regardless of which of the options you choose. You might want to begin to worry about whether an RA PHD program will even grant admission to someone whoose main credential is a DETC MBA. Then, even if you were to earn an RA DL PHD you'd have to worry about whether a college will respect that degree enough to hire you and even if you were to earn a non-distance learning PhD from a bricks and mortar university the odds are still against you finding a tenure-track professorship at a regular B&M college simply because there are so many coming out into the market every year.

If you look at this thread

http://www.degreeinfo.com/distance-learning-discussions/37731-we-accept-5-less-you.html

and if you particularly look at CalDogs post* from earlier today you'll see that you're going to have a whole lot of competition for a very small number of potential positions. It doesn't mean "don't do it" because I'm all about going for the gold but I just wouldn't want you to think that if you fight your way to a PhD that this means automatic tenured professorship. In some fields it just means "Supersize that?" employment.

*Note to CalDog - stats like that are more convincing if they come with citations.

 

Northcentral University does not accept NA degree for admission. Capella University does accept NA degree for admission. Other potion is Research based degree from Lancaster University's Ph.D in Management with variety specializations. Lancaster University is AACSB accredited, I think it is triple.

 

For academic purposes, your degree is worthless.

Steve's post above is right on target. The only option you have is to start from scratch.

 

That is not exactly true. For that goal they will not work. If the goal was to adjunct or work at a community college they could go with Capella for a PhD.

 

Actually, Northcentral did accept me with my MBA from CSU. Their website states the Master's degree must be regionally accredited, but after contacting an admissions specialist to discuss, they said they regularly accept nationally accredited MBA's.

I appreciate everyone's feedback. I know the competition for a tenured-track professorship is quite strong, but that would be my ultimate goal. I would actually be satisfied (perhaps only temporarily) to teach adjunct at a community college, but I have always wanted to teach in some capacity. I actually have a great job in the bank marketing field right now, and I would love to stay here and do teaching on the side, but I'm not sure a PhD degree will even help me advance in my current position.

From what I have gathered, Northcentral gives me a "shady" vibe, so I am leaning more toward Capella for the PhD in Organization and Management with a specialization in Management Education. However, as bad as I hate to, I am considering going back to a B&M regionally-accredited university to get a second MBA that I can better utilize in the future. Decisions, decisions...

 

I suppose for a very, very limited track, it might be a stepping stone to something. By itself, however, it is academically worthless.

I do doubt, however, whether or not a PhD from Capella would even make that much of a difference. Competition is getting more fierce, not less. At the end of the PhD, the OP would still lack teaching experience because of the inability to adjunct until one has an RA degree.

 

NCU is not "shady". Their policies change a bit too often and that can be stressful. The academic work is not easy so the quality is certainly there. I would say Capella, NCU, Walden, and Trident (TUI) are all on the same plain. Compare and find what matters to you most.

 

My impression is that an awful lot of people pursue doctoral degrees based on the following logic:

1. I would really love to be a college teacher, but...
2. To teach in college, you need a doctoral degree, so...
3. I will go get a doctoral degree, and then...
4. I will be able to teach in college !

The logic is appealing, but faulty. Compare to the following:

1. I would really love to win the lottery jackpot, but...
2. To win the jackpot, you need a ticket, so...
3. I will go buy a ticket, and then...
4. I will be able to win the jackpot !

In fairness, your chances of finding a teaching job with a doctorate are better than those of winning the lottery. On the other hand, a doctorate costs a whole lot more than a lottery ticket.

 

They aren't.

I've said this many times, but it bears repeating: if you want a real teaching job -- with real salary, real benefits, and real job security -- then don't get a PhD from a school that offers its own teachers none of those thing.

 

Note to Kizmet: all of the stats that I posted in the referenced thread did come with citations.

Post 4: included link to SNHU page documenting GMAT scores. Degree numbers for UCLA, Yale, UoP, and Capella from College Navigator, as stated in final sentence.

Post 6: included link to 2009 Digest of Education Statistics, table 301, documenting rise in business doctorates.

 

Sorry. My mistake.

 

Thats correct about NARIC. The good news is that many of not most UK universities do their own evaluation. Not all of them require NARIC evaluation. I have 2 friends who never had to get NARIC evaluation for their Aspen MBA.
They are in well respected UK universities working toward Ph.D.
In one case, a friend with non business but Engineering degree had to take additional classes on a final ( not whole year) year of Masters degree in UK.

I think most of the recommendations / opinions provided in this tread are good, There may be a little bit more flexibility overseas.

I think good number of Universities in USA look not only on source of the Ph.D but also Masters or and Bachelors as well.
Wile one will do better with Masters and Ph.d from RA and AACSB program there could be a way to save a year if going for second MBA.

One can go to AMU/ APU and get up to 15 units transfered and in one year complete second Masters from RA university. So you only put one extra year. I don't think WGU accepts transfer credit in to their Masters degree programs need to check but AMU accepts transfer credit. In addition it will be easier as you will be familiar with a lot of the material that you studied at CSU.

Note: Graduate students may transfer up to a maximum of 15 credit hours out of 39 required for MBA. Because your previous degree is not AACSB accredited there are some mandatory classes one have to take. You may also consider Second Masters degree not in BM but Management or other field.

 

nice, friendly up !!

 

Keep in mind too that a tenure track position in a reputable business school is going to be more interested in your research than your teaching abilities. If you simply want to teach try to find instrutor positions that will be more interested in your work experience and less concerned about a PhD/DBA.

 

As far as I know, it's the smaller, private liberal arts colleges that put more of a premium on their instructor's teaching skills. and the bigger public (or Ivy/Ivy types) that are bigger on research. Do we think that's true?

 

I think so. As a general rule, AACSB schools value research primarily. ACBSP and IACBE (and RA-only) schools still value research, but generally a greater weight is placed on teaching than at AACSB schools.

 

You are correct but liberal arts schools typically don't have business schools/offer business majors. The closest thing you will find in most LACs is Economics as a major. The only LAC I can think that has a business school is Washington & Lee. Since the OP wants a PHD in business that will eliminate most LACs from his search when looking for a job.