Least Challenging accredited PHD in Business Admin

Does anyone have any comments on some of the easier schools to earn an accredited PHD in Business Administration?

I work full time, have a family, and other responsibilities. I've also run several successful businesses which I've sold. I currently work at one of these organizations.

I want to say that I have a lot of respect to those who went out and saught the best education possible, however, I'm not looking for that at this point in my life. I'm looking for one of the "least challenging" PHD program in Business Administration. I'd like to use the title and credibility associated with the title to enhance my credibility as a speaker and my credibility inside my own organization. I also look forward to the learning experience along the way - even though it obviously won't be "the best".

I know some of you may take offense to my request, and I do have my reasons. I wish I had the time to go to one of the top schools - but I just don't. It's either the 'less challenging" side or not at all.

Thank you.

 

"Not at all" sounds reasonable.

C'mon, really. Do you expect someone with an authoritative opinion to advise you on this? Even if you get someone's opinion about what he/she thinks is the easiest, none of them are easy. That attitude practically ensures failure. What happens when it gets tough (and it will)?

I hope you find what you want. But you will find that it is much harder than you think.

 

Have you looked the PhD from North central?

course work seems to be easy, but some argue that the dissertation can be a challenge.

 

Thanks RFValue - I'll check it out.

Rich: It's all relative...

Let's say I started and ran the #1 accounting firm in the state - advised 500+ companies on accounting practices - was recognized as the industry leader - I hope the accounting portion or specialization of the PhD would be easy for me. But I could be wrong - I haven't gone for a PhD - maybe I'm totally underestimating the level of effort. Of course, some schools are easier than others - which brings me back to my original question.

 

Harvard.

From what I hear, if you can qualify for admission, the degree itself is pretty easy.

 

What makes some programs harder than others? Entry process, course delivery and duration, foreign faculty (language), testing regime, process for final evaluation of doctoral level work, and expense. No legitimate programs are easy and learning is still the key, however there is no regulation that says you have to be miserable. This is a personal choice issue but here's a few ways to think about it:

Find an accredited/respected foreign/state certified doctorate program that has:

(1) Open entry vs competitive entry
(2) Course alternatives - Quarter system rather than semester - online vs onsite
(3) domestic or english speaking faculty
(4) Final project/dissertation options
(5) Least expense

Suggestions: Union Institute and University (student designed program), NorthCentral Univ (cost), South Africa (UNISA et al - dissertation only and cost), or English dissertation only research degrees.

 

Would it have to be a PhD or could you use a DBA?

 

Recommending a "state certified" (sic) program to someone looking for an accredited one is not very good advice. The degree will not, by definition, meet that person's needs. (But it is much more likely to meet his criterion: easy.)

Recommending Union to someone looking for an easy degree program is also not very good advice. Such a person would drown in the self-directed nature of the process.

Recommending a dissertation-only program is not very good advice, either. These programs are notoriously difficult compared to the coursework-and-dissertation model in the U.S. Also, they require a great deal of interactivity with a school far away, and require a great deal of self-direction. Again, a setup for failure for someone looking for an "easy" Ph.D.

 

I don't think the South African universities are necessarily easier. One of the big differences (in academic world) I noticed moving from South Africa to U.S. is that in South Africa the examiners are more than willing to fail a student -- even after many years pursuing a PhD. (A well-known example is Steven Hatfill.) On the other hand, few people are explicitly failed in U.S. PhD programs (though quite a few drop out of their own accord).

 

Whether students drop out on their own accord or failed to complete their dissertations, the unfortunate and ugly truth is that the attrition rate of doctoral programs in the US is remarkably high. According to the Chronicle, it may be as high as 62% in History and Humanities. The national average is about 50%. According to this
Chronicle article ,professors and university administrators think that high attrition rate is healthy because it helps to "separating the wheat from the chaff".

Ike Okonkwo, PhD

 

Don't do a Ph.D. Your motivation doesn't seem strong enough. My advice is to become a content expert by writing a book in area that pertains to your work and interests. An accredited Ph.D. in Business Administration seems like too much work for how you intend to use it; you don't plan to teach. Write a book instead and try to get it published, or publish it yourself through Xlibris, etc. Hand your colleagues your book and tell your audiences about it. Besides, once you earn a Ph.D. you still have to publish, so why not maximize your utility by skipping to publishing...?

My two cents worth,

Dave

 

Or, another view, it brings in increased revenues and cheap, indentured labor.

 

You are right. Some people have also suggested that it amounts to a scandal. A snippet of the Chronicle article says:

"If actual attrition is really around 50 percent, then this is a scandal," says Michael S. Teitelbaum, a program director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. "It's a serious waste of resources and a terrible waste of time and energy on the part of students."


Ike Okonkwo, PhD

 

Amen brother!

 

Advice that seems to say... no, no don't try it... does not respond to the question.

State certified (sic...?) simply means those programs where State approval is a certification by the State that the entire institution and its programs meets State standards. This is also referred to as State accredited. The intended purpose for the degree was for lecturing and around the office, not licensure or academia. So depending on the requestor's understanding of the term "accredited", State level recognition may suffice.

I think it's a logical incongruity to assume this person is not a self-starter or capable. "easy degree" and "easy" PhD (sic) are your terminology and not stated in the question. The question revolves around the relative difficulty of PhD programs with a focus on those less challenging. The premise that a person who is the founder of the #1 accounting firm in the State and yet is somehow not able to complete a self-directed program at Union is inconsistent.

For the student that is loathe to complete a curriculum of traditional courses, for one reason or another, and where cost is an issue, South Africa offers a very attractive option, on both counts. Even Union allows alternatives to traditional courses.

 

Calling state-approved or -licensed schools "accredited" is either misleading or misinformed. (It happens sometimes, but that doesn't change anything.) The term "accredited" has a specific meaning in the country, and that isn't it. Only one state accredits schools, New York.

Asking for the easiest Ph.D. is like asking for the best-smelling manure. I suppose it exists, but it misses the real point.

 

Oxpecker is right. Don't kid yourself into thinking that a pursuing a doctorate from UNISA is easy. Your dissertations supervisors expect quality work. They will also make certain demands on you to ensure that the quality of the dissertation is equal to the standards set by universities such as the University of London and the University of Leicester. Your supervisors will recommend that you withdraw from the program if you cannot meet or exceed their requirements.

 

Yes. Or like looking for the dark with a flashlight.