Swiss Management Center and Universidad Mayor

Swiss Management Center and Chile's Universidad Mayor have a joint DBA program that costs a bit less than $20,000 at today's exchange rate:

http://www.dualdba.net/

There have been discussions here about SMC, but not recently. Interestingly, one of the complaints about them was that they're not accredited in Switzerland, and that they're not ACBSP accredited as they claim, but they sure look like they're actually in Switzerland and the ACBSP site says they're accredited, at least these days:

http://www.acbsp.org/index.php?mo=st&op=ld&sid=s1_025about&stpg=141

Then there's Universidad Mayor. They're a candidate with Middle States, which is nice, but I'm more interested in learning more about their Chilean recognition as a doctorate granting institution.

Does anyone know anything current about this? It's an intriguing program, and everyone knows I love quirky international options, but at the same time I don't want to get Berned.

-=Steve=-

 

I'm like Letterman, I have to do it myself.

Evidently SMC has gotten ACBSP accredited within the last two months, but has nothing on the Swiss level, either federal or cantonal. That makes me a little nervous. Universidad Mayor looks okay too, they're accredited by the Chilean agency that does that, and they're a Middle States candidate (although that's as of recently, so who knows how long it will take them to get accredited by them, if ever).

The thing is, I just keep getting the sense that one would have to explain this degree a little too much, more because of SMC than UM. Even were that not so, it's $19,500, and while that's less than domestic options, I'm looking for some aspect of it to make it more compelling than a South African program and I'm not really finding one.

-=Steve=-

 

Yes. However, I've since learned that their accreditation from CNAP extends only to the Master's degree level, and that similarly, their candidacy with Middle States is as a "Master's II" institution.

The problem is that (as I've also recently learned) other Swiss universities don't recognize SMC's credentials. That is an extremely serious drawback when it comes to international recognition.

I don't doubt that it's rigorous and well managed. But I work in higher education, so I can't consider a program that doesn't have bulletproof international recognition -- and even with SMC's ACBSP accreditation the Dual DBA simply doesn't have it.

-=Steve=-