DL Accounting Ph.D. -- Can I get TT position?

Hello all,

I am looking for a little guidance about the decisions I have made to pursue my Ph.D. in Accounting and I am hoping some of you can help. Here is my background:

I got my undergraduate (3.9 gpa) and masters degree (4.1 gpa) in accounting from the University of Alabama (AACSB). I was a lab instructor and Teaching Assistant while in the graduate program. I passed the CPA exam on the first try and I am currently working full time at a small public firm. I am currently teaching as an adjunct instructor at the University of South Alabama (also AACSB) as well. I will start pursuing my Ph.D. in Organization and Management with a specialization in Accounting in January. I will be getting my degree online from Capella. (regionally accredited). I would like to land a tenure track position at an AACSB accredited university. ---Idealy, I am hoping that the South will have a position open when I finish my dissertation and they will hire me since I will continue on as an adjunct until I finish my degree. But that may not happen.---

Do you think my credentials would suffice for a tenure track position? Should I look into the Post Doctorate Bridge program at Tulane or Vtech?

see website for details: http://www.aacsb.edu/resource_centers/doctoraledu/PhD-Bridge/eligibility.asp

Would the bridge be enough to be accepted in the academia world of an AACSB university?

Any website or publications you know of that I could look to for help?

Thanks in advance,
Rachel

 

I would think your AACSB masters would be enough but of course check with the school you are interested in. Look at this thread-
http://forums.degreeinfo.com/showthread.php?t=27327&highlight=qualified
I spoke to an AACSB rep and was told:
There is a shortage of AQ (Academically Qualified) Professors.
There is a shortage of PQ (Professional Qualified) Professors.
There needs to be a certain ratio of AQ to PQ staff to remain AACSB.
Masters degree holders would be PQ.
Doctorate degree holders could be AQ.
The PQ course is one week.
There is a better chance of getting a position with the AQ because it is more difficult to maintain – you must be published and continue to conduct research and be published.
The AQ pays better.
You do not need an RA degree to attend any of the bridge programs as the hiring process is up to the individual school.
I asked if I could apply with a PhD in Business to become AACSB AQ to teach business. I was told the program was not designed for that but people with business degrees from non-AACSB schools are applying.

 

Rachel,

I was interested in taking the bridge for supply chain management and the feedback that I got from few schools is that it can help but there are many factors to take into consideration besides the paper qualification. If you want to teach at an undergraduate school with little research then the online PhD from Capella might be enough but if you want to teach at a research University that is AACSB accredited the bridge might help but only if you have good publications under your belt.

In any case, I think it is a good strategy to do both as your final qualification will be from an AACSB school with a solid reputation. The University of Florida has one bridge for accounting,
http://www.cba.ufl.edu/academics/pdbp/

 

Rachel,

Kennesaw State University has the following:

http://coles.kennesaw.edu/dba/program_overview.htm

You will have a tough time landing a tenure track at an AACSB accredited school without a doctorate from an AACSB accredited school. However, it isn't impossible. Build relationships now. In my discussions with several business school deans an online doctorate should serve you well except at the level you seek.

If you want to head north check with Dr. Gatlin at UNA. If you haven't done so yet review the job listings at these sites to get a feel for the requirements and needs:

http://chronicle.com/jobs/

http://www.higheredjobs.com/

Best of luck,

 

TT with Capella degree

It is possible to obtain a tenure track position with a doctoral degree from Capella. It may take some searching and time but there are a number of Capella graduates who have obtained tenure track positions. Of course it is much easier to obtain a tenure position with a traditional degree. Do a Google search for "Ph.D., Capella University" (use advanced search to restrict hits to .edu domains).

 

I appreciate your responses. I did the google search and there were quite a few faculty who got their ph.d. from capella. However, I don't know if they were tenure track or not but it was good to see either way.

I know the traditional way (going to an AACSB accredited university) would be more beneficial for my career path but I just can't do that right now. I can't leave this area for a while and I definitely can't afford to not be working full time.

I am going to continue on as an adjunct at South and hope I make some connections there. I plan on asking a former professor of mine from UA to be on my dissertation committee if they allow that at Capella. Will this help?

I am aware of the publication requirement of being an AQ and I am totally fine with that. If I wanted a PQ position I would be in great shape but unfortunately that is not my goal. I am seeking an AQ position, money is way better and the freedom of a tenure track position to do research is exciting to me.

I will try to get published while pursuing my Ph.D. Having my master's and my CPA should help with that.

After I complete my Ph.D. I am going to apply for some positions and if I don't have any luck then I will look into the PDB program. The one at Florida looked good, thanks for that link.

Any other ideas, suggestions, thoughts that could better my chances of teaching at the level I want to teach?

 

Or, just enter this search string in the standard Google search bar:

"Ph.D., Capella University" site:.edu

 

One last thing, let us all keep in mind the current shortage of accounting Ph.d. graduates. I am hoping with the drastic increase in demand over the next 3 years I will have a better shot at obtaining a position that currently seems out of reach. Just letting go and letting God. Prayers are appreciated. God bless.

 

Rachel,

While Capella is a good school there is good representation from Nova Southeastern and Argosy university in the ranks of academia. The Nova DBA has limited residencies but rumor has it they are working towards AACSB.

Nova DBA:

http://www.huizenga.nova.edu/futurestudents/Doctoral/DBA.cfm

Argosy now has the DBA as an online program:

http://online.argosy.edu/academics/doctorate_online/business_administration.asp

use the same Google string and substitute where needed.

Best of luck,

 

A DBA would not be as beneficial as a Ph.D. for teaching at a research university. I spoke to the Dean at South and he said the DBA focuses on practice while the Ph.D. focuses on research. Thanks for the help though.

 

Please note the faculty credentials at USA (which include a DBA):

http://www.southalabama.edu/mcob/accountingfaculty.shtml

Harvard doesn't seem as opposed to the DBA. It awards a DBA in Accounting and Management:

http://www.hbs.edu/doctoral/programs/

http://www.hbs.edu/doctoral/programs/accounting/index.html

Best of luck,

 

While I agree with this difference, the reality is that the job market is more oriented towards the school that granted the degree rather than the degree designation (DBA or PhD). That being said, a DBA from Harvard would carry a lot more weight than a PhD from Capella. Nova and Argosy have good record of graduates with tenure track positions and both offer DBAs. I cannot say that Capella is less than Argosy or Nova in the job market but I do see a lot of their graduates holding full time tenure track positions. You shouldn't look much at the name of the degree but the reputation and statistics of the school.

 

Although I have no plans to look for a tenure track position (I love my small community college in Wisconsin), I will put in my 2 cents:

o Start presenting your papers at conferences. You will write MANY papers in Capella's PhD program. Ask your teacher for specific feedback on your papers because you plan to present them.

o Go to conference - start networking!

o Capella has three colloquia which you need to attend. Colloquia are great. You learn and you...network.

o I believe a bridge program that is AACSB accredited after the Capella PhD is completed is a good idea.

Good luck!

Shawn

 

Thanks for all the input. I am hoping to get some guidance from my professors at Capella on how to get involved with speaking at conferences and getting published and what not. I am a little lost on how to do that but I'm sure I will learn more as I go. Thanks again for all the help.

Rach

 

Rachel,

Best of luck and keep us posted on how things work out.

Regards,

 

I definitely will. I have one more question...

As far as salary goes, if I get a full time position with my Ph.D. but it isn't Tenure track what does the pay look like?

Community College?
4 year school?
AACSB University?
Online professor?

 

Capella's website doesn't list a PhD in Organization & Management with an Accounting specialization. Is this a new program?

 

try here:

http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i32/4832aaup.htm
http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/index.php?action=result&state=Alabama&year=2003

here:

http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2008/section5/indicator42.asp

here:

http://eric.ed.gov search on salaries, etc..

little closer to home:

http://www.usouthal.edu/academicaffairs/facultysalarystudysummarywebversion.pdf

 

I got some salary info from AACSB about a year ago. I posted it on my website for your review - http://www.ornersite.com/tmp/aqpqsalary.doc

 

You can specialize in any field with a Ph.D. in Organization and Management from Capella. It just depends on your course work and mainly your dissertation topic. Thanks for the salary input guys, that was encouraging!

rach