AACSB - DL Ph.D/DBA programs

Do they exist? Even if there are some schools with some residency requirements (one/two weeks a year) I would be interested. I only know of Kennesaw State University thus far. Your input is appreciated.

 

Grenoble in France is accredited. If you like risk, you can try the ones that have intention to apply for accreditation like Southern Queensland with the hopes that get it before you graduate. You also have Queensland University of Technology that is accredited but the price is too high.

There is no free lunch, the accredited ones are extremely expensive. If you want cheap and accredited, the best is to locate a school with good chances of accreditation and pay low tuition fees. Once schools are accredited, they tend to double or triple their fees.

 

The University of Strathclyde:

http://www.strath.ac.uk/business/research/

 

The University of Manchester:

http://www.mbs.ac.uk/postgraduateresearch/index.aspx

 

Aston University:

http://www1.aston.ac.uk/

 

Thanks for all the feedback thus far. Are there any schools in the U.S.?

 

University of Florida but heard the program was about 80K USD.

 

No, UF had a plan in the works, but it is on hold.

Grenoble has some US residencies, some European residencies. Denver and Han of this forum have good reports of their experiences at Grenoble.

 

PhD/DBA AACSB

I have seen a lot of posts in this forum over the last few years about this topic. Finding such a program in the US is like finding a needle in a haystack. The only explanation I can imagine is that it is a prestige thing. There must be a perception that DL with this type of advanced degree is a bad idea. Why this mentality seems to be isolated to the business genre is a mystery.

Another strange perception is the idea that B&M Doctorate programs that are not DL must be full time. I have seen very few exceptions to this, and have noticed that the vast majority of non-DL B&M schools require their Doctoral students attend full time. This eliminates a significant percentage of potential applicants who are professionals in the workforce. The irony of all this is really something to consider. It's this type of work experience that can be an asset to a university's graduate school environment. After all, a lot of people interesting in pursuing a Doctorate are not necessarily interested in teaching. For some reason a lot of universities do not understand that. If you were a university department head, would you want "green" graduate students in your program or would you want students who can bring real world experiences to your learning environment?

 

Universities understand it completely, they just don't care. Traditional PhD programs want full-time on-campus students because they teach undergrads, or conduct research that will lead to publication with the name of their committee chair. It is indentured servitude. Even the 'research-only' UK PhD programs that people keep mentioning here, will usually not accept someone who is not full-time on-campus. 'Research-only' is not synonymous with DL!

In a PhD program, you are not just joining a university, you are joining a faculty member (your committee chair). Tenured faculty have no incentive to help a grad student who is only a part timer, or online. In their eyes, an online or part-time student shows a lack of commitment. The attitude is "what are you going to do for me", not "how may I help you." That is why you have doctorate programs, such as the one proposed by UF, with very high price tags. The high price tag is they only way they will bother doing it. Even then, they are not exactly in a mad rush to get it going.

 

First of all, I would like to thank you for specifying in the title of the thread that you are looking for AACSB accredited programs. That way, you avoided a long discussion by the fans (and I suspect admission officers of "regionally accredited schools" such as Walden, UoP etc.

To answer your question, finding such an option in US is VERY difficult. In addition to Kennesaw, you have cleveland state (part-time, about $43k, but you have to attend once or twice a week classes in cleveland). Another option is Syracuse University (doctorate in IS, some distance learning, many residencies, 50k plus) and also Georgia State, University of Denver and Pace University with similar requirements and a hefty price tag. So these are some needles in the haystack, but very expensive and very inconvenient.

Good replies everyone. Edowave, I respectfully disagree. I have myself come across MANY programs in Europe that accept students truly on distance-ed basis, including those mentioned in this thread. Please see my other posts in this regard. Another benefit of European Business Doctorate is that they typically don't require GMAT either.

Another sad part of the story is that none of the Canadian Universities have stepped in to fill this void (athabasca is NOT aacsb accredited).

I sincerely hope that someone from AACSB reads this thread and talks to their member schools about it. If not, we are looking at a huge shortage of Business PhDs in the years to come.

 

I want to thank all of you for your valuable input. I hope that in the near future more schools realize the value that experienced professionals can bring to the table in a part-time/distance learning format. As a military officer I have many peers who are interested in such programs but given the circumstances surrounding our lifestyle (TDYs, deploying, and training) it's hard to find a suitable program that meets our needs. I may want to teach some day so I'll be patient and hope that more AACSB accredited programs will arrive soon.

 

***Warning: Skeptical and Negative Opinion ***

***Warning: Skeptical and Negative Opinion ***

Many Ivory Tower types are pure academics. They teach, they do not “do”.

Why would they want an experienced, confident, capable manager in their class when they themselves have never managed a lemonade stand.

I propose that they prefer the "green" graduate students because they can lord over them. They don't want to try that with a mid career manager who oversees million dollar budgets and a hundred people.

 

I agree with you completely. I've read many B-school faculty cv's and am amazed by how little actual experience many of these guys have outside of academia.

I used to think I wanted to go on and earn a doctorate and move into an academic career after a long and rewarding career in business. Lately, I've been having second thoughts. The more I learn about academia, the less impressed I am.

 

What European Universities

Jayzee,

If I may ask what do you mean by true distance learning?

Which Universities in Europe offer this?

Thanks for your help in advance?

Paul

 

I have the same ideals as you. Had a BEng and MEng as well as a MBA AACSB, all are from traditional state universities. But I spend the last decade on start ups. It is very difficult to get into academia. Trying to look for a PhD so as to enter the circle but not that easy, but I am still trying.

 

I would like to add a piece to this...... can anybody name a US school that offers a doctorate in their BUSINESS SCHOOL (not extended Ed, Education, etc.) via part time or DL?

I agree witht he OP that it is hard to break into academia, but it is important that though a school may be AACSB, obtaining a doctorate outside their Business school does not do much for the AQ status needed for the schools accreditation.

 

Also, wanted to add - please provide a link, it would be intersting to see (I am not sure if there is any out there, so would like to see if there is a link to one).

 

Ditto - the more "real world" experience, the more skeptical the "older" tenured faculty seem to be. The good part is that it is becoming more and more an acceptable choice, though there is MAJOR stigma.

 

1. The DL AACSB doctorate from a North American school is a snipe hunt...

2. Some of you folks are way too skeptical of full professors to make a career of college teaching...