DBA Degree

I am very new to this process and would say that I am young to the process. I completed both my BS and MS through non-traditional programs and started at the age of 19. I am now 23 and really looking for a DBA program. From what I have read, I like the looks of a professional degree vs. an academic degree. I have looked all over for a complete DL, NR degree for this. I am flexible as far as the type of degree as long as it is a professional degree vs. a Ph.D. (DBA, DM, DEd, etc) Does anyone have any news on some cutting edge programs. What are everyone's thoughts on a GAAP (over-seas) DL degree? How does this look if I want to teach Community College courses or University courses. I really want to pursue a career in college administration vs. being a professor. Thanks for any help you can offer!!

 

If you want to be part of the cutting edge and DL try the RMIT Doctor of Project Management at http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse?SIMID=id0v843mb11

 

Thanks for the information. Does anyone else have any advice? Has anyone completed an overseas DL Doctoriate? What was the experience like?

 

I just traded e-mails with an official with the University of Southern Queensland. The DBA is a 6-year, course-based, non-residential program. The first 3 years are taken up with their MBA; a person entering the program with this degree waives these courses/years. That leaves just the DBA part.

The DBA is made up of 12 "units." Four units are your concentration coursework (say, Human Resources for example). Then you take a 1-unit research methods course. That is followed by a 3-unit Contemporary Business course, which is actually the development of your dissertation proposal and the first two chapters of your dissertation (introduction and lit review). The final four units are the dissertation itself.

Year 1: Concentration courses.
Year 2: Research methods and proposal development.
Year 3: Disseratation.

The program is done entirely at a distance; no travel to Australia is required. The USQ website is very thorough in its course descriptions, including objectives, required texts and materials, and methods of measurement. The cost is:

MBA + 7 Research Based courses @ AUD$2600 per unit and 5 coursework courses @ AUD$1050 per unit.

The research-based courses are the Contemporary Business and Dissertation units; the coursework courses are your specialization (which you would do first) and research methods.

The total tuition (plus books, materials, and other expenses): A$23,450. At today's exchange rate, that works out to US$11,969.

A big caveat: Your master's degree may or may not qualify you for an exemption from their MBA requirements. You'll have to review the material yourself and perhaps contact them for more information.

I would expect the degree to have the same level of acceptance as most degrees from foreign schools people have never heard of. It is something I am strongly considering pursuing in the future as a natural follow-on to my MBA and to enhance my career as a corporate trainer.


Rich Douglas

 

Rich, are you specifically considering the Queensland DBA or any doctoral business program? I'm asking this because I'd like your opinion on foreign doctorates for adjunct teaching. Also, apart from Queensland, are their other non-US universities that you feel are quite good as options for doctoral studies? My area of interest is not a DBA, but either human services administration, public affairs, management of not-for-profit organization etc. Thanks.



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David F

 

Dear Folks... I wanted to speak of my personal experiences of two of the most often mentioned Aussie DBAs on this board:
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U of Southern Queensland:
- I had applied last August, and thought that I had covered all required aspects, sending a voluminous package by courier from Canada to Australia. It took over two months to hear back, close to three months. But my acceptance was post-poned (rejected?) unless/until I could re-work my dissertation proposal. I had some degree of trouble with that, as the demand was to flesh it out more, but I was stymied. My field of interest is electronic publishing and document rights management, et al, in general, but in post-secondary education, more specifically. I advised them that these fields were changing so quickly, that thinking three years ahead would be a stretch. (So.. I guess, it actually meant that I/they were not a good fit as regards finding a suitable supervisor.) It occurred to me that I might be accepted if I just rearranged things to more closely align with their core subjects, but what would be the point of mis-representing my interests right off the bat. I'm more disappointed than annoyed, as I can understand how these things don't always work out.
A corollary to this:
- If you read the USQ DBA web-site as closely as I did, you will see how 'excited' they appeared when announcing the topics of their first DBA dissertations. The accepted topics appear trite to me, so I am befuddled about that.

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Charles Sturt:
- At the same time, last August, I also made enquiries to CSU. So, it seemed like a good idea to get re-acquainted with CSU. In November, I sent the e-mail, as advised, to the faculty responsible for 'vetting' your initial topic, regardless of how broad it might be - opposite to the USQ approach. (To recap: at USQ, you do a full application before they consider your suitability. At CSU, you do an exploratory, mandatory, e-mail, with a topic, BEFORE you can proceed with a proper application.)

I sent the e-mail in late November. As Xmas was about that time, I waited until mid-January to send a follow-up query as to status. Not a peep from the professor to either note. Then last week, I rec'd an e-mail from an office assistant, asking if I was still interested, as 'they' had not heard from me since August! I advised her that I had sent two notes, as per her August instructions. It appears that the professor has gone on a six-month leave, and that the e-mails were either in limbo, or not 'bouncing back'! (THAT is why I'm in favour of generic e-mail boxes for things like this!)

So, now, my original query/topic has purportedly been forwarded to a new professor, for processing.
_____________

All of this is making Touro look more attractive, though the price is a killer, with the exchange rate for Canadians!

_______

Thought that this might be helpful, though I've yet to actually get accepted.

BTW... while your academic accomplishments are good, I think most DBAs prefer several years management experience, as part of the pre-reqs. Have you looked into the 'experienced manager/executive' aspect of the DBA?

With thanks

Michael in Vancouver Canada
BA -Dalhousie
MBA - Athabasca
(Currently in CSU-DH HUX, for personal interest.)

 

But the Aussie schools are legitimate, while Touro is a joke.

 

Folks are looking for solid information. Your claim on Touro as a joke without any foundation is baseless. Is your post a joke?

john

 

Are you still having nightmares?

 

It is the same experience for any DBA or PhD level course, I had to submit several applications to several schools before getting the acceptance letter from USQ. My application to Charles Sturt and UNISA got rejected because of the lack of a supervisor in my area of interest. I believe that this gives credibility to these schools since they show responsibility and quality in their admission process, on the contrary some others schools would accept anyone that is willing to pay the price. I don't know if Touro is the case, but I know that North Central not only gave me acceptance without asking for a research proposal, but also had the marketing people calling me and sending me annoying mail in order to push for their final sell. I personally don’t feel respect for schools that sell their programs like vacations plans.

 

Oh, I'd consider it either after my Union program is over, or if it doesn't work out.

I believe a degree from a recognized Australian school would have good utility for someone looking to teach at either the community college level or as an adjunct somewhere. The doctorate, normally not required, is icing on the cake. I don't know how it would perform in obtaining a tenured, full-time position, but academia seems to be drifting away from that model. Also, these DL programs are designed for working professionals. On-campus doctoral programs are often apprenticeships for graduate students becoming professors.

Rich Douglas

 

Let's see, Touro is regionally accredited. The home campus is reasonably well respected. The DL doctorate is the first totally non-residential doctoral program to be approved by an RA. Why is this a joke? Without further illumination, may we dismiss this comment as baseless?

Rich Douglas

 

Hi Johnny...

There must have been a problem with the BB software when you posted your replies in the
"Why should a DL degree be inferior to 'conventional' degree" thread. Perhaps you could re-post them?

 

Johnny Reincarnation's "illumination" would probably boil down to this:

1) "I have loads of evidence that RA schools, and U.S. schools in general, are not generally well-respected. Oh, sure, there are rare exceptions, but for the most part, they're bad, bad, bad. Nothing at all like Canadian, UK, or Australian schools, which are uniformly good and well-respected. By the way, did I mention regional accreditation is a joke. Remember, I have loads of evidence to support this."

2) "But I'm not going to share that evidence with you. Find it yourself. I'll be back in a few months with a different identity."

 

Accetance or offer of admission does NOT mean that you will graduate. To graduate, you must pass all the required courses and complete an acceptable dissertation.

 

Absolutely Lewchukian

 

Just to avoid confusion, I'd note that Rich was referring to University of Southern Queensland (in Toowoomba), which is different from the University of Queensland (in Brisbane, and one of Australia's top universities).

 

I agree, but the course level at some PhD programs is really a joke. For example take a look at the PhD in Applied computer Science program at North central. They have an introductory C language course as part of their PhD requirements, and most of the course work is at the undergraduate level. Some schools are willing to graduate anyone with a PhD. I wonder if universities will come up with new post doctoral programs once the PhD market is saturated with low level programs like this.

 

Hi again,

I was not "accepted" and permitted to start at CSU until an approved outline of the disertation and a Thesis supervisor was assigned.

I think this shows some level of integrity and rigor!

Thanks,
BH

 

Do you realize that the institution granting the degree is not RA?

TUI was included "under" the RA of Touro College (i.e. no indication of independent assessment) however the degree is from TUI.

What exactly does the relationship with TC mean considering a)TC does not offer TUI on-campus programs b) TC does not provide TUI academics c) TC does not grant the degree.