Years ago, D.L. schools such as Walden, Argosy (U. of Sara.), University of Phoenix, Fielding etc. were unlikely to achieve the Regionally Accreditation, but overtime they managed to prove to the experts that they were wrong to count them out. Who is to stay that most D.L. schools that offer Business related courses would achieve AACSB accreditation overtime.
Time will tell - but to date none of the DL schools that started their lives as DL or non-traditional (e.g. Capella. UoP, NSU, etc.) have achieved AACSB accreditation. The deans at NSU and Touro, for example, have talked about it - but not done it. Why? Perhaps it is due to some bias on the part of AACSB, but I believe this is changing. The real problem is that AACSB has high standards - like full-time, research producing, PhD holders on the faculty and admission expecatations that typically entail the GMAT - that many tuition driven (both profit and non-profits) have chosen not to employ. I don't think you'll see any of the DL schools move quickly to AACSB. It isn't in their interests in terms of revenue, it would cost them a lot of money and I suspect that the quality side of the equation simply isn't that important to them. As for proving anybody wrong - it depends on who you ask. The body of non-believers on DL remains pretty strong. Even if academics come to the point of accepting DL as providing a "valid" education - they aren't likely to see the quality of a DL education to be of the same caliber as traditional ecuation. As long as DL schools won't improve their operations to the point of AACSB accreditation - the doubters just may have a point. Regards - Andy
One of the things that excites me about Touro is that ALL of their professors are full time PhDs. They feel very confident that they will achieve accreditation. My problem is, if they do, how will that play out for me? Andy< you said before that AACSB doesn't accredit PhDs. But, If I have a PhD, will their AACSB status be enough to help me gain tenure at one of those schools at which I may apply? What do you think?
It will be interesting to see what happens at Touro. If they achieve AACSB they'll be the first non-traditional/DL program to do so. You are correct in saying that AACSB doesn't accredit doctoral programs - they only work at the bachelor's and master's level. Doctorates from non-AACSB schools, however, tend to be frowned at. As for what AACSB accreditation would do for Touro graduates, it is too early to know. It certainly wouldn't hurt. Some colleges have used language in hiring ads like "PhD/DBA from an AACSB accredited school" as a way to seperate DL from traditional programs. Others have been pretty blunt - "PhD/DBA from a on-campus (non-DL) school". Realize that potential faculty are viewed on a "package" basis - your degree is one essential item (and an AACSB Touro would certainly be stronger than a non-AACSB Touro). But also realize that hiring committee look at other areas - like teaching evaluations, industry experience, publications and potential for research. Also, realize that hiring is done by functional area - accounting, marketing, IS, finance, etc. The demand for IS, accounting and marketing is fairly strong. Organizational behavior isn't as strong - indeed, "cross overs" from psychology aren't uncommon. Once you obtain a job - getting tenure is another hurdle. Typically, it takes 6 years of full-time work. Institutions vary on their requirements. Some sort of intellectual work (publications, conference proceedings, etc.) is normally required, as is service and quality teaching. Top schools can be very demanding in this regards - expecting a certain number of publications in certain journals. A PhD is just one piece of the puzzle. If you want an academic job be sure you have solid teaching experience and the ability/interest to publish. Regards - Andy
University of the Incarnate Word I found this statement on a University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) web site: In 1998, the University was re-accredited at the baccalaureate and master degree level and approval was given to offer doctoral degrees by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of College and Schools. UIW, through its College of Professional Studies, is nationally accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs to offer degrees in Business Administration (BBA) and the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Apparently, UIW's BBA and MBA programs are AACSB-accredited. They are also available entirely online. UIW is a brick-and-mortar in San Antonio, Texas (I was on their campus once, pretty nice). I wonder if the online programs are AACSB-accredited, or just the on-campus programs. I suppose I will give them a call on Monday. The good part is that several UIW online programs--including the BBA, MBA (with concentrations in General Business and International Business), and the MA in Administration (with concentrations in General Administration, Organizational Development, Urban Development, and Communication Arts)--are available through eArmyU. Personally, the MA in Administration (with concentration in Communication Arts) interests me more than the MBA, but I thought I would put out the information on the MBA/BBA programs for everyone's information/discussion. Here's the link to UIW's online offerings: http://www.uiw.edu/online
Re: University of the Incarnate Word Okay, some confusion here. The ACBSP is not the same as the AACSB. As far as I can tell, UIW is accredited by the former, not the latter.
