DBA or D.Commerce

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by John Roberts, Dec 2, 2002.

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  1. John Roberts

    John Roberts New Member

    For all of those on the site that have gone or considering the DBA route (not Ph.D), was this done primarily via an MBA or through some other degree or Masters program in Management, Marketing or Commerce?

    The reason for asking this question is that in the US, UK and Australia generally offer DBA's as opposed to the South African universities that appear to offer D.Comm, which I believe can be completed either by coursework and thesis or strictly by Dissertation.

    The case in point is that the DBA, which I presume can be completed in 1-2 years FT, or 2-5 years DL/PT, is there any reason why an MBA graduate would not choose to go the D.Comm route over the DBA (both seem to applied degrees) if it was a Doctorate degree only that someone was after?

    Is there also any relevance to a weighting factor, rigor, outcomes or terminal objectives of either of these doctorates, and is the recognition different for both depending of course which country the final Doctoral holder practices or finally teaches in?

    Comments and feedback.

    J.R(ic)
     
  2. Guest

    Guest Guest

    No one else has replied so I might as well give my 2 cents to a field I know very little about.

    If your only goal is to earn a doctorate, then whether it is a DBA or DCommerce is probably not relevant. You need to make your decision based on other factors (cost-learning-convenience-etc).

    If you think you are going to want to teach here in the US or Canada then it may matter. My guess is that the DBA title is more well known and would therefore more easily be assimilated into academia in North America. On the other hand the DCommerce could make you stand out in a pool of applicants. I would ask those in your field if this is a concern.

    Good luck!

    North
     
  3. Gary Rients

    Gary Rients New Member

    If all that a person cares about is just "getting a doctorate," then I guess that it really doesn't matter what the title of the doctorate is. I think that your time estimates are overly optimistic though, from what I've seen. I don't think that I've come across a recognized (RA or GAAP) doctorate that could be completed in under 2 years full-time, and even that seems to be really pushing it for a lot of programs...
     
  4. Dennis Ruhl

    Dennis Ruhl member

    I believe that most of my business profs had three magical letters in a unique upper case, lower case, upper case order.

    Do you give up?

    PhD!
     
  5. Dr Dave

    Dr Dave New Member

    Dennis, most but not all professors. A couple of points. 1) While PhDs heavily populate business and management faculties in the U.S. to the tune of 80% or so, there are also plenty of DBAs there as well. 2) One would automatically expect the PhDs to be predominent in academe, since a) the PhD is the academic rather than a professional degree and b) since over the last few decades more universities have decided to offer PhD programs rather than DBA programs.

    I believe one reason for this is that in the 70s and 80s, there were three faculty openings in business schools for each new doctoral graduate in business or management (quite unlike the PhD glut in some other fields). So to address that shortage of talent, it's not surprising that there was greater emphasis in churning out more PhDs, where the focus if the PhD is truly teaching and research.

    I've been around long enough to see the pendulum swing in many aspects of life, so I would not be too amazed to see a shift toward the DBA direction before long. Why? Because today there is increasing emphasis on the competent application of knowledge, not within the ivy walls, but in the corporate world. Interestingly, Heriot-Watt, although not a U.S. university, has just annouced a new DBA program. One reason DBAs are increasingly found on faculties these days is that students are demanding to hear not only the theoretical slant, but the practical point of view as well. DBAs provide that in the classroom exceedingly well.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 3, 2002
  6. Dr Dave

    Dr Dave New Member

    To John:

    I'll take a stab at your first question: which master's degree is appropriate for a doctorate in business or management? I've discussed this with faculty in the past and can offer some insight, although it is not at all ironclad. There are always exceptions when applications are being processed.

    The MBA is a professional master's degree that offers the most complete preparation for the DBA, which is likewise a professional degree stressing application of knowledge in the field.

    Regarding PhD programs in business and management, the MBA might be appropriate for certain specializations such as marketing or manufacturing. On the other hand, if one were to specialize in organizational behavior and development, an MA in psychology, sociology, social psychology, or anthropology would be far more welcome. There are also PhD programs in Finance. The MS in Finance would provide a more thorough foundation for pursuing that particular doctorate than the MBA, even with a Finance concentration.

    So to answer your question, it depends.
     
  7. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    DBA in 1-2 years? wow!. An australian DBA normally takes about three years FT to complete . I'm enrolled in the USQ DBA and the dissertation takes about three years, plus one year and a half of course work. The australian and UK DBAs are the closest thing to the american PhD, plus it is the ideal route for the MBA graduates since few UK or Australian universities would take MBA graduates into their PhDs. Most of them would ask you for a M.Phil first and that can make things longer for the MBA graduate. You can call it DBA, but in fact it is the american PhD since it requires course work and dissertation.
     
  8. John Roberts

    John Roberts New Member

    Thanks guys for your feedback, however the question was posted as a general question for MBA entrants and was not to attract a response to the Ph.D, but to see if anyone can recognize the D.Comm out of South Africa in the specialisms it offers that would be course for course to the DBA, or its level and acceptablity in the continental US/Canada.

    I understand from the responses that the USA generally sees the Ph.D, and the UK goes both ways in the Ph.D & DBA, but South Africa UNISA & UNIZUL do the M.COMM & D.COMM thing.

    BTW, the UK's Glamorgan offer a 1 year F/T, DBA, as do others with entrance being the professional degree and/or with professional membership in one of the Management/Marketing institutions (CIM/IMgt).

    The question/responses to getting any RA/GAAP Doctorate was right, it really doesn't matter, if it was only the Doctorate that someone was after, however times and places change for marketable degrees in North America, with the 1) Ph.D, 2) then DBA, then 3) D.Comm as I see it.

    Outside of this I was looking for a response directly to the equating of the DBA Vs the D.Comm choice.

    Gert, the resident SA expert or others (Kennedy since HW now offers the DBA) that are or have done the SA schools in business, can you respond. Dont you think that UNISA and the other SA universities are offering the D.Comm for a reason?

    J.R(ic)
     
  9. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

  10. Professor Kennedy

    Professor Kennedy New Member

    Some UK Bachelor degrees were 'B.Com' many years ago and I think this was historical and probably is now 'archaic' terminology. I still see biogs of older academics with B.Com listed, inlcuding some very bright ones.

    SA, being very much closer under the old regime to British academic traditions, has probably taken this over into 'M.Com' and 'D.Com'. It would look odd in an academic cv/resume in the UK but not terminally, especialy if it was an older candidate.

    A DBA is more recognisable in the UK and North America, though I would have severe doubts about a DBA in one year - that is a very fast literature survey indeed, let alone project definition for the dissertation and for conducting the practical and applied research, on top of the normal taught part of the course (which can be done by distance learning as at an institution of which I am familiar). I would think a DBA in 3 years full-time is more normal (like a PhD), and by distance learning about 5 years.
     
  11. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member


    If you get a DBA, D.Comm or D Mgt, you will have to get an evaluation from either a goverment institution or university since these degrees don't exist in Canada (Except for the DBA that was started by Sherbrooke). Most likely, you could get the equivalence of a canadian PhD, but this is granted on a case by case basis since it depends on the program. So, if you get the equivalence, you will be allowed to use the letters PhD after you name even if it is a D.Comm since this degree doesn't exist in Canada. You should consult with the minister of education of Ontario in order to see if that degree would be consider equivalent to the canadian PhD.
     
  12. Dr Dave

    Dr Dave New Member

    Considering that John is based in Canada, and given RFValve's obvious knowledge of requirements there, RFV's insights and advice seem right on the mark.

    David April, DBA
     

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