DBA Distance Learning

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by sthomas58, May 17, 2003.

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  1. sthomas58

    sthomas58 New Member

    I am looking for a DBA Program that can accomodate full time employment. I can travel during the summer months and occasionally during the academic term but an ideal program would allow me to attend the "taught portions" of the program during the summer months. Any suggestions?
     
  2. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Since you are a canadian resident like me, you would find most of the DBA opportunities in the US very expensive given the weak canadian dollar, even the UK ones are still expensive for canadian standards. That leaves pretty much with the australian and south african schools, I feel that australian schools have more acceptance in Canada since there are many faculty members teaching at Canadian with australian credentials and only few with south african degrees. In Australia, you can consider the DBA from USQ, the courses have non-mandatory residencies that you can use if you feel like you need to see your professors but they are not mandatory so you don't have the stress of this requirement. There is also the Charlest Sturt DBA that is also a good option. In SA, you have UNISA with its DBL that some people believe can be a challenge.
     
  3. Robyn Cammish

    Robyn Cammish New Member

    You might also want to consider a program out of Europe. In the meanwhile you find some really fine ones there, especially in the UK and Switzerland. I have a friend living in Winnipeg who is in a similar situation like you. He told me that he recently passed by a fully recognized institute in Switzerland that was making trumendous efforts to fit his schedule and requirements for his DBA. I think it was the "Swiss Management Center". If I remember well, they even offered to organize the "tought portions" at a location of his convenience, meaning in Canada or the US via their network of faculty members. I would not recommend to you UNISA, for they are too large to offer you a personal and tailored service as a distance student.
     
  4. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    I would like to see prove that the Swiss Management Center should be an authorized degree granting institution in Switzerland because I have never heard of it and I know pretty much all of the universities and fachhochschulen (polytechnics) there.

    Greets,
    trigger
     
  5. sthomas58

    sthomas58 New Member

    How does one validate that the "Swiss Management Centre" is "for real." I find the whole process of accrediation confusing. I have been using the Economist ratings of MBA programs as a guide in selecting DBA programs. Some of the schools that offer MBA degrees also offer DBA degrees.
     
  6. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Taken from his website

    "Swiss Management Center was founded by professionals who recognize that in todays business environment experience is just as if not more important than academic training. Unfortunately, for many people the pressures of professional life do not allow the pursuit of academic training, as it is not always possible to make available the time or the funds to pursue a degree course when working.

    Unfortunately a lack of professional qualifications can lead to people with academic training but little or no experience to gain better and more lucrative professional positions. Employers often look at titles more than at the basic ability to get the job done, which places people with professional experience at a disadvantage if they can not back it up with titles and degrees.

    What is most ironic is that experience has shown that people who have trained all their life for academic titles often lack the nescessary hands-on experience to really meet the rapidly changing challenges of todays professional life. There is simply no substitute for experience.

    Accredited qualifications from the Swiss Management Center allow professionals to gain recognition of their skills and experience. The SMC philosophy is founded on the premise that on the job experience should be acknowledged and rewarded in the same way that academic training is rewarded and recognized.

    The SMC also offers a number of online courses for applicants who lack the required experience in one or more areas. The courses currently on offer cover the areas:

    International Marketing & Sales Strategy
    Financial Management
    Financial Accounting Principles & IAS
    Human Resources Management
    International Business Strategy
    Management Information Systems
    Financial Institutions and Markets

    "
     
  7. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    Is that a prove?

    Hm.

    Forget the whole accreditation hype when it´s about Switzerland (, Austria and Germany).

    What here counts first is the STATE APPROVAL, or, to be more specific, the authority to grant degrees.

    State Approval in those countries is on an even higher level than US regional accreditation since the whole university structure and each and every single study program is extensively checked.

    Accreditation is a totally new thing for Europeans and is just being used for some of the new BA and MA programmes, not for universities and the old degrees (incl. the Doctoral ones).

    I repeat - as long as you can not find that school on an official publication from the Swiss Ministry of Education, it is not operating legally in this country.

    Greets,
    trigger
     
  8. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    Higher education in Switzerland

    from the official website of the Swiss Rector´s Conference:

    There are 12 official higher education institutions in Switzerland (10 cantonal universities and 2 federal institutes of technology) as well as a number of other colleges of higher education.

    The universities of Basle (BS), Berne (BE), Lucerne (LU), St Gall (SG), Zurich (ZH) and the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) are located in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

    The universities of Geneva (GE), Lausanne (LA) and Neuchâtel (NE), as well as the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) are in the French-speaking part of Switzerland.

    The University of Fribourg (FR) is situated in a bilingual canton. Therefore the courses are offered in German and / or French.

    The Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) is located in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland.

    The following may also be considered as institutions of higher education: the Pedagogical College of St Gall (Pädagogische Hochschule St. Gallen), the Graduate Institute for International Studies (Institut universitaire de hautes études internationales IUHEI) in Geneva, the Graduate Institute for Advanced Public Administration (Institut de hautes études en administration publique IDHEAP) in Lausanne and the Graduate Institute Kurt Bösch (Institut Universitaire Kurt Bösch, IUKB) in Sion.

    In addition to the institutes of higher education mentioned above, there are a number of private colleges which offer courses based on the Anglo-Saxon system. The studies and examinations offered by these colleges are not recognized in Switzerland. Some of these colleges may even offer courses which are not serious. We therefore advise anyone interested in following such a course to make careful initial investigations into the problem of recognition.
     
  9. Robyn Cammish

    Robyn Cammish New Member

    That is in fact a problem in Switzerland. This country is full of "questionable" institutions in terms of quality, since the law is quite liberal in Switzerland. Actually most of these "questionable" institutions are operating legally, one just has to be carefull about their quality. I cannot judge whether Siss Management Center is of high quality or not, I just got excellent feedback from a friend of mine. BTW, where did you get that web site extract from, I couldn't find this. Actually I just checked the site and found some decent info there.
     
  10. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    Those were the universities.

    here are the polytechnics:

    Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences
    HES-SO Haute école spécialisée de la Suisse occidentale
    Freiburg/Fribourg
    EIF École d'ingénieurs de Fribourg
    HEG Fribourg Haute école de gestion, Fribourg
    HSW Freiburg Hochschule für Wirtschaft, Freiburg

    HES-GE Genève
    EIG École d'ingénieurs de Genève
    EIL École d'ingénieurs HES de Lullier, Jussy
    HEG Haute école de gestion de Genève
    HEAA Haute école supérieure d'arts appliqués, Genève

    Neuchâtel
    EIAJ École d'ingénieurs de l'Arc jurassien site Le Locle
    HEG-NE Haute école de gestion de Neuchâtel
    HEAA-NE École supérieure d'arts appliqués du canton de Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-Fonds

    Valais/Wallis
    HEVs Haute école valaisanne, Sion, Sierre
    HEVs Hochschule Wallis, Siders, Sitten

    Vaud
    EIVD École d'ingénieurs du Canton de Vaud
    HEG-VD Haute école de gestion du Canton de Vaud
    HEAA-VD École supérieure d'arts appliqués du Canton de Vaud, Lausanne
    EHL École hôtelière de Lausanne
    EIC École d'ingénieurs de Changins, Nyon

    BFH - HES-BE Berner Fachhochschule
    HTI Bern Hochschule für Technik und Informatik Bern
    HTI Biel Hochschule für Technik und Informatik Biel
    HTI Burgdorf Hochschule für Technik und Informatik Burgdorf
    EIAJ École d'ingénieurs de l'Arc jurassien site de Saint-Imier
    SH-Holz Schweizerische Hochschule für die Holzwirtschaft, Biel
    HSW Bern Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Verwaltung Bern
    PHW Private Hochschule Wirtschaft, Bern/Zürich/St. Gallen
    SHL Schweizerische Hochschule für Landwirtschaft, Zollikofen
    HSA Hochschule für Sozialarbeit, Bern
    HGKK Hochschule für Gestaltung, Kunst und Konservierung, Bern
    EFHS Eidgenössische Fachhochschule für Sport, Magglingen
    Abegg-Stiftung Abegg-Stiftung, Riggisberg
    HMT Hochschule für Musik und Theater, Bern

    FHZ Fachhochschule Zentralschweiz
    HGK Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Luzern
    HSA Hochschule für Soziale Arbeit Luzern
    HSW Hochschule für Wirtschaft Luzern
    HTA Hochschule Technik + Architektur Luzern
    MHS Musikhochschule Luzern

    SUPSI Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana
    Dipartimento delle costruzioni e del territorio
    Dipartimento di economia e management
    Dipartimento di informatica ed elettronica
    Dipartimento di lavoro sociale
    Dipartimento di arte applicata
    Istituto CIM della Svizzera italiana
    Istituto Dalle Molle di studi sull'intelligenza artificiale
    Istituto di scienze della terra

    ZFH Zürcher Fachhochschule
    HAP Hochschule für Angewandte Psychologie, Zürich
    HGKZ Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich
    HMT Hochschule für Musik und Theater Zürich
    HSSAZ Hochschule für Soziale Arbeit, Zürich
    HSW Hochschule Wädenswil
    FHZH Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Verwaltung Zürich
    PHZH Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich
    ZHWIN Zürcher Hochschule Winterthur

    FHO Fachhochschule Ostschweiz
    NTB Interstaatliche Hochschule für Technik Buchs
    HTW Chur Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Chur
    HSR Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil
    FHS St. Gallen
    Hochschule für Technik, Wirtschaft und Soziale Arbeit

    FHNW Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz
    Solothurn Nordwestschweiz Fachhochschule Solothurn Nordwestschweiz
    Technik - Wirtschaft - Soziales
    Aargau Nordwestschweiz Fachhochschule Aargau Nordwestschweiz
    FHBB Fachhochschule beider Basel Nordwestschweiz
    HGK Basel Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Basel

    Other Universities of Applied Sciences
    FHS-BB Fachhochschule für Soziale Arbeit beider Basel, Basel
    Fernfachhochschule Fernfachhochschule, Brig
    Liechtenstein Fachhochschule Liechtenstein


    note: in german speaking europe a polytechnic degree does not qualify to begin doctoral studies or get a position in a high government level.


    so if anone is interested in a degree from a school that is not in that list of universities and polytechnics, check first if the school has another campus in another country or a partner school that is allowed to grant the degree...
     
  11. Robyn Cammish

    Robyn Cammish New Member

    I guess one should distinguish between public and private institutions in Switzerland. You have listed thze public ones butdon't forget private institutions like:
    IMD, European University, Business School Lausanne, Swiss Business School, Robert Kennedy UNiversity, etc. They are all legal educatinal entities. The same, I guess would count for the Swiss Management Center.
     
  12. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    here the site

    http://www.swissmc.ch/
     
  13. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member


    Yes and no,
    they can operate legally as companies, even under the name "University", but the are not allowed to issue legal university degrees.

    But you are right that this is a Swiss problem (in Germany, Austria, Holland, Belgium, etc., this is not allowed at all).
     
  14. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    Yes and no again
    ;)

    My mistake.
    The IMD Lausanne is listed, as the only one. I guess I forgot to copy it.
    All the other ones are probably legal firms, but not legal universities.

    Greets,
    Trigger
     
  15. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    Besides, me personally, I see each of the ones you mentioned (except for the IMD) as most questionable.

    Greets,
    t.
     
  16. Robyn Cammish

    Robyn Cammish New Member

    Thanks for your advise, would this mean that graduates from these "private institutions" are running around with illegal degrees in the sense that they are not allowed to carry their titles? That would be fraud by the school, right. What also surprises me in fact is that another person I know graduated from European UNiversity in Switzerland (not on the list) and became accredited by the UNiversity of Vienna. He now has an official "Magister" Degree (Title) in Austria. Same worked with graduates from Webster and open University (both in Austria and Switzerland)
     
  17. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    Yes, in my mind that would be the case.
    But my knowledge is actually mostly German law based, were it would certainly illegal, but maybe the Swiss apply their law differently. I´m trying to find out more about that tonight.

    The two schools you mentioned found a very clever solution for their degree issuing problems in searching official Austrian partner universities that hand out the legal degrees for them. That´s what the German Polytechnics also did for years with British partner universities before the Master degrees were allowed in Germany a few years ago. In that case, it would be a legal degree, also in Switzerland.

    I have not said that the schools you mentioned are bad in any way. Most probably the ones that are not degree mills even really offer a solid education. Still, my advice is: check carefully if the degrees are legal in the country were the school is located - or at least in the country the school (or partner school) that is issuing the degrees there. In those cases, everything would be all right.

    T.
     
  18. Robyn Cammish

    Robyn Cammish New Member

    Again, thank you very much for your input and advise. I am really interested in this matter and I will also try to collect more findings on this. Let's share some results later on.

    Best regards,
    Robyn
     
  19. triggersoft

    triggersoft New Member

    I haven´t found a law text yet but some semi-official texts saying that everything that is not in the obove lists is not issuing "approved" degrees.

    Meaning that those institutions may be allowed to issue the degrees and titles, but they are of no use at all in the country (meaning you could not apply to governmental job, university jobs, further education in real universities, practice relevant education or certificates like becoming a lawyer or psychologist or so and that no real company that is at least a little bit informed would hire you). As a results, those degrees would not be illegal, but useless (being worth less than California Approval).

    Greets,
    trigger
     
  20. Robyn Cammish

    Robyn Cammish New Member

    What kind of "effect" (if any) would for example have FIBAA, Equis or ECBE accreditation have on the "validity" of the degrees issued by these schools?
     

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