Pls help me evaluate this AACSB DL program...

I've been seriously considering obtaining another bachelor in business since I would actually like to teach business sometime in the future. Although I have a graduate degree in business, my bachelor via Excelsior is in Sociology. The recent thread on AACSB accreditation has convinced me that any future business degrees I obtain had better be AACSB if I intend to teach (yes, I know Regis is not AACSB...let's save that for another discussion).

One program that I am looking into is through East Tennessee State University. This program is a bachelor of professional studies with a concentration in organizational leadership. There are several reasons why I am considering this program. First, ETSU is only about a 45 minute drive from where I live. Even though the school is very close to me I will still have to take classes online due to my chaotic work schedue. With ETSU so close to me, I can make an occasional trip to the campus to develop a rapport with my advisors and get some in-person assistance when necessary. Second, I have already completed all of the "challenging" classes like social statistics and social research. Finally, ETSU has AACSB accreditation.

My only reservation with this program is that it seems to have a slightly different curriculum from traditional AACSB business programs. For example, the core business and concentration requirements have a few sociology, psychology, and other humanities courses mixed in. I'm not seeing as many "hardcore" business courses as other AACSB programs I've evaluated.

Since I'm interested in possibly teaching business sometime in the future, I'm basically uncertain as to whether this program would be viewed as a satisfactory business foundation for teaching purposes. I need the "DegreeInfo Gang" to take a look at this program and tell me what you think.

Here is a link...

http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/degrees/bps-ol.htm

Thanks in advance for everyone's help,

Cy

 

I am a bit confused by this program, but here is what I see.

I tried to find their accreditation, and there is no mention of AACSB.

It also seems that this program is part of the professional studies department, not the business department. I will look a bit more and let you know if I find anything else.

 

This is not a true business program and would never pass muster with the AACSB. Appropriately, the program leads to a degree in Professional Studies, with a concentration in Organizational Leadership instead of a traditional business degree. Most of the important business courses are missing from the core curriculum, such as Managerial and Financial Accounting, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Principles of Management, Management Information Systems, Principles of Finance, Marketing, Business Ethics, Operations Management, Quantitative Management, etc.

Upon completion of this program, you could not honestly state that you had a degree in business (or a related area such as Business Administration, Management, Marketing, Finance, Accounting, etc.). If you want a more traditional business degree, I suggest you look at the many degree offerings on my Web site.

 

If you want to teach at a AACSB school, or simply want the advantage of AACSB accreditation in applying for a teaching job, it's really your graduate degree that's going to be scrutinized.

If you really want to go back and get a AACSB degree, I'd go for the MBA. There are some DL options, with Colorado State and the University of Colorado being 2 examples.


Bruce

 

Kristie, I did a search on the AACSB web site and ETSU is included in their list.

Gus, I do agree with you that this does not appear to be a true business program. It appears to be a quasi-business/social sciences program. Also, I have already been checking out many of the programs on your web site. Thanks for creating such a valuable tool.

Bruce, I have already completed an MBA, albeit via a non-AACSB school. Since two MBA degrees might look a bit odd on my resume and since my original MBA is in general business, I have been considering knocking out a MS in some kind of specialized business field from an AACSB school.

After careful consideration and with the help of the DegreeInfo gang, I have decided to pass on the ETSU program....the search continues.

Thanks again,

Cy

 

Be careful, there business school is AACSB, but not their porfessional studies department. They do not claim to have accreditation for this program, nor do they have it.

Bruce is exactly right, when I have been interviewing, there has been no note of my undergrad record, and many professors have degrees outside business.

I would recommend the AACSB MBA - there are plenty out there, instead of the bachelor's, if you want to teach. Or go to a AACSB Doctoral program.

I recommend University of Tulsa, but I am biased.

 

Going to the AACSB web site and then going back to STSU School of Bussiness, I do not find that particular program. Then going on to the ETSU Program (Regents Online) you find the program you mentioned.

Conclusion: ETSU School of Business is AACSB accredited, but the ETSU bachelor of professional studies is not part of this program.

 

Exactly, there are a good number of schools that have started this approach..... students beware.

 

Getting into an AACSB-accredited MBA program without a degree in business from an AACSB-accredited program is feasible. But expect to do a lot more prerequisite work.

 

At the University of Tulsa there are two prereqs. if you don't have a business degree. It can be taken the summer before the program starts (2 years).

 

Not too bad. Let me give you one to the other extreme. I did a BS in Business from USNY. I applied to San Diego State University's MBA progam. At the time, SDSU's MBA consisted of two years of full-time study. The first year was made up of pre-requisites. Those pre-requisites were waived completely for those who held bachelor's degrees from AACSB-accredited schools. If you held a non-AACSB-accredited degree, the admissions folks would consider waiving the courses on a course-by-course basis. For me, they waived exactly one, leaving me nine courses to complete (plus the 10 2nd-year MBA courses)! Needless to say, I didn't attend. I took my MBA from National University. Ironically, I ended up teaching at SDSU (as the commandant of cadets of the Air Force ROTC unit) for 4 years.