Why is B&M academia often unwilling to hire a DL doctorate holder?

Maybe you should take up a new habit...like playing with matches and lighter fluid :evil:

 

This has been discussed since the beginning. Before NCU, TUI and all these new schools, the discussions were about non accredited doctorates or doctorates from foreign schools like UNISA used for professor positions in the US.

The notion of distance learning doctorates for professorship positions is fascinating. In the US seems to be something new but in Australia and the UK the most common thing in the world. In Australia, many schools allow DL PhDs such as QUT, USQ, CSU and Deakin and it is common to find professors holding doctorates from these schools and nobody cares how these doctorates were earned. In SA is the same thing, it is common to find people with DL doctorates teaching at SA universities. In the UK, it is quite common for academics to follow a PhD by using DL and nobody cares about this. It is interesting to see how in the US the notion of DL doctorates is seen as a second rate degree with almost no chance to use it for tenure tracks. My guess is also due to the American PhD format that requires course work while the British, South African and Australian degrees require only a dissertation with no course work.

There are quite few foreign schools that allow students to earn an AACSB accredited PhD. To me there is not point to do a PhD or DBA from a school without or at least membership of AACSB accreditation. It is worth it to pay double the price and to spend a couple of more years doing a doctorate that can lead to much better opportunities.

 

Unless those "better" opportunities are of no interest to you. It's not always just about the best opportunities, Those are definitely worthy, but there are other, less lofty goals that a DL doctorate addresses nicely.

 

Oh yeah...well...you better seek a TT positon at a research institution or else you are wasting your time getting a PhD and then you would be wasting your time on top of wasting your time because you will never get it anyway...so there. Close the thread!

 

Another factor is the difference between early career doctorates vs mid-career doctorates. The typical academics that I know teaching in a university got their PhD in their late 20s or early 30s, often cruising straight through from their bachelors. They may never have held a "real" job outside academia, and have had years of publication experience. These are the decision makers on the inside. When somebody presents themselves with a wealth of career experience in mid-career, with a recent doctorate, it's "different", and despite claims of being places of inquiry and free thought, universities don't do "different" very well at all. Community colleges are a much better fit for the mid-career doctorate IMHO.

 

Well said.

 

AACSB distinguishes between academic qualified and professional qualified. For the second one, experience is more important and the Doctorate is more like dressing. Academic qualified need to show evidence that they can attract research funding and conduct leading research in their field. The problem is that AACSB puts more emphasis in Academic qualified than professional faculty so you will see this reflected in the job requirements.

If someone has a PhD from NCU and has tons of working experience, he or she can still qualify to teach at an AACSB accredited institution but on the professional qualified category. However, you will notice a huge difference in the salary between academic and professional faculty.

I believe the online doctorate can work for some people but if I'm going to put the time and money, I should get the best I can get as the requirements seem to be increasing with the time. Now an online doctorate might cut it for community college or professional qualified faculty at AACSB but this might change in the future.

 

That would be a DBDH. That non-traditional nomenclature will get you nowhere.

 

What you are saying is absolutely true of schools of business, particularly at AACSB-accredited institutions. Publishing in top-tier business journals is certainly essential for business faculty--particularly those at research unviersities--but the ranking and impact of a journal is often less of a factor in non-business disciplines. In these cases, quantity of peer-reviewed publications will often take precidence over journal stature.

At my previous institutions, there was a significant difference in salary between faculty in the business school and the rest of the academic schools. Salary surveys across disciplines, such as those found in the Chronicle of Higher Education, will, indeed show business, engineering and medical faculty in the 6 digital salary range; but most others below that range. When I was at Northeastern Illinois University, the faculty went on strike for a few weeks--all except for the business faculty.

 

Thank you for your kindness. I am a voice...of reason...well, I try.

In our small Ph.D. program, we have 100% mid-career working professionals. None have the goal of an assistant professor position at a traditional university. Whenever we get an applicant with that goal, the Associate Dean of our Graduate School counsels them about seeking an AACSB accredited program. Some of our students are current faculty or administrators in higher ed with years of experience and they have already received notice that their Ph.D.s will be accepted by their institutions for promotion or qualification for a higher administrative position. Others are on a promotion track and are receiving employer compensation for their educaiton. Still others are interested in branching out as consultants or adjunct faculty.

 

Excellent point, which is probably why DL doctorates have some of their highest acceptance within community colleges (for both faculty and administrators). One of the difference that I see with my institution's doctoral program versus more traditional programs is exactly what you have stated. Since our students come to us with years of experince and expertise in their careers, and at least five years in a supervisory/managerial capacity, there is probably little that a bunch of academics can teach them about their particular jobs. However, we can take these advanced practitioners and show them the theories upon which their areas are based, how to find, recognize and analyze the scholarly literature in their areas, and how to conduct research, publish and present.

 

So true. As one of my colleagues said: "At our career stage, we are turning practice into theory, not vice-versa!"

 

Thanks for all your comments. Most Universities have market supplements for business faculty so there is indeed a gap among faculties.

 

I agree, let's close the thread. This point has been beaten to death. At the University where I work, the PhD catalog clearly states that this program is mainly for people looking for faculty positions, anyone else looking for a professional career should be looking at an MBA or specialized master's. It is just surprising the amount of people that follow this program for professional advancement, administration careers, etc. I personally do not see the value for professional work, I'm way better off with a CFA, CPA and an MBA that can easily lead to a 150K career than with a PhD from an online institution that might just help me to get 20 to 30K extra for teaching as an adjunct on the side. I just cannot see the value, I guess this could be an issue of research and see what is the monetary value of adding a PhD to ones credential for professional work.