What's better: PhD from a .com school or a DBA from a B&M?

The DBA from the B&M is the better choice. You will less likely to have cognitive dissonance after you enrolled at an online version of a B&M than at a for profit purely virtual university. I agree with many of the members than online learning will become main-stream. However, I differ, in that the need/gap (programs availability and convenience) that virtually schools has filled in education is now being met by B&M. Thus we are likely to see a major shakeup in virtual schools where the main source of competition is not from virtual schools but from B&M. The free market is akin to natural selection, only the fittest will survive. Thus virtual schools will need to offer something more attractive than just program availability and convenience to compete and stay in business. Price. Lowering prices is just delaying the inevitable. We are going to be having less virtual schools. Stay away from virtual universities. Go B&M. I am the prophet of doom.

 

Did I see you standing on a street corner in downtown LA holding a sigh saying "The End is Near"?

 

It has little to do with how the doctorate is labeled, DBA or PhD. Some DBA's are more research-oriented than some practitioner-type coursework-heavy PhD's. Doctorates are judged on the school and the contribution made to knowledge or practice. A more fair question would be, "what's better, a doctorate from an online school or a doctorate from a B&M school".

If you asked your question to someone holding a Harvard or Manchester DBA, they would just look at you dumbfounded, as the question has no relevance.

 

I concur. The ability to provide a tenure track, university position is no longer the only criteria by which to measure the value of a doctoral degree. That might have been the standard in the past, but things are changing.

 

You make some good points regarding competition. I am not sure of "doom" is the right word. Just saying, "we offer online degrees for your convenience" will not make an online/for-profit stand out. Only time will tell what will happen.

 

Have you been watching The Stand?

 

Unfortunately, there is little room to debate that particular question. The anti-DL prejudice of many people would prove that a B&M doctorate is better. This would be true even if, in truth, the DL degree was just as good as its B&M counterpart. The acceptance is just not there yet.

 

No, I haven't. No super-flu around here, thank you very much!

 

I concur with most of the postings on the board; all other things being equal, a B&M doctoral degree (DBA, Ph.D) is going to be looked at more favorably than an online doctoral degree.

How does this perception change? Quiter frankly, it's with those of us who hold online doctorates. If the dissertation is the last scholarly effort we produce, then we are part of the perceived quality problem. However, if we contribute to the scholarly literature, teach, and make meaningful contributions to our fields, then the perception of the online degree will change.

I write this as someone who is trying to walk that talk. I have presented four papers at professional conferences, chaired four additional panels at professional conferences, and after taking a break to celebrate, will prepare a paper for another conference in October which I eventually plan to publish in an academic journal.

It's up to us to chart our own futures, as well as pave the way for others. That's exciting IMHO.

Shawn

 

It is like a religious experience. I feel the need to say that I was loss but now I am saved.
I still believed that you can get a decent education from a virtual school. The problem is the perception of an inferior education. Now I am not a student of a virtual school, I have no need to defend the perception of inferiority.
When I announced that I was enrolling at NCU, a few members tried to advise me otherwise. Although I do not regret taking their advice; I’ll concede that they were right. Because of escalation of commitment, I spent more time defending NCU than its own administration; I continued to enroll when I should have bailed.
Now that I have bailed from virtual schools, I have a passion to warn potential students to stay away from virtual schools, especially those students who are borrowing to finance their education.

 

As I updated my DL pages today, I realized that the Azaliah College (South Africa) accredited by DETC has closed its door for many years. This is the world of online learning. So sticking to traditional universities is a better choice.

 

Exactly how I feel in my own undergraduate way.. I was very grateful to find UMass Amherst when it was time to do the MBA in 2008. Sadly, I don't think there's an online doctorate that I'm totally comfy with just yet and may just head over to Thunderbird when done in a few months.

If I can ask, (and feel free to reply via PM as I'm not into putting people on the spot publicly) where would you consider now if you were in the market?

Best,
ITJD

 

Do they do degrees over a masters? Heck I know a MBA is $80,000. I would hate to see what their DBA cost.

If I had $80,000 and the pull to get in, that's where I would be.

 

That's a tough question to answer. I have no regrets about choosing Capella for my doctoral studies. I was stimulated intellectually, and I believe that in my field, that I have been accepted into the academy, based on the number of presentations I have either presented or chaired.

In addition, I received a good deal of financial assistance from the American Indian College Fund (I teach at a Tribal College), and I am eligible for complete loan forgiveness in a few years if I continue to teach at a Tribal College.

Having said that, since my research interest is the Army National Guard, I would have to say that I would look very hard at the DPA from Valdosta State, (which wasn't an option when I started studies in 2003).

Shawn

 

Man, I'm having a hard time with you guys who are getting those sweet deals on education. I'm experiencing EFE (Educational Finance Envy) I wonder if there is a support group for that?

 

There is no better option as this depends on the individual. If you already work for a University or College and the dot com PhD helps you to get a promotion or pay bump and it is convenient for you then the dot com school is the best option. If you work full time and want a credential to teach on the side and learn something new the the dot com degree is a good option as it is convenient and designed for working for professionals.
However, if you are going to put yourself in debt to get the dotcom PhD so you can get a better job in industry or a full time teaching position then you should go for a PhD from a solid school instead. This is not because PhDs from dot com schools are terrible but mainly because tenure track positions and serious research positions in Industry are highly competitive so you need to be armed with the best you can to get a chance.
Dot com PhDs are a new form of continuing education, in the past people used to go to night school to get a certificate in order to keep them selves up to date now they have made these certificates more attractive with the name of PhD. The professional of the modern economy is also more under the pressure to stand out from the crowd so the title of doctor sounds as an attractive idea to differentiate.

 

I agree. But the question was this: Is an EdD from a B&M better than a Phd from a .com? All other things, like experience and job path, being equal. What do you think?

I'm just curious, not asking for advice.

 

There's a post-MBA masters level program in Global Management that I'm eyeing, though it's not a doctorate level degree. The plan is to apply to a few state school doctoral programs. If that doesn't pan out, I'm applying to that program and asking/begging my employer to pick up the cost for that and some HBS exec education then applying to a doctoral program when I've run the gauntlet.

Of course, that's the plan now. As options improve over time I reserve the right to be flexible.

 

Noted Shawn - Thank you so much.

I've oft noted Capella as the "Harvard of Online Ed" (fully noting that HES has online courses). The catch is in looking at Capella, especially the alum that have gotten TT positions.. they've been the exceptions, not the norm. I'm willing to bet that in your case you could have gone to Bill and Ted's excellent academy and with your research and talks gotten noticed.

How much of your success do you give Capella credit for? That's the real question I suppose. Feel free to reply privately if you wish.

 

Amen, brother.