PHD/DBA External Student easy Doctorate/Dr Promotion

Hello There!

Do you know a recognized University in Europe / USA where someone can just write a dissertation on his own (as external student) and then submit it after 2 or 3 years?

I heard a lot of stories about this promotion path but unfortunately I do not know where those students got their Dr degree.

Thanks!

 

Most of UK universities and colleges offer Research Doctorate; while some offer Doctorate by publication. Usually Doctorate by publication is only offering to the university member. For the research Doctorate program, you have to enroll into the program; however, there is no specialty course works instead research courses and writing dissertation/thesis.

https://www2.le.ac.uk/research-degrees/phd/management/distance-learning

 

I have to agree here. Pretty funny.

 

Sometimes people think that a dissertation-only Doctoral program is "easy" but the truth is that it might actually be harder than one in which coursework comprises a hefty proportion of the program. Typically, the minimum time allowed for such a degree is 3 years, and that's if you're working at it full-time. Part-time doctoral study can be expected to last 5-6 years. As TEKMAN said, most British universities offer such degree options. Here's an excerpt from the University of Leicester site

https://le.ac.uk/study/research-degrees/what-they-are/phd

 

Hello there!

Any option in low cost countries like Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, etc?

Thanks!

 

Do you speak Hungarian?

 

If you do speak Hungarian - then you know what this means: Kérjen valakit Magyarországon.

Here are a few sites in English (there are plenty more) on PhD opportunities for foreigners in Hungary. You have to be there, I guess, as I found absolutely zero Distance Opportunities for business degrees - or doctorates of any kind.

https://www.findaphd.com/study-abroad/europe/phd-study-in-hungary.aspx
https://www.phdportal.com/countries/degrees/537067541/doctor-of-philosophy-in-hungary.html
https://www.phdstudies.com/PhD/Hungary/
https://www.postgrad.com/study-in-europe/european-countries/study-in-hungary/
http://www.scholarshipportal.com/phd/scholarships/hungary

Not exactly the cheapest either, it appears. The least expensive good doctoral programs seem to be South African. There may be the odd degree-by-research option there, but don't expect to throw a canned dissertation in the mail and walk away with a degree. If you do get one that way, send it back! It's a dud! As I said, Hungary's not the cheapest, so I've include one on scholarships, to ease the pain.

And you probably know what this means too, right? Próbáld meg saját kutatást végezni.

 

Another possibility. Nicaragua. I've known of one or two Americans who have had pretty good acceptance of doctorates from this school: Universidad Central de Nicaragua / Central University of Nicaragua. The University has legitimacy in its own country ...with or without recently-acquired offshore accreditation - and according to a knowledgeable on-ground DI poster in Nicaragua, it's "real" in every sense of the world. I'm not sure I like some of the dual-degree pacts it has made with other schools (which might not be as good as UCN itself)but I'd have nothing against a UCN degree on its own.

They offer instruction in English and I'm told the fees are reasonable. Doctorates by Research? I'm not sure - but you could have a conversation with them.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_University_of_Nicaragua
https://www.ucn.edu.ni/

I don't know why I can't locate an English page. (I'd swear I've seen one.) If you don't read Spanish, use the Google service to translate.

 

Here's one (from what appears to be their Austrian agents):
http://www.businessschooldirect.info/degree_programmes/phd_programmes
Both PhD by research and by prior output are advertised.

As an aside, while these programs seem to pass the GAAP test, I am not 100% convinced they can be called "credible" in all situations. Probably will work for adjunct positions, can be printed on business cards legally; beyond that, anyone's guess is as good as mine. If I am to seek another doctorate for employment purposes, I'd probably pass on this.

 

And well you might pass on it, Stanislav, especially considering the august and immaculate nature of the degrees you already hold. I should note that the people I've read of getting good reception of UCN doctorates had unassailable RA Bachelor's and Master's prior to UCN and were already well-established in their careers - definite advantages. Without such a sterling record, more people might look askance at a foreign doctorate - who knows?

Me? Well, I'm not crazy about the vigorous promotion by overseas agents, dual-degree programs with (lesser?) schools or offshore accreditation, which some who really know this business have called um... less-than-meaningful. That said, I can't say that UCN is not a "real" school. It's a private university and in some circumstances the degrees of such schools don't have the same standing as "mainstream" (public) ones. Nevertheless, licensed and legal it appears to be and on-ground, professors are teaching and students are studying. We had a seven-page thread on UCN a year or two back and the consensus of the expert pack was that the school was definitely legitimate. Opinions varied a bit, understandably, on how good it was or wasn't.

The OP was looking, as so many appear to be, for the oft-sought "quick cheap doctorate." (Sigh.) Too many of us live in an age of instant gratification, where expedience is prized over quality. At this level, I'd say one could do worse. And we wouldn't want that. Oh no, never....

 

Hello Johann,

Thanks so much for your posts, you seem to be an expert.

I am a professional consultant and entrepreneur with more 10+ years experience. I hold a MBA from a good UK university and my aim is to get a Dr. because in future I can see myself teaching at some private universities.

Having said that, for me the priorities are:

1. I can write my PhD or publications without additional courses (as external)
2. It is 100% recognized in EU

I checked your UCN on the ANABIN (Germany) "Die von der UCN in Deutschland und Österreich betriebenen Außenstellen genügen nicht den hiesigen Anforderungen und akademischen Standards einer hochschulischen Einrichtung. Die im Wege des Fernstudiums erworbenen Abschlüsse können daher hier nicht zur Anerkennung empfohlen werden."

This means that the degrees of the UCN ARE NOT ACCREDITED.

Do you have any other recommendation?

 

Well, the topic of this thread has the word "easy" in it, so there's a confusion about what is it you want, exactly. Research doctorate, that is, dissertation with no additional courses, is the normal route under British system. So, literally every British school potentially match your requirements, IF you can gain admission. May have to pitch a research proposal even before getting admitted. Also, admission requirements often include academic Master's degree, and some schools do not count an MBA as one. You'd have to ask schools directly.
Years ago, there were a few members of this forum who successfully obtained Doctorates from South African universities. UNISA is mentioned the most, because it is an "open" university stressing Distance Learning. Established public SA universities like UNISA and University of Pretoria are well recognized and inexpensive. Having said that, none of them was able to finish in 2 years, and the process they described is hardly "easy". Research rigor these schools expect is quite high.

If I were you, I'd seriously consider the Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland ebsglobal.net. The courses they require are on Research Methods, and they are immediately applicable to research and dissertation writing, geared to their standards. This can remove a lot of pain from the dissertation process. In fact, I do consider HW-U, hypothetically; the thing that gives me pause is cost (even though it's quite possibly the cheapest program in UK, it's still not at SA level). Courses are a bonus not impediment; and I daresay I have better research background than most potential applicants. School is British Royal Chartered, public, above-average rank, research institution - so recognition should not be an issue. You just need to check whether the degree use you have in mind requires it to have additional accreditation like AACSB or AMBA; HW historically resisted getting these. It may be currently changing.

If you can produce quality peer-reviewed publications in good journals, PhD by Publication route is available in several UK universities, and will be both faster and cheaper. Research and publication required for this takes most people at least 3 years, usually much more. You could do it faster at UCN, but that is part of the problem with that program.