SMC University Double Dipping?

I believe the term that best suits the German process regarding higher education and recognition of Foreign Degrees is "Hyper Vigilant"

 

I've read similar thoughts, by people much smarter than I am, quite often. :smile: Many would agree, I'm sure.

J.

 

SMC does offer a PhD in Management (as well as Bus Admin, Finance and Political Economy):
PhD in Management | SMC University

Before I undertook the Patten MBA, I asked my VP of Human Resources (who has been in HR for 25 years and has worked in many other fortune 500 companies other than the one I work at now) about accreditation, attending little known and international schools and attending online schools.
She said flat out that in hiring for upper level (what I termed as director level or higher) positions, experience is the first thing that is critiqued. A higher education such as a MBA or DBA is a bonus and often a great additive (especially when salary negotiations take place), but it is not the main point upon which someone makes it further than the initial hiring stages. Her view of accreditation was interesting, as she seemed to not care about it as long as it was regionally or nationally accredited (She graduated from Haas school of business). She seemed more interested in the grades that a candidate pulled while balancing a full time career, as it showed a level of commitment and desire to succeed. And, as for international or little known schools, she said that if the school gets flagged as a degree mill in the background check, then there is a problem. If it does not, and she had never heard of the institution, she would press the candidate for details about it. Other than that, it was not really that big of a deal. She added that for wall street or investment banking (which many of her classmates wanted to pursue) that name brand business education was a must. But for many executive positions, showing experience, balancing an established career and higher education at the same time, and simply killing the interview process is the way to land high paying jobs and get on the path to the "c-suite". She added that simply getting in the door is essential, so networking and knowing the right people is is imperative.

This interaction led me to undertake the Patten MBA as opposed to some of the other schools I was considering that had higher tuition but better name recognition (U. Memphis, U Louisiana-Monroe, U Mass-Dartmouth).
As I look further down the road, I still believe that SMC is really not a bad option to continue learning, as the price point is amazingly low. I cannot believe that ACBSP would be anywhere near this place if it was a scam, a degree mill or not "above board". I am still a year away from completing my MBA, but the DBA is something I do want to pursue and SMC remains in my possibilities for such an endeavor.
I wouldn't even be in this position if I didn't stumble upon this board two years ago, so I value everyone's input very much. I look forward to reading the continuing debates about SMC's validity and utility in different posts across degreeinfo.

 

Yes, that is my case.

 

@kered Many people need to develop their career in educational areas and yes, the case of SMC is controversial. For companies, it is beneficial to employ persons with practical experiences plus a doctoral degree (as long as its quality is good) so they don't concern much about SMC. For myself, I just want to prove that my ability is at that level, no more, no less.

 

Steve is right, SMC does not offer Ph.D once you complete your Doctorate from SMC, you pay 3,000 Euro to University of Central Nicaragua to validate your study to become Ph.D. Technically, you can have both Doctor of .... and Ph.D in .....

If you plan to use SMC's Doctorate to pursue a career in academia, you definitely choose the wrong path. I only study SMC's for Doctor of Finance because I want to be future Warren Buffet since I am weak in Fiance, and secondly earning a Doctorate for personal satisfaction only. I am currently making more than most top professors, so a Ph.D in Information Assurance does not add any dime into my career. And because I am ending up raising two young children on my own; residencies for me at Nova Southeastern University is not quite convenient.

I have a friend is currently teaching at University of Cincinnati, and previously George Mason University; he earned his Ph.D from top school. But I still make more money than he does. I have no desire to land a job in academia, so SMC's Doctorate meets my satisfaction.

 

It's possible to get into academia in either a high demand field or at a low-paying institution with less than the best accreditation. For example, in an über high demand field like accounting, where they're desperate to find academically-qualified faculty, a PhD from an ACBSP institution might well get your foot in the door even at an AACSB institution. Most business schools in the world (and the U.S.) are not AACSB accredited, far more are ACBSP accredited. Also, it's not inconceivable that at one of the ACBSP institutions, such as smaller colleges, an ACBSP doctorate would be welcomed on the tenure track for fields other than the very high demand ones.

ACBSP institutions are in many cases better than the bulk of AACSB institutions. There are selective and highly selective liberal arts colleges without AACSB accreditation that can spin academic quality circles around some AASCB schools; e.g., my institution is AACSB, a relative large state U, but where my wife went to school, relatively small selective liberal arts, while they aren't AACSB, they have a better overall biz school.

So, my extremely long-winded (I'm a pedant, what do you expect?) way of saying, in at least some cases (though not the majority), it may not ding you to have a "mere" ACBSP doctorate in academia. That said, the gist of what TEKMAN is saying is correct, AACSB is the gold standard, at least in the U.S., and in the great majority of cases, AACSB (or full overseas equivalent) is pretty much necessary.