I was reading through the Higher Learning Commission's May 2025 actions and found the following to be interesting... Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, OK Approved the institution’s request to offer the following programs: Doctor of Business Administration (54 credit hours, CIP code: 52.0201) While I could not find any more information, I think this will be an online program. Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO Approved the institution’s request to decrease the credit hours for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Statistics (CIP code 27.0501) from 72 to 45 credit hours. I wonder what the rationale is for reducing the number of credits so significantly. https://bulletin.wustl.edu/grad/artsci/degrees/statistics-phd/ William Woods University, Fulton, MO Approved the institution’s request to change the length of terms from eight and 16 weeks to five, 10 and 15 weeks for all online courses. I teach at the Woods. All the criminal justice online courses were already in a five-week format. The courses go by fast. The courses are pre-built, and they all have at least three assignments per week. It is certainly a heavy assignment load. Internship and practicum courses will have the longer 10 and 15-week format. What do you think about accelerated courses, whether 5, 6, 7, or 8 weeks? https://www.williamwoods.edu/globalannouncementjuly24nofaqs.pdf
It's a bit weird how they're wanting to drop a 72 credit degree down to a 45 credit degree. Something in between would be better on paper and for learning purposes, such as a 60 credit degree instead. It'll save prospective students, energy/money/time and the degree remains pretty much the same as they can remove the excess 'electives'. In regards to the number of weeks for classes, there really isn't one-size-fits-all models. It's good they have the same classes set into different week options for those who want to accelerate or compact their classes, or for those who need the extra time because of commitments and a third option for those who need that selection for a reason or more.
I think 45 credits beyond a Master degree. It means students must have completed a Master's degree before applying. There are plenty of programs like that.
When I did my MBA at National, courses were 1 calendar month each--4 weeks. Two nights per week, 5:30 - 10, plus one 4-hour Saturday. You had NO opportunity to fall behind. On the upside, you focused on one class at a time. This was immersive and fulfilling. Back then they had a very sophisticated (for the time) computer system. You could add or drop courses in real time on any of their campuses across the state. No forms, no fees, and instant access to an enrollment manager who did it for you right there.
Are you familiar with Oklahoma State's Ph.D. in Business for Executives? It is a hybrid program. https://business.okstate.edu/execphd/
An Exec where I work is in the program. He really likes it from what he has said. That said, I was informed that Southeastern will be releasing information about the DBA on Friday.
https://online.se.edu/programs/business/doctor-business-administration/strategic-management/ Landing page is live! I will be applying over the weekend. For an AACSB DBA, seems like a great deal!
@chrisjm18 looks like tuition for this AACSB Accredited DBA clocks in at $42K. May be the best deal for an online AACSB DBA in the United States.
"Strategic management" is an oxymoron. There is nothing strategic about management. Leadership can be strategic, though. Management is about maintaining things. If it's late, speed it up. If it's broken, fix it. If it's expensive, cut costs. The idea is to maintain the status quo, hit, the target, finish the project on time, etc. These are what Heifetz and Linsky called "technical problems." In the Cynefin framework, these are simple-to-complicated problems, and they're resolved using known (or knowable) methods. Leadership has two forms: tactical and strategic. Tactical leadership--a part of the management function--is about human engagement. Guidance, motivation, communication, etc. Strategic leadership is about taking organizations to new places, taking on new challenges, threats, or opportunities. Heifetz and Linsky call these "adaptive challenges" because they require a change in tactics, strategies, assumptions, values, etc. In the Cynefin framework, these are known as complexities that, if not effectively addressed, can lead to chaos. A common saw is that you "manage things and lead people." This is fundamentally wrong. Almost everything supervisors do with their employees is managing them. Directing performance, providing feedback, accoutning for their time, paying them, it's all management. We can lead people, too: tactically or strategically. But we can't manage strategically, because that's not a thing.
That's definitely a good option. AACSB only shows its accreditation at the undergraduate and master's levels. However, the program is new, so it may eventually be updated to reflect "doctoral" as well. Either way, being an AACSB-accredited business school is often all that people care about.
Texas State University is another option, AACSB is only for undergraduate and Master's. But the price tag is only $36,900 (URL: https://www.mccoy.txst.edu/graduate/dba.html)
