Accepted by Nova Southeastern DBA program

Although I applied in December of 2004, I just got a call from NSU accepting me into their DBA program. I have no idea why it took a half a year. I must have fallen through the cracks. Because I was not ready to start a program anyway, I only called recently to follow up on an answer.

Wore this topic out (NCU vs. NSU, Online vs. Residency, DBA vs. PhD, Professional vs. AcademicO back in February on this forum as have many others, but now I just need to decide whether I'll do NCU or NSU.

 

If close enough....

If you are close enough to one of the residency locations for NSU I would go with them. They have a better reputation and you can use federal aid to fund your program...

 

Congratulations! I hope that you will choose Nova.

 

I'd take Nova over NCU in a rout. Not even close.

 

I am in the NCU MBA program now. It fits my personal needs perfectly. However, if I was considering a DBA I certainly would concur with little fauss. I believe the Nova experience would be well worth it. Would be one of the easiest decisions I ever made.

Just my opinion

 

Based on information available from each school and opinions posted here in the past, if you can afford the residencies NSU seems like your best choice. Of course I find it extremely humorous that annecdotes posted here and elsewhere would suggest that NSU is near the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to academic prestige; however, it seems that poor, poor NCU has somehow managed to to claim a lower rung. Of course their accessability is certainly a powerful selling point. If I choose to pursue a PhD in Computer Science, I'm pretty sure the only place I will apply to is NSU (unless Walden rolls out a PhD in CS anytime soon.)

I wish NCU would at least hire a graphic designer to redesign their web site. Their current one look attrocious and at least for me it comes across as tawdry.

BTW, Messagewriter -- which degree did you complete at NYU? Was it perhaps their MS in Systems Management?

Oh before I forget -- CONGRATULATIONS!!!

 

posts

I thrashed the topic to death in these threads:
UOP DBA, Walden, Capella or Northcentral's PhD 11-04
Northcentral University vs. Nova Southeastern University 1-05

I don't see the two as directly comparable on an academic quality/reputation basis. Nova's worlds ahead. My decision weights and age 40+ are more about probabiliy of success and minimizing the imposition on my life. NCU's a logistical no brainer vs. flying around the country for conferences and classes with NSU. If I were NSU, I wouldn't change a thing, but it might not fit. Another thing is that even though I'm in Tampa, I'd have to fly down to NSU's campus if I wanted to do finance. I guess there isn't enough demand, as only the general management courses are offered in Tampa, which has a pretty deep NSU footprint - surpising.

JoAnnP38 - I did NYU's MS in Real Estate Finance - that's my field. I checkout your website, which is awsome!! You are 5 months younger than me, so it's incredible to see you digging back into academics - go girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW, make sure you get all the synergy that you can between a master and doctoral program. Doing a PhD that will award a master after coursework or whatever is a good idea, because you can have already settled into your stride with department folks and established your research tracks, etc. Coming into a PhD with an MS already can sometimes be more difficult if for no other reason, than the comprehenseive exams will have been designe to some extent around courses that you didn't take. Having taken courses from profs who will be writing your exam questions is a good thing. It seemed like you were looking at different schools for the master and phd degrees so that's why I say this. Clearly, many phd programs require an ms already, yet many let you roll from one to the other. Your 20 years of relevant experience will give you an enormous advantage over younger students and the profs will fight to get you as their GA, believe me! Keep this in mind before aligning yourself to any professor who isn't the best at what he/she does and/or suites your needs as a potential dissertation committee chair. PhD programs have no shortage of politics so play your cards right with all your experience and you'll make you life much easier. I know, I was just in a PhD program up at Clemson and am the same age with similar experience in my field. I don't recall paying for anything.

Good luck and pm me if you have other questions.

 

NSU was considered the bottom of the totem pole here? I would have picked Phoenix, Walden, or Capella below NSU. None of the main ones(Walden, Capella, Nova, Touro, Northcentral, Union, and Phoenix...should I include Argosy) are likely a Harvard, or even a Mississippi State. Yet, they offer what many don't...an RA degree. To me, this at least means there are some standards that would help ensure a solid education. NSU does have a solid brick and mortar presence. This might be looked at as a strength.

Do you think that the utility of an NCU or Touro doctorate still remains to be seen? There are grads out there in academia but they seem to be teaching at schools like Devry and on-line programs. Much the same as doctoral grads of now DETC accredited schools it seems.

Maybe they are updating it now. I don't know but the site has been down since yesterday. I agree, though. The site is horribly cheesy and looks worse than many of the mills.

Maybe I can do a web design doctorate for marketing an on-line school. That's crossover enough to be an applied computer science program in the business administration doctorate. My capstone project might be a new NCU website.

 

Nah! Ask them for a PhD in Business Administration with Electronic Commerce concentration in exchange for redesigning their website (as your dissertation project).

 

Even better, Ted! I worked in my company's e-Commerce group for 3 years doing B2G web development. A perfect fit for my experience...albeit not that interesting to me. Still, they need some help.

 

NSU vs all other DL RA schools: Doctoral level

I don't know if I'd have time to do the Nova program. However, a doctoral degree sought for the purpose of academic appointment is about becoming the near equal to one's committee members, especially the chair. Once nurtured to that level, then the newbie is recognized by those PhDs as a contemporary.

Having said that, the B & M traditional PhD program that one attends generally sets the upper limit on outplacement, in terms of the school that hires a new PhD. Graduates almost ALWAYS trade down for their first assistant professorship. This is not to say they won't climb the ladder later because one's research productivity and frankly, intellect are the only real upward bounding attributes. There is an ordered hierarchy though. Although DL schools are not the same as B & M schools, the only place to go is sideways and down to community colleges. This aint' brain surgery.

Finally, one need only compare the faculty credentials of Nova to NCU to see that there really is no comparison to be drawn, IF and ONLY IF academic placement is the only important thing to a graduate. Nova faculty are much more likely to be active participants within the academy and is, in my opinion, the best academic degree for working adults in the United States and if one intends to work in the US, then probably the world. Nova's reach, in terms of contracts to get academic jobs, exceeds some foreign schools in the US, in my opinion, but I may be wrong.

Touro's faculty, because they are using the B & M faculty, is also good. However and I am not biased, prejudice at all, the reality is that I may seek an academic appointment in the SE US area, where many smaller schools are somewhat religiously oriented, and most Christian, which I am also. Thus, Touro's mission, which is explicit on their B & M website, becomes inconsistent with mine.

Just babbling.

 

I guess its is all about perspective. Even through NSU has a SIGNIFICANT B&M presence, I gather that their DL doctorates are looked down upon by traditional B&M universities that don't offer DL doctorates. But in comparison to NCU, Nova would seem the more prestigious institution.

Unfortunately for me, if I want to complete a DL PhD in Computer Science with minimum residency, my only option is NSU. I keep crossing my fingers that Walden quickly follows through on suggestions that they might introduce doctorate degrees through their newly acquired NTU department of engineering. But at this point NSU is the only realistic game in town for me.

 

Re: NSU vs all other DL RA schools: Doctoral level

I was thinking the same thing. After law school, I plan on entering a PhD program, and two of the schools I am considering are Touro and NSU for reasons you stated above. However, there is a good chance that I will be moving down south, so I have the same worries as you. That is just one of the many many reasons I decided to enroll in Liberty University’s DL Biblical Studies certificate program. That way, if I end up with a Touro PhD, I’ll still have that Christian certificate to add to my resume.

 

Absolutely, NSU is a real B&M school, there's still a lot of misinformation about it (in which I used to take part) but none the less, it's a real school with legit standards and bricks and buildings and libraries and professors on campus.

They're certainly not Harvard as you say, but they're about as close as an online learner seeking a business doctorate can find in the U.S.

 

Re: Re: NSU vs all other DL RA schools: Doctoral level

Too bad that the only doctoral programs offered at Liberty are Counseling, Education, and Ministry. I wish they had more...even a DBA. I like their Christian presence and the school's mission.

 

Re: Re: Re: NSU vs all other DL RA schools: Doctoral level

I completely agree. In my view, Liberty has more than just a great Christian presence. Unlike so many self proclaimed Christians, they really practice what they preach. Every single person I have encountered so far has been extremely kind and very helpful. It has been my best educational experience to date.

If Liberty had what I was looking for in terms of a doctoral program, they would be my first choice. However, it seems like they have a pretty hefty residency requirement. I could be wrong on that, though.

On a side note: Another good Christian DL choice (with a B&M presence) would be Regent University. They just added a few DL doctoral programs, including a PhD in Organizational Leadership. Messagewriter, would any of the Regent programs meet your needs? See www.regent.edu/acad/sls/academics/online.htm

 

Re: Re: Re: NSU vs all other DL RA schools: Doctoral level

Perhaps someone who has been around awhile can refresh my memory as to which of the two Virginia tv preacher universities just launched a DBA. I remember that they took a bit of flack on an old thread because their first two courses deal with a Christian approach to business ethics. Was that Liberty (www.liberty.edu) or Regent (www.regent.edu)?

 

Regents will be starting an online DBA in the Fall of 2006. It does have 21 days of residency, though.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: NSU vs all other DL RA schools: Doctoral level

Thanks for the link. I had never seen a PhD from Regents before. They have one in Org Leadership. The tuition is s over 600/credit hour plus about 30 days or so of residencies spread out over 4 years. It's an expensive program but sound pretty good.

Another good Christian school is Anderson University. They offer a DBA program that is somewhat of an executive type program. I doubt it could be done at such a distance, though.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: NSU vs all other DL RA schools: Doctoral level

A friend of mine was in the DSL (Doctor Strategic Leadership) program at Regent. He had wanted a PhD, so he parlayed his courses into the new PhD, which was created in his third year.

Regent is a substantial program with more traditional admissions criteria at an established academic institution. I've got to have finance to support my work, so the Org programs won't work.

It looks like a good program, althoug expensive and with residency requirements.