Best Choice of Schools - Doctoral Programs

(Condition: I do not want to teach, and this degree has nothing to do with an academic future, no research, no form of contact with educational institutions what-so-ever!)

I have read every post on Degree Info regarding these schools and at this time I'm looking for current thoughts and information only.

I have a need to enter into another degree program to keep my mind sharp and to write another major paper, I have some unfinished business here.

The choices are as follows:

California Pacific University - cheap, legal, not much more. Interesting.
Distance Learning Programs Business Degrees - California Pacific University

University of Atlanta - DETC - relatively cheap, will meet my needs.
Accredited Online Degree - UNIVERSITY OF ATLANTA - Online Education

SMC University - accreditation (ECBE, & ACBSP), Tuition Free for D. Econ. Program
Economics PhD - Tuition - SMC University

Has anyone signed up for the "Tuition Free" program at SMC University? I would like to hear from those who are in the program, I understand that a member, Steve Forester, is in this program, are there any others?

I looked at UNISA but they have greatly reduced the number of opportunities of entry into their Doctoral Programs via the MBA degree route.

How well would you regard ACBSP as a means of establishing credibility with this school? Is there academic/industry support for their accreditation?

Any other suggestions would be welcomed, as well. Thanks.

 

My choice of the three would be SMC.

ACBSP is a tier two accreditation in the states, but there are other good programs such as the one at Anderson University (DBA) that are in the same boat. My feeling is that AACSB is the accreditation for scholars that want to work in research academia and ACBSP is for scholars that predominantly want to teach and not do research.

That may be an oversimplification and there are research requirements to getting your school AACSB accredited so it's either that ACBSP schools can't get AACSB due to mission or that ACBSP is the defacto standard for schools that focus on teaching in business.

If you're going the professional or consulting route or just want the credential for personal sat. no harm in doing ACBSP

Thanks,
A

 

DI forum member Steve Foerster is doing his doctorate through SMC you might want to contact him with q'ns about the school.
DegreeInfo Distance Learning - online degree forum - View Profile: SteveFoerster

 

If you read between the lines, the SMC PhD in Economics will actually end up costing more than their DBA/DF/DM programs

Here is what they say "Your financial obligation is limited to a deposit of € 1500.- (plus one-time inscription fee of € 250.-) and a monthly library and research contribution in the amount of € 350.- for the entire duration of your studies"

350 Euros for 3 years works out to Euro 12,600, while their other doctoral programs have a flat fee of Euros 10,900 if paid in full, in advance.

I agree with you that the SMC doctorate is the best choice for somebody who doesn't want to get into research. I have been doing my due diligence for a few months and almost on the verge of taking the plunge with them

 

I'm not sure how this is "tuition free" when it is 350 euros a month for about 3 years.

 

ITJD - Thanks for that information, sounds as though I can't go wrong with the SMC degree as they hold a reasonable accreditation in the US. Would you say ACBSP is ranked somewhat higher than DETC? I'm not sure which one would be perceived as a stronger candidate in the eyes of NA business.

emmzee - I have been reading Steve's blog on other sites and I might seek him out too, thanks.

edowave - Until June 2, 2010, they offered free tuition, they waved the monthly 350 euro payment for students applying in time, I made that cut-off and have been accepted, I'm trying to hear from those who know something about each of these schools, or, have an opinion about their relative value.

Now that I have clarified this, do you have an opinion?

Thanks to everyone!

 

I would say ACBSP would be regarded more highly than DETC. Factor in the price, SMC seems to be the no-brainer!

Please keep us posted how the program goes.

 

edowave !!

Now you did it! I have always enjoyed your posts and for you to support this school, well, I'm really excited. It does look like a great deal but I'm not that familiar with ACBSP accreditation, your comments regarding their relationship to DETC really put the quality of the degree into perspective and makes the decision easy at this point.

I'm a member of the American Society of Engineering Management and I would like to write some engineering articles for them, this degree is important for that to happen.

Thanks so much! I'm pumped now!

 

I feel honored you think highly of my posts. Keep in mind, I know nothing about this program or this college, but based on ACBSP accreditation, cost, and your requirements, this seems like a really great deal. Having a PhD in economics from a college in Switzerland has a coolness factor too. Best of luck!

 

Regarding the DETC v. ACBSP question, I might have to respectfully disagree with edowave. Here's my thinking: DETC accreditation applies to all sorts of distance learning schools. Some are vocational, some are academic, some have business programs and some do not. The unifying factor is the DL bit. ACBSP accredits business programs. I'm guessing that most of these are not DL programs but they all are business programs, nothing else. So, asking which accreditation is "better" is a kind of apples and oranges thing.

I know very little about SMC. I am happy to believe that it's a good school that offers quality programs. I know that their ABCSP accreditation is not the only form of accreditation they have. But I'm wondering one thing. Does ABCSP accredit programs or does it accredit schools? I'm asking this because I've noted that the program that has caught you eye is an Economics program. While closely allied to Business, Economics is not necessarily a Business program. In many universities the Economics department does not exist within the school of Business. So, if ABCSP accredits "programs" as opposed to schools and if Economics is not necessarily a Business program then it's possible that the Economics program at SMC is not actually accredited by ABCSP. I don't know that this is the case but it might be worth double checking. In any case, good luck with your studies.

 

Interesting. The fact that the program is not ABCSP doesn't really matter, IMHO. What would be a deal breaker in my book would be if the program was comparable to an RA degree in the US.

Now the other two choices (California Pacific and University of Atlanta) are not RA either, and you stated you have no desire to teach, do research, or have anything to do with educational institutions. In this case, SMC would fill your requirements. However, you might change your mind one day, and it sounds like an awful lot of work for a degree that limits your options. Just something to think about.

 

Slow down Speed Racer! I never said it wasn't ABCSP. I just asked a question. I don't know the answer to the questionI asked. Did you do the research? Did anyone? Hopefully our OP did the research but as of this minute I don't know the answer.

 

If you go through their website, their Ph.D in Economics is not accredited by ABCSP, although their DBA and Doctorate in Political Economy are accredited by ABCSP.

 

Kizmet - Thanks for your comments, you brought up a good point regarding ACBSP versus this particular degree, if I were entertaining earning the DBA, I would be concerned about this issue but enlight of my choice to go with an Economics degree, I feel comfortable with this program.

Although I have an MBA, my real interest, where I have spent most of my career, is in engineering. I have owned businesses in the past, but all of them were related to engineering. And so, if I were to ever teach, it would pertain to that field, with a management or project management angle. This degree really does suit my personal needs as a budding professional investor and former economics graduate (undergraduate) though.

Steve Foerster - I have, and continue to read, your blog over at that "other" site, thanks for your information and updates!

Edowave - your following comment:

We agree on the lack of importance of the "program" itself being accredited by ACBSP, for me, this isn't a deal breaker. The second part regarding RA, are you saying you would hope it is RA comparable? I must be missing something in your statement here, thanks.

 

Update:

I forwarded my $ 1,750 Euros today, .... it's a go for SMC, the payment going forward, on an annual basis, amounts to $ 1,500 Euros per year and I have plenty of time to get this done fast. Not an expensive degree for me.

 

I was just saying if it were myself looking for a doctoral program, my concern would be if it is equivalent to an RA degree. For others this probably wouldn't matter.

 

edowave,

I'm not sure how we could determine whether this program, or SMC for that matter, is in any way related to an American RA level school. Steve Foerster tends to believe that they will clarify their position in education with regard to Switzerland, before long.

For my purposes, this degree works for me, at under $ 4,000/complete it isn't hard on the wallet either.

 

Maybe I am reading this wrong, but it appears to me that the library fee alone, paid on a monthly basis, is around $4000 per year.