Bryan's DBA

Doctor of Business Administration to begin Fall 2022

• Format: 8-Week online accelerated classes
• Credit Hours: 60 credit hours to graduate
• Location: Online/hybrid (limited residency: one onsite class per year)
• Cost: $600 per credit hour
• Classes start: Fall of 2022 Semester
• Accredited: SACSCOC
• Christian Worldview: All courses are taught from a Christian worldview*.
• Applications accepted: until May 1st

*Similar to Liberty (I guess). Just a bit more expensive.

https://www.bryan.edu/academics/online-professional-studies/doctor-of-business-administration-dba/

 

Without judging, I've always been curious what this actually means and entails.

And Chris, do you know if Liberty's online programs also carry this aspect?

 

Yes, I understand that every online program at Liberty incorporates a Christian worldview. For example, in my Ph.D. program, every course I took, including the research methods (HSOG) and educational electives (SOE), incorporated a Christian worldview. The dissertation was the only portion where it was not required yet welcome. I will share a breakdown of my experience.

1. Discussion Boards - I found that including a verse from the Bible was sufficient because DBs generally are not long assignments. Typically, I connect the scripture to something in my discussion.
2. Papers - Typically, I include a Christian worldview section (one or two paragraphs) towards the end of the paper, just before the conclusion. However, some assignment instructions will specifically ask us to integrate a biblical worldview throughout the paper. In such cases, I include a relevant scripture in every or maybe every other paragraph. Two papers were strictly biblical worldview papers (Biblical Worldview of Corrections in CJUS703 - Advanced Corrections Policy and Biblical Worldview of Law Enforcement in CJU840 - Stress Management in Criminal Justice). For those assignments, it required almost entirely biblical in-text citations.
3. PowerPoints - These typically require a slide on the Christian worldview. The courses with several PowerPoint presentations were Comparative Criminal Justice Systems (CJU701) and Transnational Organized Crime Advanced (CJU810).

Christian worldview in research?? Snippets from my DB assignments:

Biases
According to Pannucci and Wilkins (2010), every published study almost always has some degree of bias present. Nonetheless, Christians should prayerfully seek God’s assistance in removing unintentional biases. Proverbs 3:5 states, “trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

Statistics
Statistics assist us in answering questions that we have about the world by testing our hypotheses. For instance, we may need to know the demographic data of the United States’ population, which can be achieved by conducting a census. An excellent biblical reference that highlights the use of census to obtain demographic data is found in Numbers 1:2-4 when the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. You and Aaron are to count according to their divisions all the men in Israel who are twenty years old or more and able to serve in the army. (NIV)​

Correlation/Causation

Nonetheless, when investigating cause and effect, it is necessary to determine how credible and believable the variables are and seriously take into consideration any rival hypotheses (Maxfield & Babbie, 2018). Proverbs 19:2 states, “Desire without knowledge is not good— how much more will hasty feet miss the way!” (NIV).

Non-Christians attend Liberty, and they survive as long as they follow the requirements like any other student. For example, I had an NYPD Captain (one of the highest-ranked Muslims in NYPD) in my Advanced Juvenile Justice Policy class. He incorporated scriptures in the DB. My dissertation reader told me recently that he had an atheist in his course.

 

As an atheist (and amtitheist) myself, that sounds exhausting. I couldn’t do it, at least not with a straight face.

Shame so many of the affordable DBAs are from explicitly Christian institutions.

 

As an atheist, I'm lucky that Eastern University's "Christian Worldview" is met by having Professors agree to a doctrinal statement and providing lots of opportunity for prayer and reflection on campus and over Zoom, but nothing mandatory. There's no reference to religiosity in the MSDS coursework. (Edit: I also checked a few other programs like the BA Mathematics and BS Accounting, no religious courses there either.)

 

Honestly, I don't find Liberty's "quote a Bible verse" model to be all that intellectually challenging, even for non-Christian students. I don't want to pre-judge it (maybe it was much better than that...hopefully), but (assuming that was the extent of it) it strikes me as very problematic. Faith and learning integration is the subject of sophisticated Christian pedagogical models. From reading some of those books, I never got the impression that it is about tucking Bible verses here and there. According to the better models, the student would be asked to seriously reflect on things like (just to give a concrete examples); the role of forgiveness in international relations (when taking a political science class), the relationship between models of direction in history (linear, cyclical, teleological) and how they fit with the the larger Christian narative (when taking a history class), different teaching pedagogies in light of the scriptural understanding of personhood (an education/pedagogy class). I am just shocked that this "in-text citation" method would pass for a Christian worldview education.

 

If that is the case, why would one choose Bryan College's program over Liberty University's one? At least Liberty University has a larger alumni network, bigger endowment ($1.71 Billion vs. $6 Million), good supports, etc.

 

Liberty also has a lot of baggage RE: Jerry Falwell Jr. Bryan College does not immediately make people think of any particular scandal.

 

Depends on if you're attending LU full-time or part-time and whether you qualify for discounts. The FT rate is $595/credit or $650/credit part-time. I qualified for a Emergency Response Personnel (ERP) discount and paid $447/credit full-time and $487 part-time.

 

The reality is that most students who attend Liberty University Online, myself included, are not devout Christians. Hence, I would imagine that students are more interested in being challenged to reach their full potential in their disciplines. I don't care if the Christian worldview is not viewed as intellectually challenging. The important thing is that the criminal justice courses, research courses, and educational electives were rigorous and intellectually stimulating.

 

Their main website claims that they are "training champions for Christ." If they provide rigorous classes combined with faith pablum, it is a failure on their own promise. You don't have to be a Christian to notice that. I am not criticizing you for going there with a different goal. That's perfectly understandable. I just disagree that a Christian university should make such grandiose claims and expose non-Christians to such a shallow Christian learning experience during their doctoral studies, regardless of the discipline undertaken.

 

They are still "Training Champions for Christ." I'm sure those who need a deeper level of Christian education will go to seminary or Divinity school.

Anyway, I shared my experience. I can't speak for any other Liberty student.

 

My little question, your informative answer, and look at the discussion that emerged. Thanks, Chris.

 

You brought up good points. I am wondering if any prospective employers would not choose someone who graduates from Liberty University due to its tie with a conservative in terms of political views.

 

I guess if that were the case, all of Liberty's graduates would be unemployed. But, unfortunately, perception does not always translate to reality. Many people who speak about Liberty's "baggage" are not graduates and have no lived experience of applying for a job as a Liberty graduate. Since earning my Ph.D., I've been employed by two public universities and three private universities (one FP and two NFPs). I have also recently been interviewed (TT positions) by three R2 institutions, one D/PU, and one master's comprehensive university. If they had a problem with my Liberty degree, they wouldn't even waste their time interviewing me. The reality is that many employers aren't hiring school names. Instead, they employ the most qualified candidate, and sometimes a degree alone will not suffice.

 

I think generally this is true, and it expands wider to things like online schools in general.

I think there are specific areas where having a degree from Liberty could be harmful but they're pretty limited.

I wouldn't want to compete for a job at the Freedom From Religion Foundation or the DNC with a PhD from Liberty.

I also wouldn't want to apply to a Republican strategy firm with a degree from say, Evergreen State College either.

On the other hand most employers don't care about one's political or religious leanings in which case their school's religiosity or political involvement is irrelevant.

 

C'mon. That cannot be the same.

 

Can you expand? I was trying to match colleges with specific political or religious leanings and organizations that hold opposing views.

Evergreen is most known nationally for a protest where they chased a Biology professor off campus (metaphorically) for speaking against a Day of Absence where white staff and students would stay home.

 

I think the fact is, people should research a university prior to applying and attending. Don’t want the Christian worldview? Then do not go to Liberty. They make it pretty darn clear that they have Christian worldviews in their curriculum and if someone is uncomfortable with that, it probably is best they not apply.