Hi guys, i am located in Hong Kong and is considering between the two DL DBA. Aston - they will have their first intake of HK program in 2018, with F2F teaching by faculty member in HK for the 4 research methods courses in Year 1 EBS from HW - purely DL Costs wise, Aston HK$400K vs EBS HK$240K My research interest would be more stewed to marketing / strategy / change management Any advice from you guys? Cheers
OK, I've got two things, the first one is a question. I'd just be interested in knowing how you narrowed your choices down to EBS v Aston. Beyond that question I'd simply say that I'd choose EBS. Here's why. We've been hearing positive reviews of this school for years, it's cheaper and the school itself has been around (much) longer and this translates generally into more prestige and larger alumni network. Best of luck, whatever you choose.
Cheers. Indeed I have quite a lot of choices in the beginning. Group 1 - local face to face programs from local Universities - Polytechnic University of HK: longest history in HK, AACSB + EQUIS, $7xxK (HKD, same for all below) - City University of HK: its Biz school is gaining higher credibility recent years in HK/Asia, AACSB + EQUIS, $7xxK - HK Baptist University: least reputation among the above 2, unsure about accreditation, $590K Group 2 - DL programs from UK universities - Manchester: internationally recognized B school, 2 times residency per year in Y1+Y2, triple accreditation, $6xxK - Liverpool: doubt the reputation in its B School, AACSB, $880K - Aston: Face to Face teaching on Y1 research method courses, triple accreditation, $444K - EBS: a lot of good review on this forum, triple accreditation, $230K I did have a MSc already, taking DBA is more 1)) my person interest of gaining a Dr title, 2) get a entry ticket of potential part-time lecturer role in future. My selection criteria: 1. $$$ - I do believe ~HK$400 is the acceptable range I would like to invest in DBA. 2. The B school/Uni reputation/WOM in HK/Asia is a matter to me; triple accreditation is a bonus 3. Prefer minimal overseas residency So with above considerations (more on #1 haha), Aston & EBS are the final candidates. #1 $$$ Aston is more expensive, HK$111K annually equal to the mortgage I am paying EBS is a much better deal for HK$230K for 4 years program #2 Reputation in HK/Asia Aston is relatively higher reputation than EBS in this case and being perceived as one of a good UK B Schools behind those Tier one. From my perception there are quite many 60-70s' Aston B School alumni in HK EBS which is more familiar to HK people with its HW name due to their active participation in local top-up bachelor degree market. I do believe for 80-90s, there shall have more first degree alumni in HK than Aston. #3 residency both of them do not request residency. While Aston do add value for Year 1 face to face research method teaching
Per our PM exchange, I'm now in the DBA phase of the MSc/DBA at Henley. I'd ask a few questions for you to consider: What do you want to do with a doctorate? Why, and where? For me, AACSB accreditation was very important, since I'm located in North America. If you're not looking at staying in academia, this might not be as important. How do you learn best? Be very honest with yourself about this. Academic research is a very intense, particular, and challenging environment, and especially for social research, unlike anything I've experienced in the business world. The time I've spent face-to-face with colleagues and faculty has been invaluable in terms of getting the right mindset. I've gone back for colloquia and workshops, not something I figured I'd do when I was looking at programs. Some people can do well in a purely online environment, but I'm not one of those people, I've learned. Take a look at the staff profiles and see if their research interests line up with yours. You have to get to a very specific place in terms of your research question and avenues for contribution, and should have some sort of idea of those things before you even start. Marketing, strategy, and change management are all enormous bodies of research unto themselves. It took me months (a couple years, really) to decide on a topic and settle in on a research question that is sufficient for a thesis but narrow enough to be feasible in a few years. For example, my research topic is: Product Management Prioritization When Customers are Distinct from End Users: The Case of Hospitality Technology And my research question is:How does a firm’s strategic orientation impact fuzzy-front-end decision making for product teams in the hospitality technology industry? A HK$400k degree successfully completed is more worthwhile than a $240k thesis left stagnating. Not to say anything bad about Heriot-Watt- I know it's been a great fit for many folks. I can't actually comment on it further because I didn't seriously consider it, as it didn't meet my accreditation requirements. But just to say that a lot of factors come into play and you should consider as many as feasible. The more research and soul searching you do now, the fewer surprises you'll have later, and the better off you'll be in terms of setting yourself up for success. Create your own criteria and use them alongside other information to make the right decision for you.
