Help me choose a Doctoral program

I'm currently doing my MS in Organizational Leadership at Johns Hopkins. I have two semesters left to go and will graduate in August of next year. Right now I have a 3.8 GPA. I'd like to pursue a PhD (or possibly a DBA - I put one on this list). I'm doing it for personal reasons and because I have some genuine research interests that I'd like to pursue. I'd also enjoy doing some part time teaching (online) and maybe move to full time (non-tenure track) when I retire. (My dad had a PhD, worked in industry for 37 years, and then spent the last 17 years of his life at a large state school). My research interests are more on the Leadership side of things, but they are still very related to business, so could work with a PhD in Bus Admin as well.

Here are the programs I've narrowed it down to:

Gonzaga, PhD in Leadership.
https://www.gonzaga.edu/school-of-leadership-studies/academics/ph-d-leadership-studies
The main negative about this one is the really high cost. I could do it, but the other ones are half as much or less. School is more well known than others on the list, which is a plus.

Indiana Tech, PhD in Global Leadership
https://phd.indianatech.edu/program/

University of Southern Maine, PhD in Leadership
https://usm.maine.edu/academics/academic_programs/leadership-phd/
I'm kind of leaning towards this one.

Tiffin University, PhD in Global Leadership and Change
https://go.tiffin.edu/doctorate-programs/ph-d-in-global-leadership-and-change/

UNC Greensboro, PhD in Business Administration
https://www.uncg.edu/degrees/business-administration-ph-d/
Maybe a more useful degree than leadership? However, it takes 5 years to complete.

Touro University Worldwide, Doctor of Business Administration
https://www.tuw.edu/academics/business/doctor-of-business-administration/
I put this on here because it only takes 1.5-2 years to complete. Requires a research project instead of a dissertation. Probably a big negative for academia. School is Jewish-aligned which appeals to me as a Jewish person.

I should also add that I have over 25 years of experience in the software industry (non-technical) leading teams, so tons of real world experience in leadership and business in general (currently at the VP level).

 

I don't have any advice but you could answer a question for me, maybe. Since you have "genuine research interests" that you "would like to pursue", why wouldn't you look for a traditional program working under an established scholar whose interests align with your own? Such programs can be funded, can't they?

 

Decide what you want to be when you graduate, then work backwards.

The first big decision is to pursue either a scholarly or professional doctorate. This should be based on your research interests and what you want to do with them. This question matters a LOT.k

The second factor I would then look at is program design--what's in each?

Third, what delivery paradigm does the school follow? Synchronous, asynchronous, residencies, etc.

Fourth, reputation of the school. Depending on what you want to do with the degree, this could matter a little, a lot, or not at all.

Fifth, cost, which also includes pace--how many bites and how big for how long?

In sociology, we use Bourdieu's social capital theory to examine such things. When you go to a university, you give two forms of capital (your academic effort and your money) and you receive two (an education and a degree). It's important to decide how much importance and value you place on each form of capital to ensure the exchange is to your liking.

Why not specific recommendations? Because no one knows the answers to those questions besides you.

 

It does seem to me that if the OP is pursuing the degree for "personal reasons", it doesn't really matter what school it comes from so long as the school is accredited. I'd make cost a primary consideration in that case.

 

You're interested in opening doors to academic jobs, especially full-time and even though you stipulated non-tenure-track.

For some such jobs, AACSB should help.

For some such jobs, a PhD might have an edge over a professionally titled doctorate, though a professionally titled doctorate could readily win on points elsewhere in the comparison.

For some such jobs, a title in business or clearly in a subfield of business or from a business unit might help. I wouldn't be super surprised if some business schools tended to filter out applications with a doctorate in leadership from a non-business unit like an education school, whereas a doctorate in business applying to teach in a leadership unit seems less likely to be filtered out.

 

Yes, that would be ideal, if only I could quit my job and move to a location where that would be possible.

 

Thanks, this is great advice.

 

An MS from Johns Hopkins should open a few doors.

 

Well, Gonzaga University's Leadership program is not a Ph.D. In the list, I would recommend UNC Greensboro, PhD in Business Administration, because of AACSB accreditation and national ranking, has more potential to land at a larger university tenure. The rest have no name or ranking recognition; it is better to stay with Liberty University or the University of the Cumberlands for cost-effectiveness.

Thought about doing research Ph.D. in Management focusing on Leadership at the University of Leicester, UK? If so, get into it now before the tuition doubles in the 2025 - 2026 academic year. Once you are admitted to the program, the tuition is locked-in.

International distance learning

• For study starting between 1 August 2024 and 1 July 2025: £7,037.50 per year for 4 years (£28,150 total course fee)
• For study starting between 1 August 2025 and 1 July 2026: £14,600 per year for 4 years (£58,400 total course fee)

 

I think it is. It is referred to as a PhD all over the webpage. The program is called the Doctoral Program in Leadership Studies, but the award is a PhD.

 

You are right, there is a dissertation completed by Julie A. Silbar, "Women and Sports Media: Navigating a Male-Dominated Profession."

 

It is a PhD, but it's very expensive (the whole program is around 72k if I recall - the other ones are half that or less). I wouldn't want to do Liberty or Cumberlands because of the Christian affiliation.

 

The cheapest D/L DBA I know of is Taft University at about $25k. It's DEAC and I would approach the program with caution for that reason. It may not fulfill your requirements. But you did say you wanted to pursue a doctorate "for personal reasons" and that you already have identified research interests.

My own experience with Taft was uniformly positive. They know what they are about.

 

Gonzaga is Christian (Roman Catholic, Jesuit).

 

It depends; Liberty University requires certain fundamentals in Christianity for the study. But I have never seen that at the University of the Cumberlands'. Yes, as Jonathan stated Gonzaga University is Roman Catholic, Jesuit societies like Georgetown University, Boston College, Emory University, etc. However, Georgetown University does not require religious to be in general studies.
URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jesuit_educational_institutions

 

There's no way to objectively state this, but I'll try to be even-handed. There are many schools with religious affiliations. Most you have never heard of. Many others are famous. A few are infamous.

With certain schools, you run the risk of people drawing connotations about you because you earned a degree there. (It doesn't matter if this is right or fair; it's true.) But with most religiously-affiliated schools, the affiliation is benign. Notre Dame and Gonzaga are a couple like that. Specific to this board, I would suspect Cumberlands is like that, perhaps even Grand Canyon. (Argue amongst yourselves.) But because of its religious content AND political activity, I think it might be a potential issue for Liberty. At least, something to consider.

Remember, a degree is a proxy. It is supposed to tell people something about you when you're not there, like on a resume or a LinkedIn Page. I think it's a good idea to make sure it is telling an accurate story.

 

If religious affiliation is an issue, another option is Troy University, which offers a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership at $550.0o per credit.

• Ranking: #45 in Regional University South.

Otherwise, the University of Southern Maine is good enough, especially since the program costs only $43,272.00 (72 x 601).

• Ranking: 139 in Regional Universities North

 

Thanks for the Troy University one - that was one I wasn't aware of. I'll add it to my list.

I had a good conversation with one of my professors at Hopkins and he mirrored a lot of what Rich Douglas said in his initial post on this thread.... it's making me lean towards the Gonzaga program, despite the cost. However, I still have some time to make a decision since I don't graduate until August.

 

Gonzaga. Oh, man. Well, try to schedule your campus visits for Spring, Summer, and Fall. Winters in Spokane are so horrible that they built elevated covered bridges between buildings downtown so you don't have to go outside. Summers get HOT but that can be managed.

Other than that, DO visit the City. Spokane is a beautiful and interesting place set in a part of the Inland Northwest that comparatively few people get to experience.