Is an online doctorate worth the effort anymore?

I think referring to a doctorate as "PhD" regardless of what the actual "letters" are comes about fairly innocently in practice - it's just shorthand for people who aren't obsessed with doctorates (-:. Almost everybody I know (family, friends, colleagues) uses the term "PhD" colloquially when chatting about a doctorate, so they end up asking you "How's the PhD coming along?" etc. etc. I always refer it my degree as a "doctorate," but that doesn't stick with most people - they say "PhD" as a matter of shorthand, and nobody wants to be a nerd correcting people all the time. There's a difference, though, between letting people refer to your degree as a PhD casually, and passing off something that expressly isn't equivalent to a PhD as if it were.

 

At first I thought it might be a mistake. On March 10th I e-mailed NCU to let them know. When I checked again on March 30 she was still listed as PhD. Have no clue when it was finally changed. When they did change it why not Cynthia Knott Ed.D?

Around the same time NCU was changing the dissertation chair to all full time and all PhD. EdD and DBA need not apply:

I spoke with a DBA that tried to apply and was told flat out NO even though he had experience as a dissertation chair.

BTW: I personally feel the degrees are equal and the person is far more important than the letters behind him/her. Dr. Knott appears to be well-qualified for the position.

I can imagine what you go through. I try telling friends and family that I am considering a DBA and it usually comes back I am considering a PhD. Trying to explain the difference just makes it worse.

 

This is just an example on how the DBA is becoming a "light" version of the PhD. NCU does not consider the DBA equivalent to their PhD mainly because themselves think is a lower degree.

As for people using the title PhD instead of DBA, I have been always listed at places that I have taught as PhD although I have a DBA. The reason for this is because my WES equivalency says that I hold the equivalent to the American and Canadian PhD so the school automatically assumes a PhD. I am sure this could be the same for a lot people with foreign DBAs that use WES for equivalency reports.

There are a lot of foreign titles that are also doctorates but do not translate to a PhD but people use the PhD title. In French Canada, the PhD in Business is referred to "Doctorat in Admnistration" that is not exactly PhD but people holding this designation still use the title PhD.

The same holds for Master's, many people hold foreign degrees that are M.Sc in Administration but use the title MBA because is a lot more known than the M.Sc.

In any case, if you want to legally use the PhD title and hold a british or australian DBA, just get a WES equivalency and you would be entitled to use the PhD title.

 

NCU currently has openings for adjuncts:

http://http://www.ncu.edu/careers

PhD only.

Yet,

Accredited in business ? :shock:

 

If they are rejecting or not considering DBA candidates against PhD's, they will be making mockery of themselves. DBA degree is academically equivalent to PhD.

 

Or may be they are planning to offer an upgrade soon so this gives them the marketing argument to sell it to DBA students. I can see it, "upgrade your DBA to a PhD in order to maximize your teaching opportunitites", they can call it the DBA bridge to PhD, for 20K and a short dissertation you can be a PhD now.

 

Magic Mushrooms

Where do these conspiracy theories come from? Creating a bridge between research doctorates is ludicrous, unless it's for other accrediting bodies, such as ACBSP to AACSB. The best proof of research is in publications.

Some people prefer a DBA (or a EdD) over a PhD.

 

A while ago, Andy Bouchers announced that Nova was planning such a bridge for its DBA program. It is business, if there is a market for it, schools will offer it.

 

The bridge is not from DBA to PhD (as you suggested), but the bridge is from a non-AACSB degree to AACSB.

 

May be Andy can help here but I remembered that he mentioned that Nova was changing designation from DBA to PhD and that DBAs would be offered a bridge. Nova is not AACSB accredited so I don't see how they can offer a bridge of this type.

Indiana changed designations but at least one person that I know, she was able to upgrade from DBA to PhD without any extra work.

 

Yes, there are bridges from non-AACSB degrees to AACSB, but there is no such thing as a bridge from DBA to PhD. That is a fallacy within the sphere of conspiracy theories. As proof, you cannot find one internet website that shows a bridge from a RA PhD to DBA (or visa versa). Nay, not one, as long as both are in the same field.

When a university changes their designation from DBA to PhD, it doesn't denigrate the previously issued DBAs and it's not an indicator that a DBA isn't a research doctorate. However, it may indicate a public preference i.e. most non-academics know what a PhD is, but not a DBA, so marketing a PhD may be easier then marketing a DBA to prospective students.

 

Can you show such a bridge? The bridges that I know of are from non business doctorates to an AACSB post doc. However, the requirement is a non business doctorate from a school that has an AACSB accredited school.

As far as I know, you cannot bridge from a NCU business PhD to a AACSB accredited PhD with such a bridge.

This seems to be fallacy.


I never claimed that there are bridges from a DBA to a PhD, I just mentioned that such an option migh be attractive to for profit schools that seem to be very creative when it comes to creation of prgrams that make money.
I think this is getting personal based on your tone so I will not respond to your posts for this thread.

 

Here is the bridge that others referred to:
AACSB International

 

Looks like RFValve was correct. It is for people that have a doctorate other than a business doctorate but meet one of the criteria below. From: Degree Programs - Postdoctoral Bridge (PDB) program - Warrington College of Business Administration (One of the 04 programs available).

"-non-business doctorate degree holders who received their degree from an institution whose business program is AACSB accredited.

-non-business doctorate degree holders who currently teach at an AACSB-accredited business program."

 

If someone wants to look at the discussion of the Nova bridge of DBA to PhD, please see the discussion below:
http://www.degreeinfo.com/general-distance-learning-discussions/19387-nova-southeastern-dba-phd.html

Yes, it has been discussed before and I wouldn't be surprise if such programs become available.

 

Interestingly, when law schools went from the LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) to the J.D. (Doctor of Jurisprudence or Juris Doctor), several sent solicitations to LL.B. alumni offering to change their LL.B. to a J.D. for a fee (of course). Many took them up on the offer. The change from a DBA or Ed.D. to a Ph.D. would actually be a less significant change, so I wonder why more institutions who switch degrees do not offer to re-evaluate alumni who work would qualify for the new degree. Sounds like a perfect fundraising activity ;-)

 

In Canada, law schools continued to issue the LLB after the US switched to the JD. However, some Canadian law schools are now also switching to the JD, and are now making the same offer to their alumni. For example, the University of British Columbia currently will convert an LLB to a JD upon request.

I don't think this was ever really a huge fundraiser though. UBC only charges $100 (Canadian) for the conversion, which includes a new diploma and transcript. These will state that a Bachelor of Laws was conferred on Date X and was converted to a Juris Doctor on Date Y.

 

And out-of-context quote in sig line.