Lowest Cost PHD/DBA

Curacao allows co called TNE institutions to operate on their Island. I'm not sure if being a TNE institution, like global humanistic is, has got anything to do with state accreditation.

http://tnecuracao.gobiernu.cw/institutions/

 

Curacao comes under the Dutch authority, and that this thing is not recognized as a university by it. Yet the University of Curacao IS accredited. Hard to see how any of this sheds legitimacy on GHU.

 

"TNE institutions can establish themselves freely, however Universities should be accredited by an accrediting body which is approved by the Government of Curaçao."
From http://tnecuracao.gobiernu.cw/institutions/

Does this help? From the Government site, it appears that TNE universities do not pick up any kind of accreditation or equivalent from TNE status. They must be accredited by an accrediting body approved by the Government of Curaçao.

 

Well, I see Global Humanistic has the ubiquitous ASIC accreditation. Maybe Curaçao thinks that's sufficient? I'll stop right there...

 

I haven't read it, of course, but I'm thinking the Charter confers permission to operate and has nothing to do with accreditation. Just sayin' maybe it's not like a British Charter, which allows the university to establish itself and also makes it able to confer approved degrees. There are charters and charters, I guess, depending which country issues 'em.

 

They're certainly ambitious. They say they have partnerships with UC Riverside and Harvard B-school. Programs whereby you get a cert (Harvard) or PG Cert (UC Riverside) plus your GHU degree.

However, it's never a good sign when you have to pore through much verbiage and detail in a search for legitimate accreditation or approval. It should be right there in the open. . I haven't found definitive proof of anything. The certs are top-notch - almost irresistible; the degree situation is murky - at least to my old eyes. Perhaps there's something I overlooked. Wouldn't be the first time...

 

Not to be cynical or anything (never, NEVER!), but I'd check to see if UC Riverside or Harvard cite these respective "partnerships." Just sayin'.....

 

I've been trying to contact the Ministry of Economic Development several times via Email to find out what the recognition status of Global Humanistic and another TNE school is.

Unfortunately I never got a response.

http://tnecuracao.gobiernu.cw/students/?target=institutions

 

In a way, you did.

 

I was on the EBS website at Heriot-Watt last night. I don't keep up with such things, so I was really interested to see a few developments. (Apologies to those who already know this.) The doctorate is no longer course-based. You take three research-skills courses, then anything else your advisor recommends (likely nothing if you're researching in an area in which you have subject matter expertise.) Then you write your thesis, earning either the PhD or the DBA. The process is the same.

So what's the difference? First, the PhD is considered a scholarly contribution to the field, while the DBA contributes to practice. (The exact distinction I've been making on this board for years.) The PhD is designed for entry into academia and the DBA for advancing one's business career. Sound familiar? There are no other distinctions between the two awards.

Second, they've eliminated the coursework for the DBA, which used to be a "taught" degree.

Second, because it is a "big book" approach, your thesis will be quite large (like 100K words). This is true for either degree.

Third, their expectation for the structure is quite traditional: a literature review resulting in a particular problem to research, research and writing, then defense. It does not appear one must go to Scotland to defend.

Fourth, the award (the PhD or the DBA) from EBS is available by distance learning only. This is either good or bad, depending on your point of view.

Finally, the cost. It's really inexpensive. The current estimate for US students is just under US$24K and the degree can be done in 3 years. It must be done in 5, with a US$6.5K tuition charge for each year.

They have a small number of graduates (around 50) and a small number of current candidates. In other words, it's a serious undertaking. I'm always dismayed at the amount of loose talk about doctoral degrees on this board, when very few people have actually earned one while posting here. Here's one of the most available and inexpensive doctorates in business around, yet it has just a handful of graduates and another handful of students. This stuff is hard.

Which brings me to another criticism of some of the talk on this board: the "my school is better than your school" nonsense. Doing a college degree is hard. I don't care if you do it at an Ivy League school or some DEAC-accredited school no one's ever heard of. It's hard. That goes for getting the doctorate, too. While the nattering on this topic by those who have not earned a doctorate is annoying, I'm really disappointed in people who HAVE done it and insist on this behavior. For example, getting a doctorate from an unknown RA school is no reason to lord over people doing one (or have done one) at a DEAC-accredited school, just as getting one from a top-ranked university is no reason to lord over that person with the PhD from that unknown RA school. (Long-time readers know exactly who and what I'm talking about.) It is pointless, junior high locker room jockeying.

When I graduated from Union, a certain troll (who I know) downloaded by dissertation from ProQuest, then passed around the good-for-72-hours code. It was downloaded a total of 66 times in those three days. (I had to put a stop to it with ProQuest.) Because I'm the target of a lot of anonymous trolls--my dissertation was savaged. Wrongly, of course. Inaccurately, naturally. It was crazy and stupid. The funny thing is, no one with an actual doctorate ever said anything like that. The one critic at the time with a PhD (from U of South Carolina, IIRC) shrugged and said it looked okay to him. (High praise coming from this really harsh dude.) I look back on it now and see several things I would do differently. But that's to be expected after nearly 20 years of reflection.

The point? Two very simple ones. If you haven't done a doctorate, shut up about others' doctorates--their school, their research, etc. You don't know what you're talking about. Instead, listen and ask questions. You might (or might not) learn something valuable in your quest for yours. And if you've done a doctorate, shut up about others who have done theirs at legitimate, recognized schools. The distinctions you make do not really make much of a difference. Yes, we can have the RA/NA argument, but when you criticize individuals for pursuing their goals like that, it only lowers you.

 

I would just second Rich's response; if I were to consider a DBA or PhD in business (which I am not) and had any cost restrictions, Heriot-Watt would ABSOLUTELY (emphasis intended) be on my shortlist, if not at the top.

 

I have not earned a doctoral degree but I always have high praise for those that have regardless of the mode of instruction or the university they attend. My MBA was a lot of work and I did not have to worry about writing and defending anything. I believe at the doctoral level, the university is less important than at the masters level, correct me if I am wrong.

 

Thanks Steve! I am not super familiar with doctoral studies and the nuances. I guess if one wanted to move into academia it would make a difference. What other goals help decide this?

 

According to this post (https://www.bestcollegesonline.org/most-affordable/doctor-business-administration/), the cheapest online DBA is offered by Columbia Southern University at $3,915.

 

No it isn't $3,915 - or anywhere close. That HAS to be a misprint - or a colossal miscalculation. Columbia Southern charges $435 for each of 61 credit hours in the DBA program. That's $26,535 - not $3,915. Elementary school math.

Sorry - I wasn't here in 2021 - or I would have caught this earlier. Hope no one signed up and found themselves with $22K less than they expected.

 

I notice that $3915 divides neatly into $435 as 9 with no remainder. I wonder if that's $3,915 per semester with 2 semesters a year and a minimum of 2.5 years enrollment.

 

Anything's possible, Dustin. That $3915 per semester and 5-semester min. enrolment pays for 45 credits, not 61; maybe there's a discount deal. If so, I'd expect it to be prominently displayed on the site. I didn't. It certainly doesn't excuse the article author's error - billing this DBA as the cheapest of all programs nation-wide,with a total cost of $3,915. That's still absolutely screwy.

BTW - the $435 per credit actually starts in July 2022. From 2021 to date, it's $420. So - I think the jury may still be out on how the $3,915 figure slipped in last year. Good reasoning, though. Props to you!

 

Yes, moving into academia, the university would matter depending on the position you were looking for. If you are looking to adjunct then I do not think the university you pick will make a difference. If you are looking to gain a tenure track position, then these positions are highly competitive so it will depend on your connections, published research, and rank of your university. This is one of the main reasons why I chose TTU as they are an R1 research institution and I want to move from industry to academia full time.

Of course, this does not mean that you cannot get a tenure track or full-time teaching role with a doctorate from a R2 or R3 school, but the more you have on your side, the better. If you are going to stay in industry, then I don't think you should worry about where you get your doctorate. If you plan on seeking a tenured role at NYU, Columbia, or a similar school, you should make sure you are attending a good program/school.

Just my thoughts.

 

Now, NCU's DBA and Ph.D. in BA are 57k and 80k, respectively. Unbelievable how much they have increased their tuition.