Making use of the NCU Ph.D. degree

Re: Re: Re: Making use of the NCU Ph.D. degree

I agree, this is an issue not only for online schools but also some research universities as you stated. But not all the universities follow this practice, in Montreal the PhD in business is only one program that is offered by all the local universities that limit their quotas to only few graduates per year in order to give some chance of local employment to graduates. Each university hires about 2 or 3 professors in different areas of business per year so having a supply of more than 20 graduates per year is just sending graduates to collect unemployment.

Given the fierce competition for academic employment, the best strategy is to specialize in fields with high demand as accounting, finance or marketing and avoid general management degrees.

Also, to keep open employment opportunities in the private sector, is good to combine a PhD with some business certication as Financial planner, CPA, CMA, CMC or CFA.

 

What about the utility of a DL DBA/PhD from Australian B&M Universities like CSU, USQ and University of NewCastle in US?

 

I teach in Illinois...both undergraduate and graduate CIS classes.

 

CSU is doing very well, they just opened a campus in Ontario Canada as their degrees in education are recognized for licensing purposes.

USQ is looking for AACSB accreditation so it might be a good option to look at in the future.

NewCastle has a DBA also.

How usable is a DBA from an Australian University in the US? this is a gray area as these programs are new and haven't been used in the US market as much yet. My take is that they would be just above the DL schools but still below second and third tier universities in the US.

 

Probably along the lines of the South African degrees, but not as good as the Brit ones, as they (at least the ones I mentioned above) are AACSB. If a person's looking to be a prof at a small teaching college, though, why not? Based on my looking at the faculty credentials of dozens and dozens (possibly approaching hundreds) of small teaching colleges over the last couple years, I'd say that about half of all of the profs have doctorates of some sort in addition to a masters (such as a PhD, DBA, EdD or JD, usually in that order of occurence, with the utility being roughly in that order as well--just a guess). So what I'm getting at is that while a PhD or DBA (or, in the case of UNISA, a DBL--same difference) obtained DL from SA or Aus is of course not going to have the impact of a PhD from one of the hundred or so AACSB US business doctorate programs, it's still just gotta put you above the business masters-only crowd (and possibly above the US JD and EdD crowd) of which there is no shortage at small colleges.

I doubt there'd be much utility for a Aus or SA biz doctorate at a larger state uni or large prestigious private school, though. There, it's pretty much AACSB PhD or the highway. This would also likely be the case at the smaller state universities as well, places like Wisconsin-Whitewater, SUNY-Binghamton, Nebraska-Kearney, etc.

 

But don't forget that there is a trend among Australian Universities to get AACSB accreditation. This might change a bit the utility of the degree in the US for the future.

In Canada at least, Australian degrees tend to be more prestigious than SA degrees. There are many faculty members with Australian credentials compared with SA ones.

I personally know many Australian doctorate holders working at US schools. Were degrees earned externally or not? it is hard to know as most Australian schools offer the "external" option.

In any case, it is not really the degree itself but what you do with it that matters, the degree alone won't really do much if you don't show that is worth something.

 

If they get AACSB, then that'll get you through the door in as much as your CV will technically meet the requirements of those larger schools. It will still, of course, be an uphill climb, as foreign degrees will not have every bit as much utility as U.S. for a job in the U.S. (unless they're Oxford or Cambridge or McGill or the Sorbonne something like that), but yes, AACSB would help. Which Aussie schools are pursuing AACSB?

Yes, you're right, you must do something with it. It helps to have a good record of publishing, it helps to have teaching experience, even if only adjunct. But of course, that's a given, why would anyone put themselves through the rigor of a DL PhD from a real honest-to-goodness B&M school, take all those research methodologies courses, and not intend to produce scholarship in their given field and do that work necessary to securing a job? Kind of like buying a Shelby Cobra for $70K with the 400hp big block engine, then parking the thing in the garage and looking at it. Then again, I know of guys who essentially do that, but they have more money than common sense.

 

There are several already accredited, but among the affordable ones (CSU, USQ, Newcastle) USQ has applied for this accreditation.

 

I guess I was wondering if any of them that are AACSB were offering DL doctorates. I should've clarified.

 

Can you please send me a link which tells that USQ has applied for AACSB accreditation?
I know they are a member of AACSB.

http://www.aacsb.edu/members/Omd3/Profile_page.asp?id=44687

 

No official link on their website, this was informed to my by the DBA and MBA director. You can email the directly and verify the information.

 

good questions!

That's a good question.

Anyone know the answer?

(I know I can look into it myself but I'm grading final exams now and will have to check later...)

 

Re: good questions!

University of Queensland (AACSB) accepts external study for PhD programs. However, it is not easy to get admission as you need to find a supervisor first and you must be ready to pay more than 30K just in tuition fees.

 

I'm personally considering the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) at Northcentral Unviersity (NCU). I have a DETC accredited BSBA and MBA from Columbia Southern University. I work in law enforcement and NCU offers an excellent tuition rate that's unbeatable than any other institution I could find.

Although the Ph.D may have more name recognition, I've found the Ph.D could be more damaging than helpful when trying to gain employment in the private sector. The DBA, in my opinion, compliments the MBA. You could identify yourself on business cards as either John Doe, DBA, MBA and/or Dr. John Doe, MBA, or just Dr. John Doe. If anyone didn't know what the DBA was I would just simply tell them.

My father has a Ph.D from University of New Hampshire and use to be a tenured full-time professor at UNH. He was recruited into the private sector many years ago and was making a great salary. After about 7 years the gravy train came to an abrupt halt and he was a victim of corporate layoffs. When he tried to gain employment utilizing the assistance of a corporate recuiter, it took damn near a year to find another job, with a significant cut in pay. After another layoff from another corporation, he's finally stablized at another corporation, at least for now. He determined these difficulties as being considered "over qualified" for the position. Considering, there is not a flood of jobs that require a doctorate, unless of course your in the medical field and/or academia.

Naturally, my parents have recommended for me to not pursue the Ph.D. Now, is this an isolated incident? Sure, but I also talked with my father's Ph.D friends who gave a similar story.

For me, I'd like to teach part-time/online classes and continue in my government job until retirement. From there, I'll go back to the private sector. So, in my situation the DBA is a more viable option. It's still a recognized doctorate worthy of teaching on a part-time basis, without the treatening undertone of the Ph.D to prviate sector employers. Again, if anyone asked, I'd say it's a compliment to my MBA in completing my educational goals.

 

Good points!


Abner

 

We must be from the same family because your circumstances sound identical to mine.

It darn near pisses me off when family members tell me not to pursue a doctorate. In my circumstances, a DBA may serve me better than a PhD. I'm not a wizard (for the theoritical PhD); I'm just a working man, so the DBA is a better fit.

My brother is a tenured professor and he's explained all-too-well the snobbery that exist, concerning what university you graduated from. I want nothing to do with that realm. A Northcentral DBA will suit this working man just fine -- after it's completed.

 

When it comes to the NCU DBA, the only difference from the PhD is the stats class right? That is the way I understood it. Why get a DBA if you are doing the same work minus one class? You still need to write a dissertation.

A PhD has a better ring to it than a DBA.

 

Isn't the dissertation for the DBA more practical, than theoretical?

I agree.

 

That is my understanding but it is still the same amount of work involved. My understanding is the DBA requires a practical solution to be applied to a problem (nothing new) and a PhD requires an original contribution to the field.