NCU's DBA Accounting

It might be worth noting that you're heaping several schools (Offshore, short-residency, online, tough accreditor, not so tough accreditor, etc.) together that may not fit together into a meta-class of non-traditional schools that really can't be compared to anything...

 

I am also curious - It appears that four of the six "advanced accounting" specialization courses can be CPA prep courses (ACC7001 through ACC7004). I've NEVER heard of CPA prep courses counting for doctoral credit.

From NCU's website

• ACC 7001 "This course prepares the Learner to take the auditing and attestation section of the CPA exam"
  
• ACC 7002 "This course prepares the Learner to take the Business Environment and Concepts section of the CPA exam"
  
• ACC 7003 "This course prepares the Learner to take the Financial Accounting & Reporting section of the CPA exam"
  
• ACC 7004 "This course prepares the Learner to take the regulation section of the CPA exam"

 

ACC7035 also sounds like the standard theory course which can be at anywhere from 2nd year to masters level. Seems odd

 

This is the kind of problems you would expect when sending a resume with a transcript for a faculty position. Who is going to take seriously course work at the undergraduate level given doctoral credit?

I teach quantitative business models and have a diploma in operations research, I checked their doctoral program in the area and all the course work was first or second year undergraduate. I emailed them in order to ask a explanation for this, their answer is that this program was meant for general MBAs without any background in the area, they did not advise me to take it if my intention was to teach graduate level, so what is the doctoral program for if it is not good to teach at the graduate level?

I think that NCU's program is more like a "light" program mainly designed to give the credentials to teach undergraduate level course work. It is not really meant to train high level candidates to teach and do research at the graduate level but more to provide development opportunities to existing community college or 4 year university teachers.

Other similar schools like Jones International, they tell you up front that their program is not meant to train scholars. I spoke once to a Jones International person that was quite honest and told me that the program was mainly for community college or 4 year teachers but not for people looking for tenure track positions at research universities. Basically, they are "soft" programs designed to give the "Dr" title that can give you a pay raise bump or the sense of achievement but not meant to train high caliber researchers in the field of study.

For this reason, I don't know if the DBA in Accounting would be of any good to the person in question as he or she looks very qualified in accounting so I don't see much value added but the Dr title in a business card.

 

This... I doubt.

 

The University of Waterloo is well known for it accounting program. Here are the courses in the PHD Accounting program.
ACC 700s

ACC 701 Financial Accounting Research Seminar (0.50) SEM Course ID: 000040
Current research topics in financial accounting including applications of agency theory, capital markets theory and human information processing.


ACC 702 Management Accounting Research Seminar (0.50) SEM Course ID: 000041
This course provides an in-depth look at the major research efforts that characterize contemporary management accounting and cost management systems. Particular emphasis is placed on field-based research techniques.


ACC 750 Auditing Research Seminar (0.50) SEM Course ID: 000042
A broad survey of current auditing research covering: the socio-economic role of auditing in society; the agency relationships between shareholders, managers and auditors; the factors influencing the quality of auditing, in particular, experimental research into key attributes of the audit judgment process, and technological innovations such as statistical sampling, regression, and expert systems.


ACC 760 Taxation Research Seminar (0.50) SEM Course ID: 000043
A survey of non-legal tax research in accounting. Tax research in related areas, especially economics, will also be reviewed.


ACC 770 Finance 1 (0.50) LEC Course ID: 000044
(Cross-listed with ACTSC 970)
Current paradigms in the theory of finance and the supporting empirical evidence.


ACC 771 Finance 2 (0.50) LEC Course ID: 000045
(Cross-listed with ACTSC 971)
This course deals with stochastic interest rate models in both discrete time and continuous time. It also covers the theory and practice of instruments such as options, futures, derivative securities and other complex financial instruments.


ACC 772 Finance 3 (0.50) LEC Course ID: 000046
(Cross-listed with ACTSC 972)
This course covers topics in the pricing and valuation of derivative securities. It focuses on the underlying theoretical models and examines applications to contemporary finance problems.


ACC 781 Introduction to Research 1 (0.50) SEM Course ID: 000047
ACC 781 and 782 are intended to provide the foundation for PhD studies and to prepare students to meet the comprehensive examination's breadth requirements. These two courses together provide an introduction to the research issues and widely used research tools in Accounting.


ACC 782 Introduction to Research 2 (0.50) SEM Course ID: 000048
ACC 782 builds on the introduction to research issues and tools begun in ACC 781 and focuses primarily on analytical and experimental methods, with examples drawn from the various functional areas and core disciplines.


ACC 784 Selected Topics in Research Methodology (0.50) SEM Course ID: 000049


http://www.accounting.uwaterloo.ca/phd/structure.htm

There is a body of knowledge in accounting (financial/management) and most of it is written. My hope is for NCU to be aware of those materials and make them available with each course. The rest I can do on my own

 

Here is a PHD offer by another excellent Canadian School. I do not have a PHD and so are many of us but we have done most of these courses if you a graduate degree in business and an accounting designation. There is nothing unique about the courses offered at the doctoral level at most of the universities I researched. Name recognition is mostly what is making the difference





http://www.schulich.yorku.ca/SSB-Extra/PhD.nsf/docs/Fields%20%3E%20Accounting?OpenDocument

ACCOUNTING
Schulich's PhD Program in Accounting is all about groundbreaking research.

. REQUIREMENTS OF THE PhD PROGRAM IN ACCOUNTING
Coursework:
Your coursework plan will be developed in consultation with the Accounting Area’s PhD Program Coordinator. The courses are typically one semester long (3.0 credits), and fall into six categories:


DCAD Courses
You will be required to take the following four DCAD core courses:
SB/DCAD 7100 3.00
Logics of Social Research
SB/DCAD 7250 3.00
Research Design
SB/DCAD 7350 3.00
Statistical Research Methods
SB/DCAD 7400 3.00
Qualitative Research Methods

These DCAD courses are designed to ensure that all PhD students at Schulich acquire a basic competence in research methods, including quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, and the philosophy and methods used in the social sciences. DCAD requirements for students admitted prior to Fall 2006 are available here.

Accounting Core and Elective Courses
You will also be required to take four of the following core doctoral accounting courses:
SB/ACTG 7010 3.00
Overview of Accounting Research
SB/ACTG 7020 3.00
Empirical Methods in Accounting Research
SB/ACTG 7030 3.00
Judgment and Decision Research in Accounting
SB/ACTG 7040 3.00
Advanced Topics in Accounting Research
SB/ACTG 7950 3.00
Special Topics in Accounting Research
Note that ACTG 7950 3.00 is rarely offered. The other four courses are offered on a rotating basis so that you can complete them in the first two years of your program.
Unlisted elective courses may be taken for additional credit. Accounting electives are typically taken as directed studies, that is, taken by an individual student under the tutelage of an Accounting Area faculty member. Such electives focus on a specialized area of interest to the student and the faculty member, and can be helpful in filling in gaps in your knowledge in

preparation for doctoral research.
Foundational Courses

You will also be required to take two courses from disciplines that are foundational to accounting research. These courses will form your minor. This requirement ensures that you lay down the theoretical foundation necessary for your doctoral research. The courses must be at the graduate level, and can include courses from economics, finance, behavioural sciences, social sciences, or other foundational disciplines. Examples of such courses are:
GS/ECON 5100 3.00
Microeconomic Theory
GS/ECON 6100 3.00
Topics in Microeconomic Theory
SB/FINE 7400 3.00
Empirical Methods in Finance
SB/OBIR 7010 3.00
Individual and Group Behaviour in Organizations
SB/OBIR 7020 3.00
Advanced Topics in Organization Theory
Additional Courses for Students without Master’s Degrees

If you enter the PhD program without a Master’s degree, you will be required to take an additional two graduate-level courses (6.0 credit hours in total) in quantitative methods such as statistics, econometrics, psychometrics or similar disciplines. This requirement ensures that you acquire a sound methodological foundation. Courses satisfying this requirement include:

GS/ECON 5025 3.00
Applied Econometrics (MA level)
GS/ECON 5220 3.00
Econometric Theory (MA level)
GS/MATH 6630 3.00
Applied Statistics I
GS/MATH 6631 3.00
Applied Statistics II
GS/MATH 6632 3.00
Multivariate Statistics
GS/MATH 6634 3.00
Non-Parametric Statistics
GS/PSYC 6140 6.00
Multivariate Analysis (full year course)

Additional Courses for Students without an Accounting Background:

Students admitted without a sufficient background in accounting may be required to take one or more additional prerequisite courses from the following list of existing MBA courses (before enrolling in 7000-level accounting courses):
SB/ACTG 6600 3.00
Auditing Standards and Applications
SB/ACTG 6200 3.00
Contemporary Issues in Accounting
SB/ACTG 6400 3.00
Managerial Cost Accounting
SB/ACTG 6450 3.00
Management Control Systems
SB/ACTG 6700 3.00
Managerial Aspects of Taxation


A typical student entering the PhD program with a Masters degree will take at least 10 courses (or 30 credit hours) comprised of four DCAD courses, four accounting core courses, two foundational courses, plus possible electives. At the rate of three courses per semester, a typical student will complete his/her coursework in four semesters (Fall / Winter / Fall / Winter).
A typical student entering the PhD program without a Masters degree will take at least 12 courses (or 36 credit hours) comprised of the above course plus the two required quantitative methods courses. At the rate of three courses per semester, such a student will complete his/her coursework in four semesters (Fall / Winter / Fall / Winter).
Comprehensive Examination:
Research Proposal:
Dissertation:

 

So, if somebody wanted a tenure track postion with a DBA in Accounting, aside from traditional in residence schools, what options do students have. I've seen programs at Capella, Walden and NCU but where else? The program at Nova seems to require a lot of residency. One weekend a month I believe. Are there any options from a reputable school?

 

Wanted to bump this up and see if there was any followup on your studies there with NCU in the Advanced Accounting program?

I am thinking pretty seriously about them, mostly for the extra cred I would get with the "Terminal Degree" when I am applying to teach in online positions.

I have a MBA/CPA cred + 20 years in accounting so I am actually teaching at both undergrad AND graduate level online.

But it is apparent that the Doctorate would help me keep a full "part time" teaching schedule! This is also my eventual exit strategy here at the CPA firm, where I travel / teach from my laptop, semi-retired in maybe 10 years or so (Age 50)

JN

 

I am enjoying the program at NCU. Once I got into the program, I am in a zone and nothing else matters. I have completed one course and I am about half the way in another. I plan to start another course in April. Except for the increase fees and tuition nothing else concerns me. The materials are the materials; everyone reads the same thing .So far the program is what I envisioned it fits perfectly into my lifestyle and my learning style. I am 100% responsible for my success.

 

A word of caution for "full time" part time online adjuncts. I made a living for the last 3 years teaching full time online and the last year I realized the online teaching is just becoming too demanding. Schools expect more from you now than before and the salaries keep going down. Some schools have crazy number of students and incredible low salaries. At some point I saw myself working 80 hours a week in order to make a salary.
As online doctorates become more accessible it seems that more people are becoming "doctors" and saturate the market with these credentials. My life was just too crazy so decided to go back to teach in a face to face environment with a union, benefits, etc. I work now regular hours and have a better life style. I still do the online thing but only as a supplement and not as a my main source of income.

I believe that the online market will become more difficult with the advent of DETC doctorates and more doctoral programs from online Universities. If your goal is to become a full time online adjunct think it twice and get some feedback from burnout online adjuncts like myself.