New AACSB “Post-Doctoral Bridge to Business Programs”

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by macattack, Sep 28, 2007.

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  1. macattack

    macattack New Member

    Now there will be a chance for all of you "non-business" doctorates to get in on the action:

    See this link.

    AACSB Endorses AQ Bridge Programs
    To Attract High-Quality B-School Faculty

    "In response to critical doctoral faculty shortages and rising enrollments in management education, AACSB International, the accrediting organization for business schools worldwide, announced its endorsement of “Post-Doctoral Bridge to Business Programs” that prepare experienced and new doctoral faculty from academic disciplines outside of business for faculty positions in accounting and finance, marketing, management, supply chain management, international business, and entrepreneurship.

    The five schools to offer these programs are The University of Florida (USA); Grenoble Ecole de Management (France); University of Toledo (USA); Tulane University (USA); and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (USA). All of these schools are AACSB-accredited and programs are slated to begin by the summer of 2008. Individual program concentration, length, delivery method, and other factors vary and are consistent with each of the selected school’s strengths. This flexibility among programs provides interested candidates with options that suit an intensive summer scheduling preference, or a year or longer program that often uses distance technology to enhance student-mentor interactions."


    So there may be a distance learning AACSB program for non-business doctorates to backdoor into business departments.
     
  2. macattack

    macattack New Member

    As an example, here is Tulane's Post Doctoral Bridge. In "Executive", limited residency/DL format.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 28, 2007
  3. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Limited in the sense of two weeks in New Orleans to start, then six more three-day weekends in New Orleans over the following year. Tuition's $40,000, including everything but travel.

    Virginia Tech has one too. Theirs is an eight-week residential program. They have a Finance track and a Marketing track. The former requires a PhD in Economics and the latter one in Psychology, Sociology, or Statistics, so it's limited who can take advantage of it. Tuition's $39,500, including everything but travel.

    -=Steve=-
     
  4. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

  5. macattack

    macattack New Member

    Although the cost is quite high, did you see the salary bump on the Tulane program webpage? Quick payback.

    Also, perhaps at least one of the other programs (Grenoble?) will be a little lighter on the residencies. Here is a list of contacts for the other programs for anyone who is interested.
     
  6. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    All require a doctorate, but of the two I've looked at so far, one seems okay with any discipline and the other wants something close. So evidently, yes, there's hope for people with PhDs in Medieval French Poetry who want to switch to Business. :)

    -=Steve=-
     
  7. macattack

    macattack New Member

    I am not surprised that AACSB is taking steps to solve the lack of business faculty dilemma (AACSB estimates a shortage of 1,000 Ph.D.s in the U.S. this year that will grow to 2,400 by 2012).

    A few years ago there was a AACSB Sustaining Scholarship in Business report. One of the recommendations was this this bridge type program. A few years later it is becoming a reality. There was a recommendation to have non-traditional programs for working professionals. Hopefully this will come true sometime soon as well.

    From this link:

    "Doctoral faculty programs have changed little in the past several years with most institutions relying on traditional U.S. or European training models that take four or more years to produce one graduate. There is a need for more flexible doctoral training programs to meet the demand from insufficiently tapped resources (such as mid-career professionals)."

    If AACSB supports non-traditional programs, then perhaps non-traditional graduates will become a little more welcome in traditional academia.
     
  8. AV8R

    AV8R Active Member

    It's about time. Tapping into mid-career business professionals makes more sense than the bridge program.
     
  9. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    A PhD in Medieval history will be teaching accounting or operations management with one year part time of training while you have plenty of professionals with tons of experience unable to do so because they lack the doctorate. I'm not very impress with this approach, I would rather see MBAs with experience given a bridge program for a teaching job than a PhD in History wit no business experience teaching MBAs cause of a short course in business.
    AACSB is becoming money hungry and this might hurt its credibility in the future.
     
  10. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Well, an academic position is as much one of research as teaching, and that's something with which any PhD holder should already have experience. But I think I see your point -- it's not that academics shouldn't have a path to switch disciplines to Business, but rather that practitioners should have a better path to switch to an academic career.

    Does AACSB itself see any money from this? It's the schools charging $5,000/week for bridge programs that are making the money here. But, same point, I suppose.

    -=Steve=-
     
  11. macattack

    macattack New Member

    There is a new Bridge Program for business professionals.
    From the above link:
    "AACSB International has developed a new program to prepare high-level senior executives for a professionally qualified faculty position within an AACSB accredited business school. Partnered with the University of California, Irvine's Paul Merage School of Business and the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business, the AACSB Bridge Program will enable the transfer of professional experience into teaching excellence. "

    I think it is great that AACSB is supporting some non-traditional ways for people to pursue a career as business faculty. This is a positive thing for non-traditional (ie distance) education. I believe we will see "executive format" (i.e. Nova) AACSB business doctoral programs for mid-career professionals pop up sometime in the near future.
     
  12. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    I personally think that business experience is a must to teach business. How can you teach others to make money if you don't know how to make money yourself?

    One year of part time study is not going to make up for the years of training and experience. It seems to be more of a business idea for business schools to make money rather than getting real faculty.

    The question here, are business school going to recognize this post doctorate program as a make up for a business doctorate? If I pay the 40K, is my certificate going to be recognized as a teaching credential by all the AACSB schools?

    Now, wouldn't be cheaper for a PhD in History to get an MBA from AACSB school than getting this post doc certificate? What is the advantage of this program against a PhD armed with an MBA from a AACSB schoo?

    I would think that it would make more sense for a PhD in History to take an MBA rather than to take such a program unless there is a clear advantage.
     
  13. foobar

    foobar Member

    I'm a little insulted that someone thinks so little of my discipline that a single doctoral seminar and a research methods in accounting would qualify anyone for an accounting faculty position. Most doctoral minors in accounting require at least three seminars.

    The program appears to provide a minimal capability to perform accounting research, but does not appear to cover the accounting topics that any recent undergard accounting graduate would be expected to know. Graduates of Tulane's bridge program would not be considered remotely qualified to sit for the cpa exam, and for that matter, would not have anywhere near a sufficient grasp of the nuts and bolts of accounting to be employed as an accountant.

    There is no way I would foist a math Ph.D. on first-year undergrad accounting students with only the Tulane accounting bridge program for preparation.

    If the non-business PhD has an undergrad or masters in accounting, then fine. Otherwise as others have posted, a bridge program for practicing professionals makes far more sense. They would at least have a clue about debits and credits.
     
  14. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    Not only for accounting but for any other business discipline. I don't know how a student is going to see a professor with a PhD in Arts teaching accounting because of a crash course in accounting. I think that faculties would rather hire CPAs with a master's due to the shortage than PhDs in a non business with no accounting experience with such a bridge program. Faculties are not going to buy this.
    On the other hand, I might see the benefit of such a program for a PhD in business from a non AACSB accredited school. Would a PhD in business from NCU benefit from such a program? Can we say that a PhD from NCU with a bridge can teach at a AACSB accredited school? In that case, I can see the business value of this program. A post doc certificate from Tulane might help a graduate of NCU, Walden or Capella to land a full time faculty position. In this case, the 40K might be well spent.
     
  15. foobar

    foobar Member

    from the AACSB Standards for Accreditation http://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/process/documents/AACSB_STANDARDS_Revised_Jan07.pdf :

    "Academically Qualified Faculty Members

    Academic qualification requires a combination of original academic preparation (degree completion) augmented by subsequent activities that maintain or establish preparation for current teaching responsibilities. The following descriptions are not meant to be exhaustive, but indicative, of the meaning of academic qualification. . .

    4. A doctoral degree outside of business and primary teaching responsibilities that do not incorporate the area of academic preparation. Those meeting this condition would not be considered academically qualified without additional preparation. To be considered academically qualified, an individual meeting this condition must have completed additional coursework or personal study sufficient to provide a base for participation in the mix of teaching, intellectual contribution, and service sought by the school. The burden of justification in these cases rests with the school under review."

    Seems to me that an MBA with an appropriate non-business PhD would do the trick. I don't know about a history PhD though.

    It just occurred to me - How do these bridge programs deal with the SACS 18-graduate hour rule?
     
  16. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Here is another option listed for Masters Degree holders that want to teach at an AACSB school. This program looks fair.

    Connecting Senior Executives to a Career in Academia
    Program Registration and Tuition
    The cost for participation is $5,000.
     
  17. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    From talking with UF faculty on campus, this is a program intended to attract people with work experience to teach in the B-school. For example, a CPA without a doctorate would teach accounting. A PharmD who worked for a multinational pharmaceutical company might teach international business, an engineer who worked heavily in sales might teach marketing, etc.
     
  18. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    So let me see, if you have a doctorate you have to pay 40K but if you have a master's you only pay 5K. Wouldn't make more sense to do this program even if you hold a doctorate degree?
     
  19. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    That is what I am thinking. I called AACSB and left a voicemail. I am waiting for a call back.
     
  20. macattack

    macattack New Member

    No, they serve different purposes. The former is designed (inadequately) to produce academically qualified (AQ) faculty and the later professionally qualified (PQ) faculty. For more information on AQ & PQ faculty, see this link. An AACSB school can only have a certain percentage of faculty as PQ. I assume they mainly constitute non tenure-track / adjunct gigs.

    Also see this link. Notice slide 10 (innovative DBA programs - University of Florida??).
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 2, 2007

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