AACSB Approved Post-Doctoral Program for Scholarly Academic (Academically Qualified)

General questions
  • Posted by Michael on 08/21/15 7:48pm

    Greetings! Thomas,

    First, let me say that I am grateful for this website that you have championed over the years. It has been a resource for me in getting a whole lot of DBA-related matters in context. I have directed some of my friends who are looking for direction around the DBA program.

    Second, I obtained my DBA from Athabasca University, Canada, last year. I am truly excited about the opportunities and prospects of my new degree as I look to transition into a new full-time (tenure-track) faculty position. In that direction, I have done a number of interviews in the US this year. At this time, I have a few offers that have been proposed. There is only one condition attached to those offers: that Athabasca is accredited by AACSB in the next one year. Meanwhile, Athabasca has applied for AACSB accreditation, but the Dean of the Business School confirmed to me this week, that Athabasca may be 2 - 4 years away from obtaining the AACSB accreditation.

    Now, I am left with one option: doing an AACSB Post Doctoral Program in order to be classified as a Scholarly Academic or Academically Qualified. I checked the AACSB website for the schools that offer the bridging program, and found three. These are: Grenoble, University of Florida and University of Toledo. The uncertainty for me is the requirement on the website of these schools that they accept non-business doctorates (i.e. those who do not have a previous business doctorate). I have an Accounting background and has been teaching as an adjunct in two business schools in Canada for the past three years in the Accounting area. And I have a professional accounting designation (CPA).

    I still intend to apply to University of Florida and Grenoble for the post-doctoral program. But, I need to know if anyone has my type of experience they can share. I cannot wait for Athabasca to obtain their accreditation. I need to start my tenure-track position in August 2016, and I have only one year to complete this post-doctoral.

    I need information and some direction right away, as I need to get into a post-doctoral program that is AACSB accredited.

    Once again, thank you for the excellent resource that your website has become to many people around the world. Great job!

    Sincerely

    Michael

    • Posted by Thomas Graf on 08/22/15 10:27am

      Hi Michael,

      thank you for your nice words about my platform. Much appreciated.

      As for your situation, I wonder what exactly your question is. Are you uncertain (1) if Grenoble or Florida would accept you or (2) if these postdoctoral programs would be sufficient to get the tenure-track position you aim at?

      If it's (1), then you can just contact the two schools and ask. As for Grenoble, for instance, the phone number and email address are published directly on the site.

      If it's (2), why don't you just ask the institution that made you the offer?

      Overall, it is a bit unusual that a DBA aims at a tenure-faculty position. At least according to my own Global DBA Survey, most DBAs stay in the business world and just teach occasionally. I wasn't even aware that getting a tenure track position would be possible without the PhD - therefore, I am very grateful to you for sharing your experience here.

      Moreover, the requirements for such a position seem to differ by country. In the German Public University system for example, it appears to be more important that you hold the official "Dr." title, even if a no-name university has granted it - than having a non-official "PhD" from an internationally renowned business school. In the US or Canada - your example - the AACSB-accreditation seems to be a primary requirement.

      In any case, keep sharing your experience and good luck!
      Thomas

      By Thomas Graf
      Founder DBA Compass

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    • Posted by murozel on 08/28/15 12:39pm

      Hello all,

      I want to express my views on a few points regarding this discussion:

      • Though DBA is mainly for those who are interested in doing doctoral level research while still continuing in their professional careers, it is a " doctoral level research degree" at the end of the day, so it is possible to switch into academia with a DBA as well. There are many academics holding the DBA as their doctoral level academic qualifications, which can easily be verified by a Linkedin search (and no, not only from Harvard). I have also come across some academic job ads from the UK for which the requirement for a doctorate was stated as "PhD or DBA" or PhD or equivalent".

      • AACSB accreditation may be a pre-condition for academic positions in the US and Canada, however this only applies to those schools with AACSB accreditation. Even if this is the case for all of them, which I am not sure, still this is not the set of all US & Canada business schools.

      Lastly, Thomas I have a question for you. I would be pleased to hear your answer, if possible:
      If one continues to work in a sector other than academia, in Germany, is he/she still bound by the rules you mention to present himself/herself with the title "Dr." ? (e.g. in his/her business card or CV)

      Best regards,

      • Posted by Mike on 08/28/15 3:36pm

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        • Posted by Thomas Graf on 08/31/15 1:22pm

          Lastly, Thomas I have a question for you. I would be pleased to hear your answer, if possible:
          If one continues to work in a sector other than academia, in Germany, is he/she still bound by the rules you mention to present himself/herself with the title "Dr." ? (e.g. in his/her business card or CV)

          Not sure if I understand your question fully.

          If you want to hold the title "Dr." in Germany - in a business card, in th passport, or anywhere else - you must have an officially accepted doctoral degree. If you hold a degree from abroad (e.g., a PhD or a DBA), the you have to go through the formal process of asking the respective federal state to accept it (this means that your university and the validity of your degree will be checked - with "validity" I mean whether the degree is officially recognized in the respective country nor not).

          This has nothing to do with the question where you work - whether in an academic or non-academic environment.

          Let me know in case I misunderstood yoru question and I will be happy to help out.

          Best wishes,
          Thomas

          By Thomas Graf
          Founder DBA Compass
          Author of the DBA Survey

          • Posted by murozel on 09/07/15 4:39pm

            "(...) with "validity" I mean whether the degree is officially recognized in the respective country nor not)."

            Thank you, this makes sense, for sure. However, if there were more detailed checks, for example detailed comparisons between the degree gained abroad and the similar degrees wiithin the receptive state, in terms of the curricula of the programmes, then I would think that these would be required only if the degree holder were to claim any official benefit based on that degree, and not just for the purpose of presenting himself/ herself. This is why I asked this question.

            Regards,

            • Posted by Thomas Graf on 09/07/15 5:41pm

              Hi there,

              I am still not sure if I understand your question. Let me tell you what I understood and then you can build on that and re-phrase your question.

              I understood that you consider the case when someone works in business (and not in the academic world).
              I said that you can only hold the degree "Dr." if this degree is recognized in Germany (this is my context) - and that it is only recognized in Germany if it is recognized in the country where the title was obtained.

              If you only want to present yourself, of course you include your degree and school in your CV. Or, in an oral presentation or interview, of course you say that you did a PhD at the respective school. You can even include "PhD" behind your name in your signature, to my best knowledge.

              But you are not allowed to include "Dr." in your passport, in your signature, on your site.

              Best wishes,
              Thomas

              By Thomas Graf
              Founder DBA Compass
              Author of the DBA Survey

              • Posted by murozel on 09/07/15 7:47pm

                Thank you Thomas, once again. It seems that you have clearly understood my question, and your explanations are clear for me as well.

                Regards,