Posted by JeromeJoseph on 03/25/14 5:46am

• Posted by Thomas Graf on 03/25/14 8:47am

  Hi Jerome,

  at the end of the day, there are only around 200 part-time programs worldwide. So, with just one or two days of work you can simply visit all these websites and include those within your budget in your final list and kick out those that are too expensive for you.

  Then you closer analyze those programs that remained on your list, for example by analyzing their structure (residential periods) and overall length.

  You seem to have more criteria than only cost, structure, and length, however. For example, you want your clients to recognize your DBA title and you want to teach at a university of business school. For this, a deeper reflection would be necessary of what the DBA needs to provide you with so that you achieve your goals.

  As for the clients, some lead questions could be: Is the respective degree from the institutions on your shortlist recognized in your country so that you can use the title 'Dr.' together with your name toward your clients? As for the teaching, where do you want to teach and does the respective institution recognize your DBA?

  Finally, you may want to search for a program that is well-structured and whose management is very experienced - otherwise you may not make it in 3 years. For instance, you may want to look for an established program that runs for many years. Or you may want to look for an accredited program.

  At some point, increased quality reflects in increased tuition fees, however, and you may need to balance this.

  Best wishes,
  Thomas

  By Thomas Graf
  Founder DBA Compass
  Author of the DBA Survey

  Reply

• Posted by JeromeJoseph on 04/01/14 5:51am

  Thanks Thomas for your feedback. Would you be in a position to recommend any programs that follows by criteria/budgets?

  Reply

• Posted by murozel on 04/01/14 11:37am

  Dear Jerome,

  First of all, let me state that I am not an "expert" on this topic. However, I have my humble experience as an applicant who followed a similar path with you, with similar requirements as well as a similar budget. I have examined almost all the DBA program web pages in the US and the UK and have got in touch with many, as well as with some relevant third parties. As a second step, I have narrowed down my options to 3 programs in the UK, for which you may find some details here:

  DBA Forum

  Personally, I have determined my priority as "content and structure of the programme", along with the tuition fee.
  Recognition in my home country is also important, however based on my investigation so far I think this will be ok in my case, though I will not have any guarantee until I complete the programme and ask for recognition. In any case, I do not put more emphasis on this, since I prefer not to limit my vision for this with only my home country. As long as I will have a globally "recognized and valid" degree, I will be satisfied.

  As for the "professional accreditation", it seems to be an -optional- added prestige and an assurance for quality, which -most of the times- comes at an additional cost. Especially for the institutions in the UK, I think I will feel mostly satisfied with a positive "QAA (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education)" report, which seems to be an official requirement for the UK universities and which is also a sort of quality stamp, as is apparent in its name.

  Given these and taking into account your criteria, perhaps you may want to have a look at the Middlesex University DBA and the Strathclyde DBA.

  @Thomas, hope you don't mind me sharing something based on my humble experience on the topic.

  Best Regards,

  Reply

  • Posted by Thomas Graf on 04/01/14 4:18pm

    Hi Jerome,

    I can't recommend programs as it is really a question of private preferences. I do suggest, however, to take these 3 steps into account that I outline here.

    Thank you, Murozel. It's great that you share your thoughts in this Forum. The more we can bring people together and exchange their doubts and answers, the better.

    Finally, I recommend attending the online info session of Bradford University tomorrow. Whether you eventually decide for Bradford or not, this session allows you to ask your questions and express your doubts - and simply to learn more about professional doctorates in management.

    Best wishes,
    Thomas

    By Thomas Graf
    Founder DBA Compass
    Author of the DBA Survey

    Reply