I am an experienced adjunct professor with an MBA and other post graduate education looking to eventually make the leap from the corporate world to full-time teaching. I am looking into several Ph.D/DBA programs and am looking for input. Minimum requirements: Regional Accreditation is a must, the school will should have AACSB/ACBSP accreditation, I’m considering schools with an online component as well (but that is not a requirement). I am looking form comments from individuals who are currently enrolled in, have completed, or were previously enrolled in a doctoral program centered around business, management, or a similar field (finance, org behavior etc). What did you like about it? What did you dislike? Would you return to the school for further education? What was the cost? How long did it take you to complete your degree? How long did it take you to land a full-time teaching position after completing your degree? (if that’s applicable).
Hopefully someone who is doing a management PhD can give you more specific answers, but I will share some of my experiences doing a finance PhD. I can say, without a doubt, that you should go out of your way to avoid any PhD/DBA programs that have an online component. While some types of online learning have become somewhat acceptable at the undergrad and master’s level, you won’t get much respect if you do part of your doctorate online. I guess I enjoy the coursework a bit, but really enjoy the research I get to do. As far as dislikes go, the ridiculous hours and the foregone income are the only two things that I can think of. I would not return to the school I am at for further education, since I’m quite sure they offer no higher degree. Cost is free + stipend (generally around $20k for 9 months at most decent b-schools). And while I have yet to graduate, things are on track to graduate in 4 years, and everyone from my school, in all disciplines, has had no trouble securing multiple offers (both at research and teaching schools) upon graduation.