business admin

[kaysixteen]

So I am listening now to a course series offered by the Teaching Company, on decision-making skills, reasoning, etc.  The professor has an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he then also earned the DBA.  He does not hold a PhD.  He then taught there, before moving on to an endowed chair at another New England uni.   I had heard of the DBA degree, but am wondering what the general attitude towards it is here?  Is it the equal of the PhD (and, for that matter, could one actually get a PhD in business admin?).  Would those of you in a position of hiring professors in relevant areas, hire someone with such a degree?  (BTW, I have listened to the first 5 lectures so far, and I am pretty impressed, though clearly and unambiguously, and by the man's own admission, he is teaching in a business school-style, which is not exactly the same as is normative for classicists or historians, for one).

[spork]

What's a business school-style? Lots of PowerPoint slides?

A DBA is like an EdD. In this case being a Harvard B-school graduate probably matters more than the type of degree the guy has.

[polly_mer]

Years ago, discussion on business degrees indicated that type of accreditation mattered (you want AACSB) and graduate program reputation mattered. 

There were a couple lengthy threads started by job seekers who didn't understand why an online degree from an nth tier program with the filled-out-some-paperwork-and-submitted-the-fee accreditation (i.e., one of the other business accreditators) wasn't getting them the job they wanted.

The job seekers didn't want to hear that many good teachers with an MBA who are currently full-time employed in the field are willing to teach a course every year and that's probably better for the students than nth-rate, school-only professors.

[Sun_Worshiper]

My interdisciplinary department has hired a DBA or two, not for tenure track jobs but to run a center and teach a class here and there. The degree itself is PhD-light: Weekend courses for a year or two, then one year of dissertation writing. They are usually pitched to business professionals.

I'd get a traditional PhD if you want to be a professor.  If you think the doctorate credential will help you in a corporate job then go for the DBA, but try to go to a top school.

[hungry_ghost]

I'd get a traditional PhD if you want to be a professor.

Hear that, everyone? If you get a PhD, you can be a perfessser!
... if only.
(sorry)

A DBA is the "new terminal degree" in business, used to be an MBA.
Like an EdD, MD, JD, (and unlike a PhD) a DBA is not a research degree, although like an EdD (but unlike an MD or JD), it seems to require generating a document referred to as a "dissertation" (which is not quite the same as the kind of dissertation one writes for a PhD)

K16, what about his teaching style impresses you? 

[kaysixteen]

The biz school aspect that struck me immediately, and he mentioned it specifically before he started using them, was his regular use of 'case studies' in his lectures.   This almost looks like something you'd see on CSPAN.  His style is very popular, and he is clearly aiming at teaching skills that could be transferable to various jobs, irrespective of their 'business' nature.   I can see how it would be that he got a degree like this one.   He does mention some books he had written, but did not mention any titles.  There is a a supplementary note book, as with all Teaching Company series... perhaps I shall look at it.

[Parasaurolophus]

The biz school aspect that struck me immediately, and he mentioned it specifically before he started using them, was his regular use of 'case studies' in his lectures.

I may well be sadly misinformed (slash exaggerating), but isn't it pretty much all case studies all the time in business school?

[spork]

The biz school aspect that struck me immediately, and he mentioned it specifically before he started using them, was his regular use of 'case studies' in his lectures.

I may well be sadly misinformed (slash exaggerating), but isn't it pretty much all case studies all the time in business school?

Yes.

[secundem_artem]

When I arrived at Artem U lo these many years ago, the president held a DBA.  He proceeded to run the place off a cliff and then depart for more salubrious climes as fast as his stumpie little legs could carry him. 

[kaysixteen]

It is my impression that case studies do indeed make up the lion's share of biz school teaching, yes, and added to them, the guy does lard up his lectures with a decent quantity of b-school buzzwords.  The case studies do get somewhat repetitive, and I do confess the scholar in me would want more serious scholarly research content underpinning the case studies, etc. (the guy does seem to know behavioral/ cognitive psych, at least a little), but methinks this course, which is a variant of the course he teaches for first-year MBA students (perhaps a variant is also given to undergrads?) at his current school, which, trust me, ain't no Harvard.  He did say that he would do the Teaching Co variant differently, and explicitly mentioned he does a lot of in-class group work in a live, ftf class.   Would that be a substantive improvement, esp if the students are not given goodly amounts of prep reading to get at some of the concepts he gives in the TC classes, but would not have time to do in person if he is doing a lot of that group work instead?  In any case, the Teaching Co is a for-profit firm, and some of their customers are like me, who take classes that interest them, in a wide variety of areas, largely for ongoing knowledge acquisition ( I have never taken one into the house, but they make an excellent use of time in the car, esp in the hot summer  where I often, on days off, seek to be escaping my un-ac'd apt.-- though, in this particular case, one of the motivations for taking this class is to build up my skills in teaching critical thinking and decision making skills, which I hope to continue to teach as possible), but some of the students are doubtless working professionals in various business-type careers who are obviously going to be interested in learning these skills for their professional lives.

BTW, if this chap earned a DBA from Harvard, is it possible to also earn a PhD in biz admin there?  I do know that the Harvard school of ed grants an EdD but does not grant any PhDs, so is it really true, that, thus, for Harvard. their EdD is actually equivalent to a PhD in ed, or am I giving it too much credit (it might also be true to suggest, perhaps, that they give the EdD merely to allow professionals seeking such a degree for career advancement, but would not want to do a real PhD, to get the EdD with a Harvard pedigree, and are willing to pay for this.). 

[retired_prof]

From a quick glance, HBS recently switched from DBAs to PhDs.  I think within the past year or two.  I believe they used to offer only DBAs.  My guess is that there was not much difference between the recent DBAs and current PhDs.

I believe that few if any schools still offer DBAs.  Do not confuse these with Executive Doctorates or other low-residency distance programs.  Those are mainly ego boosts for senior executives or consultants. 

[writingprof]

Like an EdD . . . it seems to require generating a document referred to as a "dissertation."

This is mean and true.