Online DBA/PhD Program

[Merlin]

Hi All, I would like to seek advice from members in this forum.  I understand that my questions may have been asked before. In view of this, I would like to apologise in advance.  I am currently holding a n MSc. in SHE and would like to pursue a Doctorate degree in Business Administration for future lecturing and career advancement.  I have been searching for an online program which is accredited by AACSB due to the flexibility. However, I have a very tight budget as my paycheck is not high. I saw on one of the post on degree from South Africa and wonder if it is an alternative.  On the other hand, my current qualification is in Safety and Health and not relevant to Business Administrative programs. What are my chances to be enrolled in the program? I am currently residing in asian country so currency exchange has an impact on me. I hope that members here can give insights on my plan.  Thank you all.

FYI, if you're looking to lecture (teach) you should be focusing on RA Ph.D. programs and not DBA programs. A DBA is a terminal professional degree, not really an academic degree. You may still be able to teach with a DBA, but it will be much harder to find a gig... or you may be limited to private colleges or 2-year schools. AACSB programmatic accreditation is great to have on top of a Business Ph.D. if you want to teach at a top grad school. AACSB on top of a DBA is also great to have if you're looking to work for a Big 4 accounting firm or something, but it isn't required otherwise.

If you want to teach in the US, you should be fine if you're looking at foreign AACSB universities, but if not, you should be careful when looking at foreign colleges.

Lastly, if you want any kind of AACSB accredited degree, you're probably not going to find one on a limited budget. AACSB schools tend to charge a lot more because of that accreditation. Plus, schools that get that accreditation are really hard to find online to begin with (Covid may change this).

Also keep in mind that if you're doing any kind of online doctoral program you'll be paying out of pocket unless your company will pay for it, you can land a scholarship, or you take out a loan or something. If you're able to relocate to attend in person and can dedicate to a full-time Ph.D. in Business or something, that is the most cost-effective approach. If selected, and the program is fully funded, you generally won't have to pay for tuition at all since tuition will usually be covered by a grant or waived in combination with a research or teaching assistantship. Plus those programs will usually pay a stipend on top of all that to cover stuff like rent and food.