South College DBA

[cc95]

I think I've identified the issue SACSCOC might have with the CBE programs. Each course is 9 credits.

South College uses the Quarter Hour system though, 9 quarter credits are 6 semester credits - that doesn't seem unreasonable for Doctoral level courses

That is highly unusual for doctoral-level courses. Regardless of level, semester hours and quarter hours are based on a set number of hours of expected coursework within a term. These hours were set using 16-week semesters and 10-week quarters. 

The norm is for a doctoral-level course to be 3 semester hours or 4 or 5 quarter hours. There are exceptions, such as courses with labs. If a student can complete 9 doctoral-level courses in six months, as reported here, are these courses really worth 9 quarter hours? I know it's a self-paced, accelerated program, but since they're assigning an unusually high number of credits to each course, I can see this getting additional scrutiny.

My opinion, I wouldn't use degreeforum as the norm, most people on here are highly motivated and beyond the norm as far as goals and drive on the academic front. It's an obsession for some on here (there are unhealthier vices out there though)

True, but a 9 quarter hour course is also not the norm. I'm all for fast and easy, but if people ignore warning signs, they could end up earning degrees from tarnished schools, such as VUL.

Agree with that, however, for most people that have earned that degree and have leveraged it into govt roles or private management, the degree is no longer a factor. It should concern people that are considering starting or are in the middle of the program.

[ss20ts]

It's a for profit college. Many for profit colleges seem to have funky credit allotments. I have seen many universities have 4 credit doctoral classes and a handful of 6 credits. These are all semester based programs that are on a semester schedule not CBE.

[EverSpinning]

To avoid starting yet another South thread, I wanted to post here if that's cool. I started my DBA program at South a few days ago on the 1st. I have completed the first competency (of five) in each of the first two courses: leadership and ethics. The ethics course's paper format requirements were different to what I have been used to and I spent quite a while on my first summative for it, but I'm better used to it now. It's only been a couple days, but I'm enjoying it so far. I'm hoping to get these two courses done this month and get all of the first eight or nine done in six, if possible, but I won't lose my mind if I don't.

I've seen people question the school because of its CBE format. That's fine; it isn't for everyone. I of course had the option to go to a more traditional doctoral program and take three to six years to get the qualification. Heck, I still might go for a more traditional one after this one is finished, but I wanted to experience CBE once in my life and this school is giving me the opportunity to do that and earn an accredited doctoral degree to boot. I'm really hyped up about it and can't wait to see how it progresses.

[Tireman4]

To avoid starting yet another South thread, I wanted to post here if that's cool. I started my DBA program at South a few days ago on the 1st. I have completed the first competency (of five) in each of the first two courses: leadership and ethics. The ethics course's paper format requirements were different to what I have been used to and I spent quite a while on my first summative for it, but I'm better used to it now. It's only been a couple days, but I'm enjoying it so far. I'm hoping to get these two courses done this month and get all of the first eight or nine done in six, if possible, but I won't lose my mind if I don't.

I've seen people question the school because of its CBE format. That's fine; it isn't for everyone. I of course had the option to go to a more traditional doctoral program and take three to six years to get the qualification. Heck, I still might go for a more traditional one after this one is finished, but I wanted to experience CBE once in my life and this school is giving me the opportunity to do that and earn an accredited doctoral degree to boot. I'm really hyped up about it and can't wait to see how it progresses.

I read where one individual ( on Facebook), completed 8 courses in 80 days. He is almost finished with course 9. I have also read where folks get to the 10th course and they have been slowed down. This is on Facebook and I am not in the program, so I am just going by their word. I do not have an axe to grind and support all who are working on their doctorates!

[freeloader]

I read where one individual ( on Facebook), completed 8 courses in 80 days. He is almost finished with course 9. I have also read where folks get to the 10th course and they have been slowed down. This is on Facebook and I am not in the program, so I am just going by their word. I do not have an axe to grind and support all who are working on their doctorates!

That has been mentioned a few times on here and elsewhere, I think, but I don’t really understand. (And this isn’t meant to blast you Tireman, you are just quoting others, I know)

The program is 90 credits, comprising 10 classes. 81 credits/9’classes are subject area classes dealing with business, business research, and the specialization courses. Course number 10 is the Dissertation course.  

A dissertation should take time. Not sure how exactly South College is handling it, but in general you have to design a research agenda, establish research questions, perhaps write and defend a proposal, conduct academic research, compile and analyze your findings, and write up the dissertation articulating what you have done, your findings, and the implications (for the field, future scholarship, etc) of your research. All of that takes time. All of that takes drafts and revisions. The goal isn’t to produce work that is the quality of a term-paper, it is to go beyond that and produce high level scholarship in your field. 

I would love to know how South College is slowing things down. Are they creating unnecessary roadblocks due to bad policies or lack of resources?  Or, are they trying to maintain some academic quality to actually justify the awarding of a doctoral degree to the graduates?

Just because you can finish a WGU MBA in 4 months and 81 doctoral level credits at South College in 6 months, doesn’t mean you should be able to research, write, and revise a doctoral project in a few months.

[Tireman4]

I could not even begin to answer your question. One person finished in 18 months; the dissertation took a day over 7 months. (EdD). For one person, the dissertation took as long as they worked through courses 1-9. (EdD)

[bjcheung77]

Hmm, aside from the 'other issues' feedback, so the potential to complete in two sessions or two terms is there? As someone mentioned, 1 term for all the classes, 1 term for the dissertation.

[Tireman4]

I read where one individual ( on Facebook), completed 8 courses in 80 days. He is almost finished with course 9. I have also read where folks get to the 10th course and they have been slowed down. This is on Facebook and I am not in the program, so I am just going by their word. I do not have an axe to grind and support all who are working on their doctorates!

That has been mentioned a few times on here and elsewhere, I think, but I don’t really understand. (And this isn’t meant to blast you Tireman, you are just quoting others, I know)

The program is 90 credits, comprising 10 classes. 81 credits/9’classes are subject area classes dealing with business, business research, and the specialization courses. Course number 10 is the Dissertation course.  

A dissertation should take time. Not sure how exactly South College is handling it, but in general you have to design a research agenda, establish research questions, perhaps write and defend a proposal, conduct academic research, compile and analyze your findings, and write up the dissertation articulating what you have done, your findings, and the implications (for the field, future scholarship, etc) of your research. All of that takes time. All of that takes drafts and revisions. The goal isn’t to produce work that is the quality of a term-paper, it is to go beyond that and produce high level scholarship in your field. 

I would love to know how South College is slowing things down. Are they creating unnecessary roadblocks due to bad policies or lack of resources?  Or, are they trying to maintain some academic quality to actually justify the awarding of a doctoral degree to the graduates?

Just because you can finish a WGU MBA in 4 months and 81 doctoral level credits at South College in 6 months, doesn’t mean you should be able to research, write, and revise a doctoral project in a few months.

Hmm, aside from the 'other issues' feedback, so the potential to complete in two sessions or two terms is there?  As someone mentioned, 1 term for all the classes, 1 term for the dissertation.

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I cannot answer that. Most dissertation programs are different. What these folks are doing is tough, I will tell you that. In my program, there were just 8-week courses. (they have 8- and 16-week courses now). Back then, I thought I was flying with so much reading, discussion posts and writing to do. There are four comps' classes you must take back-to-back. They consist of 6 discussion boards (500 words and up), 2 books to be read each week (16 in total, you had a list to choose from. I, the lazy one, would choose the books 250 to 300 pages...or 350...the 400 to 1000 pages, I just could not do. I had to teach myself how to speed read. LOL), two book reviews (5-7 pages), one oral exam (1 to 2 hours) and a 6-hour final exam of 20-25 pages with a minimum 20 source bibliography. I did this from January to August in one year. I was toast at the end. I had never read almost 77 books in 7 months, and I am not even close to being as smart as these folks.  My dissertation took 2 years. What these folks are doing, in the time allotted and with all the family obligations, is amazing. My hat is off to them. I could never ever do that.

[freeloader]

I spent 5 years working on my dissertation (in history) and didn’t finish. Project was 500 pages long and on my second draft when I was dismissed for “lack of academic progress”.

I am not saying everyone’s experience should be like mine. I hope NOBODY’S experience is like mine, actually, but I genuinely wonder about a dissertation that can be completed in 6 months or even a year.

[Tireman4]

I spent 5 years working on my dissertation (in history) and didn’t finish. Project was 500 pages long and on my second draft when I was dismissed for “lack of academic progress”.

I am not saying everyone’s experience should be like mine. I hope NOBODY’S experience is like mine, actually, but I genuinely wonder about a dissertation that can be completed in 6 months or even a year.

Yeah, mine was 230 pages, but I had to leave out two chapters (my chair said save it for the second book, and it is in there..LOL). I think the absolutely motivated can do it in 6 months, but gosh they would have to write almost every day. As I stated, those folks are smarter than I could ever be and motivated to boot. I wish them all the best as they defend and move onward.