South College DBA Journey Completed

[bjcheung77]

What was your full timeline from the beginning of your time at south college to the end?? I want to know how crazy it would be to finish in 6 months haha.

The fastest you can finish is in two sessions, they won't allow you to complete the dissertation during the first session. Thus, that's the fastest one can finish at - 2 sessions at 12 months (roughly).

[Kennethmaguilera@]

Hello! I recently completed my DBA at south College and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone here. Without this amazing forum, I would not have earned my degrees so quickly. My post-history has more but I have achieved my grandfather's dream of completing my education. I earn my AA from my local community college, my BACS from TESU, my MBA from WGU, and my DBA from South College. It was a tough road but I am so happy to be done. I have been working in my chosen career for several years now and between tuition reimbursement, degree hacking, and competency-based education I have paid for all my tuition. I have no idea if I could replicate this again in such a short time frame but if I could do it anyone can do it. Again thank you to everyone on this forum for all the wisdom and support I have gotten over the years. Future thinking Besides some certs like the PMP or maybe some independent design courses (always wanted to learn how to sketch cars in detail) I am done with my education. My goal with this is to build my resume not now but for a few years down the road in my career when I wanted to have to build up my name for mgmt.

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Hi Max. Can you tell me more about the last course at South College. How long did it take to finish

[bjcheung77]

Hi Max. Can you tell me more about the last course at South College. How long did it take to finish

I believe the last course is the dissertation... I recall the original poster finishing in two sessions, and the reason to my post right above yours...

[maxxor6868]

Hello! I recently completed my DBA at south College and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone here. Without this amazing forum, I would not have earned my degrees so quickly. My post-history has more but I have achieved my grandfather's dream of completing my education. I earn my AA from my local community college, my BACS from TESU, my MBA from WGU, and my DBA from South College. It was a tough road but I am so happy to be done. I have been working in my chosen career for several years now and between tuition reimbursement, degree hacking, and competency-based education I have paid for all my tuition. I have no idea if I could replicate this again in such a short time frame but if I could do it anyone can do it. Again thank you to everyone on this forum for all the wisdom and support I have gotten over the years. Future thinking Besides some certs like the PMP or maybe some independent design courses (always wanted to learn how to sketch cars in detail) I am done with my education. My goal with this is to build my resume not now but for a few years down the road in my career when I wanted to have to build up my name for mgmt.

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Hi Max. Can you tell me more about the last course at South College.  How long did it take to finish

Hey! It a semester long course. I quit my side hustle and have no kids. I also come off not far from my MBA and work different jobs that kept my experience pretty up to date. All that said I barely finish in one semester. That the fastest you can do it. There no if and or but about it. You will need a minimum of two semesters to get the dba one for all the other classes and a second for the dissertation. Realistically you need 3 because the dissertation is no joke and will take probably 2 semesters. That assuming you can finish all your classes in one term which any delays what's so ever will drop you. I know I sound harsh but it the truth I think realistically 1.5-2 is for 95% of people. I grinded day in and day out with no sleep at my regular job and work on my lunches as well. This program has 3x the workload of wgu and rightfully so for a DBA. Can it be done in one year? Honestly idk. I did it but the program was still new and had to push hard when the program was falling short. They are constantly updating the program and realistically once it matured it be much harder to finish quickly. They are not aganist people finishing faster but they made it very clear the program is design all around the dissertation and that can't be accelerated.

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Hi Max. Can you tell me more about the last course at South College.  How long did it take to finish

I believe the last course is the dissertation... I recall the original poster finishing in two sessions, and the reason to my post right above yours...

You are correct and even than that more of a perfect start to finish. I was hauling butt to get done by the skin of my teeth. Realistically it will take 1.5-2 years. In my program multiple people started strong but fell through the cracks. It hard to explain but even if you slack off for one or two weeks you can miss a deadline. It hard like really hard. If you aren't  meticulous about your workload you will not finish in a year. I'm not trying to be negative just honest. It very similar to wgu but 3x the workload. It can be done like I did but you have to be literally perfect day in and day out.

[3ichael7ambert]

Could you let us know how your Defense was like? Could you do a powerpoint to carry the presentation?

[maxxor6868]

Could you let us know how your Defense was like? Could you do a powerpoint to carry the presentation?

I did it after work on zoom. For privacy reasons, I won't say who but it a group of higher ups. You get a lot of prep time before the final defense. You submit your powerpoint but you are not suppose to talk about it because they already review and pass the powerpoint ahead of time. The defense is really like the final nail in the coffin. They won't let you do it if they don't feel like your ready but you will get ask questions about it. I am a little bias because public speaking is a strong suit for me so I personally ignore my powerpoint the entire time and just spoke about my research and answer the questions with force and vigor as I was kinda already beaten by my job lol and was just ready to be done. It was long if I recall about an hour and half but time itself moves fast when your talking. I did talk for a while though. That my biggest advice is be ready to talk non stop and answer questions confidently about whatever you right. I heard only one person at the time fail her defense but she buckle under pressure and while she was smart from what I heard in the rumors was that she just was not mentally prepare to talk as long. Long story short my advice is be okay with winging it. Don't go off your powerpoint or think you can read slides to the higher ups. That not what they are there for. They are there to make sure before you finish that you are ready to call yourself a Doctor.

[Liis19]

good job. i hope your profession will continue to bring you joy

[3ichael7ambert]

Could you let us know how your Defense was like? Could you do a powerpoint to carry the presentation?

I did it after work on zoom. For privacy reasons, I won't say who but it a group of higher ups. You get a lot of prep time before the final defense. You submit your powerpoint but you are not suppose to talk about it because they already review and pass the powerpoint ahead of time. The defense is really like the final nail in the coffin. They won't let you do it if they don't feel like your ready but you will get ask questions about it. I am a little bias because public speaking is a strong suit for me so I personally ignore my powerpoint the entire time and just spoke about my research and answer the questions with force and vigor as I was kinda already beaten by my job lol and was just ready to be done. It was long if I recall about an hour and half but time itself moves fast when your talking. I did talk for a while though. That my biggest advice is be ready to talk non stop and answer questions confidently about whatever you right. I heard only one person at the time fail her defense but she buckle under pressure and while she was smart from what I heard in the rumors was that she just was not mentally prepare to talk as long. Long story short my advice is be okay with winging it. Don't go off your powerpoint or think you can read slides to the higher ups. That not what they are there for. They are there to make sure before you finish that you are ready to call yourself a Doctor.

Lets say worst case scenerio, one buckles under pressure. I, for one, am hit or miss when it comes to public speaking. Are they allowed to do their defense again?

[maxxor6868]

good job. i hope your profession will continue to bring you joy

Thank you

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Could you let us know how your Defense was like? Could you do a powerpoint to carry the presentation?

I did it after work on zoom. For privacy reasons, I won't say who but it a group of higher ups. You get a lot of prep time before the final defense. You submit your powerpoint but you are not suppose to talk about it because they already review and pass the powerpoint ahead of time. The defense is really like the final nail in the coffin. They won't let you do it if they don't feel like your ready but you will get ask questions about it. I am a little bias because public speaking is a strong suit for me so I personally ignore my powerpoint the entire time and just spoke about my research and answer the questions with force and vigor as I was kinda already beaten by my job lol and was just ready to be done. It was long if I recall about an hour and half but time itself moves fast when your talking. I did talk for a while though. That my biggest advice is be ready to talk non stop and answer questions confidently about whatever you right. I heard only one person at the time fail her defense but she buckle under pressure and while she was smart from what I heard in the rumors was that she just was not mentally prepare to talk as long. Long story short my advice is be okay with winging it. Don't go off your powerpoint or think you can read slides to the higher ups. That not what they are there for. They are there to make sure before you finish that you are ready to call yourself a Doctor.

Lets say worst case scenerio, one buckles under pressure. I, for one, am hit or miss when it comes to public speaking. Are they allowed to do their defense again?

It would be a bad look ngl because there alot of prep to make sure thta doesn't happen. In the event that happens, you can redo it again and again until you do pass but from what I was told  you come under alot of pressure if you do it more than twice because they get suspicious. What that means I'm not sure tbh. Off record I heard someone kinda joke if you fail 2 or god forbid 3 times they think you didn't write the paper lol.