South College announces competency-based DBA

[kidneysmasher]

I have been chatting/talking with an acutal admission counselor at South College the last few days and can confirm the DBA program is available online via the Knoxville campus. It is completely online and starts four times a year, with the next being Apr 1. When you set up your account you have to choose knoxville as the school, not the onlne school. They are still working through some hiccups in that regard.

Unfortunately they do not accept the GI Bill at this time, so I will have to continue on with 14 more classes with Liberty U.

I'll throw a shout out to the admission counselor. She is quick with replies, doesn't fluff anything up, and is very helpful. Kudos to South for this.

[turbotortuga]

Unfortunately they do not accept the GI Bill at this time

Hmm...this is interesting. How can they accept the GI Bill for their other programs, but not the DBA? Did they tell you why or what the issue is? If I can't use GI Bill, then I will have to look elsewhere as well, I'm not interested in coming out of pocket for anything after spending almost 2 decades in military service to earn my educational benefits. Are you sure you are not taking about the "military grant" instead?

[ss20ts]

Unfortunately they do not accept the GI Bill at this time

Hmm...this is interesting. How can they accept the GI Bill for their other programs, but not the DBA? Did they tell you why or what the issue is? If I can't use GI Bill, then I will have to look elsewhere as well, I'm not interested in coming out of pocket for anything after spending almost 2 decades in military service to earn my educational benefits. Are you sure you are not taking about the "military grant" instead?

The CBE programs may not have been accredited by the feds for the GI Bill.

[kidneysmasher]

Unfortunately they do not accept the GI Bill at this time

Hmm...this is interesting. How can they accept the GI Bill for their other programs, but not the DBA? Did they tell you why or what the issue is? If I can't use GI Bill, then I will have to look elsewhere as well, I'm not interested in coming out of pocket for anything after spending almost 2 decades in military service to earn my educational benefits. Are you sure you are not taking about the "military grant" instead?

She indicated they have applied for GI Bill acceptance, but it is still under review at this time. They are working through the process, but it doesn't sound like it will be approved by the VA anytime soon. She indicated they do not have significant military population pursuing Masters or Doctorate degrees. 

Once their status changes she is supposed to let me know.

[turbotortuga]

Unfortunately they do not accept the GI Bill at this time

Hmm...this is interesting. How can they accept the GI Bill for their other programs, but not the DBA? Did they tell you why or what the issue is? If I can't use GI Bill, then I will have to look elsewhere as well, I'm not interested in coming out of pocket for anything after spending almost 2 decades in military service to earn my educational benefits. Are you sure you are not taking about the "military grant" instead?

She indicated they have applied for GI Bill acceptance, but it is still under review at this time. They are working through the process, but it doesn't sound like it will be approved by the VA anytime soon. She indicated they do not have significant military population pursuing Masters or Doctorate degrees. 

Once their status changes she is supposed to let me know.

So, that whole line sounded very weird to me. Once an institution is accredited and eligible for VA benefits and support, all subsequent degree granting programs that are under the same accreditation would also be eligible. Even viewing the South College - Knoxville page on the VA GI Bill Tool states they are eligible for both VA Educational Benefits AND Military TA (which is even more stringent) plus the have about 276 military students currently attending. 

https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-com...n/21902142

So I'm going to go ahead and say that the Admissions counselor is probably giving out bad gouge. I'm trying to reach out to the actual VA Certifying Official at that campus for further clarification, as he would be the one to actually submit the COE and certify the coursework to the VA portal itself.

[turbotortuga]

Unfortunately they do not accept the GI Bill at this time

Hmm...this is interesting. How can they accept the GI Bill for their other programs, but not the DBA? Did they tell you why or what the issue is? If I can't use GI Bill, then I will have to look elsewhere as well, I'm not interested in coming out of pocket for anything after spending almost 2 decades in military service to earn my educational benefits. Are you sure you are not taking about the "military grant" instead?

She indicated they have applied for GI Bill acceptance, but it is still under review at this time. They are working through the process, but it doesn't sound like it will be approved by the VA anytime soon. She indicated they do not have significant military population pursuing Masters or Doctorate degrees. 

Once their status changes she is supposed to let me know.

So, that whole line sounded very weird to me. Once an institution is accredited and eligible for VA benefits and support, all subsequent degree granting programs that are under the same accreditation would also be eligible. Even viewing the South College - Knoxville page on the VA GI Bill Tool states they are eligible for both VA Educational Benefits AND Military TA (which is even more stringent) plus the have about 276 military students currently attending. 

https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-com...n/21902142

So I'm going to go ahead and say that the Admissions counselor is probably giving out bad gouge. I'm trying to reach out to the actual VA Certifying Official at that campus for further clarification, as he would be the one to actually submit the COE and certify the coursework to the VA portal itself.

Per the CBE Director, South College is now approved for members to utilize the GI Bill for their CBE Doctoral Programs.

[kidneysmasher]

Unfortunately they do not accept the GI Bill at this time

Hmm...this is interesting. How can they accept the GI Bill for their other programs, but not the DBA? Did they tell you why or what the issue is? If I can't use GI Bill, then I will have to look elsewhere as well, I'm not interested in coming out of pocket for anything after spending almost 2 decades in military service to earn my educational benefits. Are you sure you are not taking about the "military grant" instead?

She indicated they have applied for GI Bill acceptance, but it is still under review at this time. They are working through the process, but it doesn't sound like it will be approved by the VA anytime soon. She indicated they do not have significant military population pursuing Masters or Doctorate degrees. 

Once their status changes she is supposed to let me know.

So, that whole line sounded very weird to me. Once an institution is accredited and eligible for VA benefits and support, all subsequent degree granting programs that are under the same accreditation would also be eligible. Even viewing the South College - Knoxville page on the VA GI Bill Tool states they are eligible for both VA Educational Benefits AND Military TA (which is even more stringent) plus the have about 276 military students currently attending. 

https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-com...n/21902142

So I'm going to go ahead and say that the Admissions counselor is probably giving out bad gouge. I'm trying to reach out to the actual VA Certifying Official at that campus for further clarification, as he would be the one to actually submit the COE and certify the coursework to the VA portal itself.

Per the CBE Director, South College is now approved for members to utilize the GI Bill for their CBE Doctoral Programs.

I actually started on 1 July 2023 and have one month left in this term. I just submitted the final for class 6 today and plan to knock out class 7 before the term ends on 31 Dec. South treats the program like a subscription, meaning if you are in a class when the term ends you just continue on with the start of the new term. No need to rush or ask for a extension. At my current pace, I should complete by Late April.

[cc95]

Hmm...this is interesting. How can they accept the GI Bill for their other programs, but not the DBA? Did they tell you why or what the issue is? If I can't use GI Bill, then I will have to look elsewhere as well, I'm not interested in coming out of pocket for anything after spending almost 2 decades in military service to earn my educational benefits. Are you sure you are not taking about the "military grant" instead?

She indicated they have applied for GI Bill acceptance, but it is still under review at this time. They are working through the process, but it doesn't sound like it will be approved by the VA anytime soon. She indicated they do not have significant military population pursuing Masters or Doctorate degrees. 

Once their status changes she is supposed to let me know.

So, that whole line sounded very weird to me. Once an institution is accredited and eligible for VA benefits and support, all subsequent degree granting programs that are under the same accreditation would also be eligible. Even viewing the South College - Knoxville page on the VA GI Bill Tool states they are eligible for both VA Educational Benefits AND Military TA (which is even more stringent) plus the have about 276 military students currently attending. 

https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-com...n/21902142

So I'm going to go ahead and say that the Admissions counselor is probably giving out bad gouge. I'm trying to reach out to the actual VA Certifying Official at that campus for further clarification, as he would be the one to actually submit the COE and certify the coursework to the VA portal itself.

Per the CBE Director, South College is now approved for members to utilize the GI Bill for their CBE Doctoral Programs.

I actually started on 1 July 2023 and have one month left in this term. I just submitted the final for class 6 today and plan to knock out class 7 before the term ends on 31 Dec. South treats the program like a subscription, meaning if you are in a class when the term ends you just continue on with the start of the new term. No need to rush or ask for a extension. At my current pace, I should complete by Late April.

Can you speak to the difficulty of the courses and what kind of work / time each class entails?

[kidneysmasher]

Hmm...this is interesting. How can they accept the GI Bill for their other programs, but not the DBA? Did they tell you why or what the issue is? If I can't use GI Bill, then I will have to look elsewhere as well, I'm not interested in coming out of pocket for anything after spending almost 2 decades in military service to earn my educational benefits. Are you sure you are not taking about the "military grant" instead?

She indicated they have applied for GI Bill acceptance, but it is still under review at this time. They are working through the process, but it doesn't sound like it will be approved by the VA anytime soon. She indicated they do not have significant military population pursuing Masters or Doctorate degrees. 

Once their status changes she is supposed to let me know.

So, that whole line sounded very weird to me. Once an institution is accredited and eligible for VA benefits and support, all subsequent degree granting programs that are under the same accreditation would also be eligible. Even viewing the South College - Knoxville page on the VA GI Bill Tool states they are eligible for both VA Educational Benefits AND Military TA (which is even more stringent) plus the have about 276 military students currently attending. 

https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-com...n/21902142

So I'm going to go ahead and say that the Admissions counselor is probably giving out bad gouge. I'm trying to reach out to the actual VA Certifying Official at that campus for further clarification, as he would be the one to actually submit the COE and certify the coursework to the VA portal itself.

Per the CBE Director, South College is now approved for members to utilize the GI Bill for their CBE Doctoral Programs.

I actually started on 1 July 2023 and have one month left in this term. I just submitted the final for class 6 today and plan to knock out class 7 before the term ends on 31 Dec. South treats the program like a subscription, meaning if you are in a class when the term ends you just continue on with the start of the new term. No need to rush or ask for a extension. At my current pace, I should complete by Late April.

I feel it is an actual CBE program, meaning my first two classes had completely new topics and it took awhile to complete them. However, I just finished class 7 in less then a week. The course was over material, I am very familiar with. The courses average between 15-20 assignments. The concepts are not very difficult, but at the doctoral level the length is quit longer. For instance my final was restricted to 6 pages, which could have been easily 20-25 pages. My second summative was a mini-proposal that was 38 pages. They can be very time consuming. 

The instructors have been phenomenal. They give actual critiques and feedback on every assignment. Some harp on certain issues (APA Format/not using "be, is, it, its, are"), but it's usually a quick fix. For those utilizing AI, they have a few different checks, so be warned. A person in our cohort was caught twice and I believe is pending academic discipline. 

They just announce they will have a DBA IT starting 1 Feb. Since it is subscription based, if you graduate mid-term you can pursue a post-doc certificate. For those in the MBA progam they can immediately start DBA coursework. No need to wait for a new term like WGU.

The Dean and Vice Dean are very open with the changes/additions to the programs. They have regular live Q&A sessions on the programs, dissertation writings, APA,.....

I really enjoy the coursework and how most professors encourage me to move faster, as opposed to trying to slow me down. Realistically, I should in theory graduate in April, which is 10 months from start to finish. With that being said, I had already take 7 DBA IT courses at Liberty U giving me quit a bit of knowledge to use.

[SomeRandomAccountant]

For those utilizing AI, they have a few different checks, so be warned. A person in our cohort was caught twice and I believe is pending academic discipline.

Would you know what these checks are? Would like to try using them in my work.