VUL introducing new doctorate in May

[DeanLewis]

Personally, I am underwhelmed at the prospect of a religious school stepping outside of its niche to offer a DBA.  Aside from remarkably low admission standards, what has this school got that can't be found in many other (and more reputable) places?

VUL isn’t a religious school in the sense that it is a seminary offering theological education solely, that hasn’t been its MO in a very long time (despite housing a seminary from the beginning). Rather, it’s more like Liberty, Regent, and the like (except with a much more inclusive stance toward LGBT people overtly), offering education in a theologically informed milieu.

I don’t blame anyone for working with “NA” groups, as they’re often much cheaper than the classical “RA” folks, both in initial fees and maintenance of accreditation fees, which can directly equate to lower tuition. 

As far as admission standards, let’s face it, outside of medicine and law, most anyone with a pulse can get into most any school these days.

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against this school.  But I also am not going to pretend that it's anything other than what it is.  You say it's not a "religious school" but I have been unable to find a list of the degrees it offers.  The GPA required for admission is 2.0.  This is substantially lower than most schools.  If it at all like Liberty et al that's because there's an agreement between the schools that allows VUL students to take courses elsewhere, courses not offered at VUL.  Because they don't offer certain degree programs.  The idea that most NA schools are cheaper than RA schools is a myth.  I'm pretty sure that I could find a cheaper RA equivalent for any NA degree that you could name.  But the cost is not the issue here, at least not for me.  Cheap is good, but cheap at the expense of quality is not a smart move.  I just don't know that I've seen anything that convinces me that they can run a DBA program.  And I don't know if it's any kind specialty area for TRACS either.  Obviously I could be wrong about that and maybe it will be a great program and a great deal.  But if I was going to get a DBA I'm not sure that I'd take the risk of signing into this program at this school at this time.

To be clear, I'm saying it is not solely a seminary, it is an HBCU that started as a seminary, but which has for many years had expanded offerings. Looking at the catalog they currently offer:

An Associates Degrees in Liberal Arts, an Undergraduate Certificate in Ministry, a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, a BA in General Business Administration, a BA in Organizational Management, a BA in HR Management, a BA in E-Sports Management, a BA in Criminal Justice Management, a BA in Sports Management, an MA in Organizational Management, an MA in Criminal Justice Management, a Master of Divinity, a Doctor of Ministry, and Doctor of Healthcare Administration. As you can see, the school ostensibly has a business/management focus, with the seminary offering three degrees and a certificate. 

I'm not sure what you're suggesting with regards to articulation agreements, the school is in the same vein as Liberty and Regent, it is not affiliated with them. Both Liberty and Regent are religious in nature, but offer a wide array of degrees outside of the religious milieu, the same as VUL but on a smaller scale.