Doctoral Degree

[ThatBankDude]

I have been heavily considering my next route of education. I have been contemplating another masters but my ultimate goal is to move into academia therefore at some point a PhD would be beneficial. I have not decided if I want to be a professor or if I would be more apt to be in an administrative position. Other than a PhD in Business, what would be the best PhD to get to achieve this?

I've been having these same thoughts since I don't plan to limit myself to a bachelors or masters degree. After my MBA I'm considering a second masters degree or just jumping off the deep end and going for the Ph.D., DBA, or DM. I'm also interested in teaching at the postsecondary level, but at my age, I"m not sure how realistic that is since most tenure-track teachers start in their 30s. I should have no problem finding an adjunct teaching position, but I'd need a full-time role to make it feasible. If I get into the CS masters program at GA Tech I will probably do that after the MBA but before moving onto a doctorate. In that case, I might also consider a CS-related Ph.D. instead.

In any case, I've done a fair amount of research in this area. My recommendation: get a Ph.D. if you want to teach and get a DBA if you want to stay in business administration. However, either way, considering the level of work it is going to take and overall costs, I suggest that whatever degree you go for, it should focus on something that you're passionate about since you're going to be doing a lot of research and possibly teaching about it eventually. For me, I'm most interested in the management and leadership aspects of technology (in business), so if I were to go with the DBA or DM it would be in that field. If I did a Ph.D., I'd probably focus in the same area, though I might also look to see what related fields need the most teachers and use that to determine which related subject would give me a better chance at finding a full-time teaching position.

If you decide to focus on postsecondary teaching (college level), keep in mind that you'll want a degree from a research-focused RA university (or a top school in your field), at least if you're hoping to eventually score a tenured position at a decent school. You will generally need an academic credential at least one level higher than the level of students you'll be instructing. So at the community college level, you'll need at least a bachelors degree–though a masters degree is often preferred; at the 4-year college level you'll need at least a masters degree, but many schools require a Ph.D. For adjunct positions, you are usually fine with a bachelors degree or masters degree since its more about your years of career experience, but they are usually paid hourly, and the pay isn't that great in general. My wife is an adjunct professor at a 4-year university, so I'm fairly well versed in this.

That is my $0.02 anyway.

I am almost certain I would pursue a PhD versus a DBA or DM. I am 26 with about 2 years of management experience. I am about 95% certain that in April 2019 I will be promoted to AVP or VP with the bank I work at. My MBA concentration is management and if I did a PhD in Business I would be more apt to stick with that specialty. That said, I have also considered a PhD in Higher Education Leadership in an effort to assist me in moving into an administrative position at a university.

If you're interested in working in academia but not teaching, then your options are more open. Your MBA would probably be fine there since a lot of administrators in colleges are not doctorate holders, though having a doctorate could be useful depending on the role you're seeking. A degree specifically in education for administrative jobs seems ideal. Though I'd argue that a DBA could be just as valuable depending on what kind of role within the school you are trying to pursue. That said, I'd think that a management focus would probably be the least in-demand specialization in administration unless you're looking for a leadership role of some kind. For that, you'd probably need to supplement your resume with academic experience in other areas.

At your age, I'd think postsecondary teaching would be the best path. Assuming you spend 5 years on your Ph.D. and defense (and it could be half that time depending on the topic and school), you'll end up coming out of it by 30-32, which is the perfect age for starting a tenure-track teaching career. You can always go into administration after that if you don't like it, or if it doesn't end up working out the way you like. Plus having hands-on experience as an educator first would make you a better administrator.

I'm just under double your age, so by the time I end up with a Ph.D., I'd be in my mid-50s going up against 30-something folks for teaching roles. Administration roles seem like they would probably be a better option in my case, but I'm less interested in that side and more interested in either teaching or creating courses. That or doing pure academic research of some kind; this seems like it could be very interesting and rewarding...depending on the subject area anyway.

Management would definitely be one field that likely has the least demand in business. Other than that, finance is the only thing that interest me. I hated accounting. Business analytics is not the most interesting thing to me. So ultimately it is a PhD in Business with a concentration on management, a MS in Finance followed by a PhD in Finance, or a PhD in Higher Education Leadership. Gahhh the decisions!

As for you, I do not think your age should limit you from pursuing, and achieving, your goals! I say go for it!