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[bwainscott]

Hello everyone and please patience with the new guy.  About me...I am a career Naval Officer (20+ years) looking for a transition after the service into education (horizon 10 years).  I would like to either teach or administrate at the JC level or administrate in government service (DOE) at higher levels (by administrate, I mean business office or otherwise).  I currently hold an MBA and my undergrad is in Business as well.  Putting the online vs. B/M fight aside (all of my degrees are from RA online concerns because I believe in them), in your opinion would it be more advantageous to add the education element to my tool belt via an EdD or to continue normal progression into a DBA program.  Keep in mind, that I have no intentions of completing a PhD as I am not the "super" research type.  Please no flaming remarks about online education as I am already well aware of how most academics feel about that.  Thanks in advance,
Bob

B.S. Business Management, University of Phoenix, 2001
MBA, TUI University, 2009

[polly_mer]

Hello everyone and please patience with the new guy.  About me...I am a career Naval Officer (20+ years) looking for a transition after the service into education (horizon 10 years).  I would like to either teach or administrate at the JC level or administrate in government service (DOE) at higher levels (by administrate, I mean business office or otherwise).  I currently hold an MBA and my undergrad is in Business as well.  Putting the online vs. B/M fight aside (all of my degrees are from RA online concerns because I believe in them), in your opinion would it be more advantageous to add the education element to my tool belt via an EdD or to continue normal progression into a DBA program.  Keep in mind, that I have no intentions of completing a PhD as I am not the "super" research type.  Please no flaming remarks about online education as I am already well aware of how most academics feel about that.  Thanks in advance,
Bob

B.S. Business Management, University of Phoenix, 2001
MBA, TUI University, 2009

With those credentials, I think you are better off going the DBA route.  Those appear to be closer to your people.

I suspect the EdD people would be put off by your background and I suspect you would not fit in particularly well with that standard culture since your experience is not applicable to their views and I don't know that you could even get admitted to any EdD program worth attending with neither relevant experience nor educational background.

[bwainscott]

With those credentials, I think you are better off going the DBA route.  Those appear to be closer to your people.

polly_mer,

Thank you for your quick reply...I didn't know that I had a people, but if you mean the folks that could not break off and go to school because they were tied up defending this nation then yes that is me.  Thank you for your candor.  That is to say the DBA is a better fit for me culturally, and by an EdD worth anything you must be referring to "not online".  Again, I appreciate your honest thoughts.

Bob

[polly_mer]

With those credentials, I think you are better off going the DBA route.  Those appear to be closer to your people.

polly_mer,

Thank you for your quick reply...I didn't know that I had a people, but if you mean the folks that could not break off and go to school because they were tied up defending this nation then yes that is me. 

Actually, I was thinking more people who keep in mind the mission and getting something done (i.e., people who have supported a mission that must be accomplished) rather than getting distracted by writing pretty statements about what could be done under ideal situations (i.e., education theorists who never step foot into a classroom to confront actual students).

[bwainscott]

polly_mer,

I thank you humbly for your careful analysis of the education environment and will (in accord with my wife's recommendations) most likely pursue the DBA.  You can, I am sure, imagine how 6 years of business school could drain a person.  Thanks also for your appreciation of mission :o).

Bob

[msparticularity]

I just wanted to chime in here to say that I agree that a DBA seems better aligned with who you are and what you have done. The people that I have worked with in departments of Higher Education generally came in to get the PhD with a very clearly-delineated area of interest from long-term experience in postsecondary ed. For example, I have known a number of people who worked in student services and who have then gotten the PhD to allow them to advance in administration. They, however, have had extensive background that has allowed them to articulate a research agenda that was related to their work experiences, which seems to be expected for the EdD.