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esvee212 · 05-21-2008, 04:11 PM

Hi,

I am an ex- management consultant with a columbia mba. Am looking to enroll in a DBA program with a view to keeping both the independent consulting and academic tracks open. A few questions:

1) What are the best options for a DBA in strategy--schools?
2) Are there any guidelines or does anyone have advice on how to apply
3) Would I need to re-take the GMAT?
4) Is academic experience a pre-requisite? I have almost 15 years in work experience, including eight years in consulting.
5) Is age a factor? I am in my late 30s.

Appreciate your time and advice. Thanks!

desimba · 05-21-2008, 05:25 PM

1) Very few schools have a DBA program. HBS & Boston University are the two only schools which I can think of readily which have a DBA program in Strategy. However I would add that the DBA in Strategy is not all that dramatically different from a PhD in Strategy and both prepare students for a career in academia rather than the industry.

2) i) I believe that your application strategy will have to be tailored to what you want to do with your degree once you are done. There may be schools which are more receptive to folks with backgrounds that are unconventional such as yours whereas there would be other schools which are primarily looking for folks within 1-2 years of school. Needless to say you would have to choose schools wisely in that scenario.

ii) You would also have to articulate why you want to get a DBA/ PhD in your statement of purpose. Since you have been through an MBA you are familiar with how essays go and I believe if you can convince yourself that you want to do this, you should be able to articulate it in your essay.

3) Yes- the score is valid only for 5 years and everybody has to have a valid score. There might be an occasional exception but that would be very rare.

4) No. It is certainly not. You already have a graduate degree in business which prepares you well for pursuing a doctoral program.

5) Yes it is. It would need some convincing on your part as to why you want to do it. Like all B-schools go look for whether they would be able to place their graduates successfully or not while admitting MBAs, the same holds true of doctoral programs as well. They are also interested in having people graduate who will successfully take up faculty positions once they are done.

esvee212 · 05-21-2008, 06:27 PM

Hi desimba, thank you for your time--appreciate your thoughts.

I had heard (anecdotally) that DBAs were catered to working professionals who wanted to take a plunge in academia with a view to teaching/research/career advancement.

Do any of the (top) schools have rolling admissions? I can wait to apply to HBS in Sep-Oct. But would prefer having other applications done soon.

I hate to have to take my GMATs again, having done it ten years ago, with a 760 score.

By the way, do I have to network with professors in the program to enhance my chances of being admitted?

Thanks again!

desimba · 05-21-2008, 07:15 PM

What you have heard on DBA programs geared for positions in the industry is not very accurate. The fraction of folks leaving for industry positions might be higher than that from PhD programs but even then :
1) The folks ending up in industry are usually people who did not get a faculty position &
2) That fraction coming from the DBA route is still very small.

Just quoting from HBS's site: (Programs - HBS Doctoral Programs)
HBS doctoral programs prepare individuals for careers as professors of management. Usually, an MBA is sufficient preparation for individuals planning to work in industry.

Answers to your other questions-
1) The top schools do not have rolling admissions. Admissions are only for the fall semester and usually have a Dec 15th/ Jan 15th deadline. None of the schools within the top 15 have a deadline beyond January 15th as far as I remember.
2) You have to take the GMAT-sorry to disappoint you on that. Hopefully you will still do well this time around

3) Networking doesn't always help and is sometimes discouraged but in your situation, given the uniqueness of it, you might be better off doing some networking.

05-21-2008, 04:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
esvee212 Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 2	Help--DBA decision Hi, I am an ex- management consultant with a columbia mba. Am looking to enroll in a DBA program with a view to keeping both the independent consulting and academic tracks open. A few questions: 1) What are the best options for a DBA in strategy--schools? 2) Are there any guidelines or does anyone have advice on how to apply 3) Would I need to re-take the GMAT? 4) Is academic experience a pre-requisite? I have almost 15 years in work experience, including eight years in consulting. 5) Is age a factor? I am in my late 30s. Appreciate your time and advice. Thanks!

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05-21-2008, 05:25 PM	#2 (permalink)
desimba Within my grasp! Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 248	1) Very few schools have a DBA program. HBS & Boston University are the two only schools which I can think of readily which have a DBA program in Strategy. However I would add that the DBA in Strategy is not all that dramatically different from a PhD in Strategy and both prepare students for a career in academia rather than the industry. 2) i) I believe that your application strategy will have to be tailored to what you want to do with your degree once you are done. There may be schools which are more receptive to folks with backgrounds that are unconventional such as yours whereas there would be other schools which are primarily looking for folks within 1-2 years of school. Needless to say you would have to choose schools wisely in that scenario. ii) You would also have to articulate why you want to get a DBA/ PhD in your statement of purpose. Since you have been through an MBA you are familiar with how essays go and I believe if you can convince yourself that you want to do this, you should be able to articulate it in your essay. 3) Yes- the score is valid only for 5 years and everybody has to have a valid score. There might be an occasional exception but that would be very rare. 4) No. It is certainly not. You already have a graduate degree in business which prepares you well for pursuing a doctoral program. 5) Yes it is. It would need some convincing on your part as to why you want to do it. Like all B-schools go look for whether they would be able to place their graduates successfully or not while admitting MBAs, the same holds true of doctoral programs as well. They are also interested in having people graduate who will successfully take up faculty positions once they are done.

05-21-2008, 06:27 PM	#3 (permalink)
esvee212 Trying to make mom and pop proud Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 2	Hi desimba, thank you for your time--appreciate your thoughts. I had heard (anecdotally) that DBAs were catered to working professionals who wanted to take a plunge in academia with a view to teaching/research/career advancement. Do any of the (top) schools have rolling admissions? I can wait to apply to HBS in Sep-Oct. But would prefer having other applications done soon. I hate to have to take my GMATs again, having done it ten years ago, with a 760 score. By the way, do I have to network with professors in the program to enhance my chances of being admitted? Thanks again!

05-21-2008, 07:15 PM	#4 (permalink)
desimba Within my grasp! Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 248	What you have heard on DBA programs geared for positions in the industry is not very accurate. The fraction of folks leaving for industry positions might be higher than that from PhD programs but even then : 1) The folks ending up in industry are usually people who did not get a faculty position & 2) That fraction coming from the DBA route is still very small. Just quoting from HBS's site: (Programs - HBS Doctoral Programs) HBS doctoral programs prepare individuals for careers as professors of management. Usually, an MBA is sufficient preparation for individuals planning to work in industry. Answers to your other questions- 1) The top schools do not have rolling admissions. Admissions are only for the fall semester and usually have a Dec 15th/ Jan 15th deadline. None of the schools within the top 15 have a deadline beyond January 15th as far as I remember. 2) You have to take the GMAT-sorry to disappoint you on that. Hopefully you will still do well this time around 3) Networking doesn't always help and is sometimes discouraged but in your situation, given the uniqueness of it, you might be better off doing some networking.

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