Walden University

I graduated with my DBA-Marketing and had a great experience. It took me a little longer than expected, but overall enjoyed my experience. I had a great Chair and Committee reviewing my Doc Study. The revisions they require were sometimes frustrating, but it’s just part of the process to make sure my study was top notch. Follow the DBA rubric closely and use the resources Walden offers.

New Rubrics Cause Delay of Degree Walden DBA Student Beware of Changing Rubrics! Walden University DBA methodologists release a new rubric every two years with new more strict criteria that keeps the student enrolled past expected graduation. Students are NOT GRANDFATHERED for the previous rubric. This is a breach of trust between the university and the student. For instance, my prospectus was approved in 2011. When my chair decided to step down, I had to submit a prospectus to gain a new chair in 2014. I used the same approved prospectus from 2011, and the methodologist deemed the prospectus unsuitable. He suggested that I make changes to the prospectus or start over. This information was three years and $60,000 too late. If you applied the new 2014 rubric to those DBA students who published their dissertation prior to 2014, most would fail. Does this mean that their dissertations are no longer scholarly? Should their doctor degrees be revoked? Of course not, because they are grandfathered. Walden University is supposed to make a positive social change. However, the decision makers are guilty of causing a social problem. The social problem is causing minority students to accumulate debt that may take a decade or more to pay because of poor policies. Once a student starts a program, the program in place should be considered a contract between the student and the university. When the program changes, the contract changes. If the student has to take additional classes because of the changes, a breach of contract occurs. Not only is there a delay of graduation, second and third effects occur. The student can experience anxiety, depression, loss of sleep, and loss of appetite. This experience can influence job performance. Family members can also experience the setback such as time away from the student. Years can be wasted. Because Walden University is an accredited for-profit college that has been around for year, taking action can be intimidating. What can action lead to? First, Walden may change their policy to grandfather students on graduation criteria. Second, a lawsuit may hurt Walden financially. Third, the Department of Education may launch an investigation that threatens Walden's accreditation. Fourth, negative social media may deter potential and current students from attending Walden University. One of the policy changes that could help students to know more about the doctoral chairs. Would you like to know the success rate of graduating students that your chair is responsible for? If you found out that your chair has never graduated anyone, wouldn't you want someone who was more proven. I suspect that there are many doctors who want students to go through unnecessary pain, because the professor had pain when going through his or her doctoral process. This perception would help explain why only 1% of the U.S. population has a doctorate. To make a positive social change, Walden University DBA program needs to change its policy on changing its program and grandfathering students. If Walden University decision makers are not willing to make a positive change for students, then students need to take action against Walden University for positive change.

Getting into school is relatively easy. The advisers were very friendly and helpful in completing all documentation for enrollment. I started having medical problems, serious medical problems with a brain infection and spinal cord damage and neck problems in my class. I am going through a tremendous amount of medical examinations and tests along with taking a lot of medication. Some medication I take are muscle relaxants and painkillers which make me sleep in incoherent. I tried to withdraw from the University and the University told me I could not. They informed me I would have to fail the class and I could petition for a withdrawal grade of W but as I mentioned would have to fail the class 1st. I informed them I don't remember what I'm reading or what I am submitting in paperwork due to the medication. I informed them I'm paying for the education but I don't know I'm being educated on because of the medicine. They simply said were sorry but you have to fail first. Be warned.

I have taken 3 classes from Walden so far in the DBA program. The program is difficult and not something to take lightly. Taking one class at a time is definitely a must. I have seen professors with lots of experience both in the online campus and in the two residencies I have attended. I cannot speak on how the program was before but it is worth a look if you are trying to find a school with an online doctorate program. I had a total of 6 classes transferred in four from my MBA and two from another doctoral program (Columbia Southern University). I left CSU because there was little rigor in most of the classes and I would have felt like my Doctorate meant nothing after it was completed. The total opposite has been proven true with Walden. It is expensive but when you add transfer credits that many other schools will not give you it is not too bad about $36-38K (depending on how long it takes you to complete your Doctoral Study. My job is paying for mine so I am not hurt by the high cost as others maybe. Books are included in the price of tuition a plus for me.

I learned at lot at walden and met students from all over the world at the residencies. Sadly, once I started the dissertation process, I was ignored and on my own, no help from anyone. Very neglected, hired another instructor privately to critique my dissertation and statistical analysis. I was told this degree would cost 48,000 to get my PhD and I took a class every semester and now am up to over $125,000 and still not done. How did that happen???

Online learning presents a unique set of challenges as opposed to in the seat brick and mortar. If you are one who needs the F2F social aspect of learning, Walden should not be your choice (nor any online format for that matter). If you are highly independent and have the time to figure much of the detail out on your own, Walden MAY be a place where you can do well. I am in the final semester of year two (DBA program)with year three on the horizon in the fall of 2013. Academically, I am doing great. I have found that some of the professors are much better than others, which is likely the case mose everywhere. I am very interested in seeing how the final phase plays out and whether I encounter any of the horror stories written with getting the doctoral study completed and approved per schedule. I am truly not interested in personally financing the first brick library in Walden history so I am looking to follow the direction of my committee without getting caught up in the maze of confusion that so many have described. I've done brick and mortar for undergrad and master's level work so this is a new experience. It has not been a negative experience, however it has been very different one. I am being stretched, which is expected. Think of it like this...at the doctoral/Ph.D. level....this is the only time in your educational life when you become a peer of those placing the degree into your hands. With that said, you knew it was not going to be a cake-walk and to have any respect around it, it should not be one. I will be sure to check back and place a second posting as i have more experience in getting my doctoral study through URR and IRB. At that time, I may have a different story to tell. For now, all is well.

I am not staff or a paid reviewer, I am actually a military member who needs the convenience of an online education. I am half way complete with the DBA program and will admit that some courses are challenging and require you to input time and effort. The sustainability course had an assignment which required a 70 page paper on top of your weekly discussions. This being said, if you want something bad enough you will do it. I have a hectic schedule with three children, just finished chemo for breast cancer and I go to work everyday, yet I find the time to do the work. The statistics course made me want to cry...LOL but so far I have managed to maintain a 4.0. If I can do it anyone out there with an ounce of motivation can. I have learned plenty from these courses and feel that I am getting my money's worth (or at least I am putting my GI Bill to good use). I can't speak for the experiences that some of the other reviewers have described but I will admit that the instructors are people and like any brick and mortar school you have various personalities which can provide either a positive or negative experience. Well good luck to those who decide to pursue a degree at Walden or any other online institution, I believe the feeling of accomplishment will be very rewarding. BTW Walden's library is awesome, I am very pleased with the offerings available for the students to conduct their research.

As an "update" re: Walden DBA: It is apparent that Dr. Turner, as the Progrm Director, has added rigour, and veracity, to the program. At this time the progrm demands are considerable; if anything, the claims of a "flxible" schedule is somewhat misleading (time commitment). The College of Management and the DBA program specifically, is now accredited to the ACBSP national standard. The classromm environment (technically) is a "work in progress" and has room for improvement. As with any program, there is some variance in professor styles, and level of interation (teaching) with students. I have had some exceptional instruction and I have endured a class that I felt was self taught. I feel that this program has a solid foundation for propective (self driven and motivated) students. For the most part (mid program) there is a "deal breaker" course (strategy) that serves to seperate the stragglers from the course (it is very demanding). The program remains an "open institution" requiring a graduate degree w/ 3.0 GPA. As such, some propective doctoral students should not be considering a doctoral terminal degree. My most critical comment woud be the requirement to add subject matter experts in the respective business disciplines (as mentors and committee members). Sincerely.

The DBA is still a new program and I'm hoping that many of the kinks will be worked out. Unfortunately, the program is lacking in experienced instructors with significant qualifications within the fields they teach, lacking appropriate course materials and course development, and lacking the databases essential to a proper DBA program. First the instruction: In Business Strategy and Sustainability & Writing the Doctoral Prospectus students would fair better buying their own books in support of writing a high level literature review and developing the prospectus and dissertation (check Sage publishing). The only qualification for the instructors seems to be that they wrote a dissertation once. Second the course material/development: Walden has not really supported the courses with appropriate texts nor have they discovered the benefit of e-books. For Business Strategy and Sustainability, there were numerous research articles and two books. Senge's Necessary Revolution and a Harvard Publishing primer on strategy. In a doctoral program, I take great exception to receiving a review manual--to me it is like being a PhD candidate in English lit and receiving a "See Dick and Jane" book. The discussion questions in both classes were banal and elementary--it was a struggle to stay engaged because the question were not thought provoking. Finally the available resources: I was fully aware that Walden was far from being AACSB accredited but I was extremely agitated that a business administration or accounting program would not provide access to a database of publicly traded firms such as Compustat, I/B/E/S, or other databases that enable sampling. What they do provide is the same version of Hoover's online to which most have access through your broker. Given that Walden claims to support a DBA and PhD in finance and a MS in accounting, it seems implausible that they would have no database to support the quantitative methods that generally frame both subjects. If you are a certified professional, use your personal and professional access to these databases if possible. If you are not, find another program that can properly support your continued educational efforts in finance and accounting. This is important because I have been told by one professional organization that I cannot substitute any of Walden's classes for CPE because there is a lack of rigor and support (they were willing to take credits from a non AACSB institution provided the instructors were professionally certified-none of them are certified). I'm still pulling for the Walden model and recently they appointed a permanent DBA program director--I am hoping she will bring stability and improvements to this program.