Walden University Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Residency, New Orleans August 2014

So, for those that are unaware I just enrolled in the Doctor of Business program at Walden University which began on June 30th of this year.

The experience has been phenomenal up to this point to say the least. The online classroom is very detailed, very organized, and Walden provides a LOT of resources to help their students be successful. The professors are very engaging and they can always be reached via email and phone. The program, for me currently, will run about 2 1/2 years at a cost of about $38,000. I can tell you that I have exhausted my military benefits and for those that are current or former military taking advantage of the educational benefits is something that you definitely should not pass up!

I chose Walden because I like the online format. I am a very busy professional with a son and other obligations and it just works best for me, although some will say that they prefer to sit in a traditional class room at a brick and mortar university. I say if that better suits you, great, but I can tell you that the experience you will get from the travel with an international university like Walden is, for the most part, second to none!

The New Orleans residency, which I attended on last week, was my very first residency since enrolling in the program. Typically, with a Ph.D program you have to attend 4 residencies because of the length of the program. Now, let me explain the difference between a DBA program and a Ph.D program…

With a DBA program as a doctor you are still conducting research but it is research that is geared toward solving a specific business problem. It’s practical and real word applicable and time to completion can be 2-3 years on average. A Ph.D program typically requires that you create new theory and break ground on new areas of research that have not been touched or empirically proved in other research. Empirical meaning actual evidence. So basically, the DBA program requires that you go out and write a study on a very real world business problem and come up with the answer, and a Ph.D program requires that you create new theory, or new areas of research, come up with new ideas or new ways to approach certain niche areas.

I hope I didn’t confuse you will all of that!

So, WHAT is a residency?

An academic residency is a face-to-face learning experience that allows you to collaborate and network with other Walden students, staff, and faculty members. You will have the chance to meet students from different degree programs and disciplines, from all over the country and perhaps the globe, and you will be able to share strategies, tips, and perspectives on business and other topics of interest as it pertains to your degree program.

See more at: http://residencies.waldenu.edu/About-Residencies.htm#sthash.Ip7rYGQc.dpuf

Honestly, I had a great time! Attending residency early on helps you to complete your Doctoral study because the focus of residency is to prepare you to begin and complete your Doctoral study. Completing the Doctoral study is the reason why you are in the program and what is required for you to graduate.

When you first get there you check into the hotel, you get settled, and you will have your first session which is short since the day we fly in is a travel day. You have a daily schedule in the BlackBoard classroom online so you want to make sure you are familiar with the structure and get a sense of what your days will be like. Each day begins early and is packed full of sessions and advising opportunities for you to maximize your time while at the residency. Look at each session and determine what you need to save to your hard drive and what needs to be printed to make the session meaningful to you.

You will be grouped together with other students in the same residency level as you. This will enable you to make face-to-face acquaintances with other candidates. During the mornings, you will be attending presentations and the afternoons will present opportunities for skills session attendance focusing on things like library research.

You will need your laptop, your APA manual, an extension cord is a very good investment, a flash drive, a camera, and some other items that they will recommend to you prior to your attending. Dress is business casual, although most dress how they want and be prepared to have 12-14 hour days or longer. I can’t begin to tell you how tired I was, and so tired that I took off on yesterday just so I could regroup!

Enjoy the pictures and if I can answer any questions, please reach out to me.