On this episode, Stacy talks with USA Global Scholar Dr. Torsten Pieper. Torsten is an Associate Professor of Management in the Belk College of Business at UNC Charlotte, the President of the International Family Enterprise Research Academy, and the author of more than 20 articles and nine books on family business. He gives some great insights and specific advice when searching for the right post-graduate business degree or Ph.D. and ensuring you're not wasting your valuable money and time and not shooting yourself in the academic foot.

Key Takeaways

- Make sure you're looking at AACSB accredited institutions and colleges.

- Find a traditional or non-traditional degree that fits your lifestyle and long-term career goals.

- Research the instructors and professors. You want to work directly with the best researchers and instructors in that school.

- Look for a program that will teach you to research correctly and how to get published.

Compare your list of AACSB programs, and then determine how they differ.

Torsten Pieper Says:

There's a lot of confusion out there in the market over the years. There's Doctor of Business Administration, Executive Ph.D., Executive Doctorate, Executive Doctorate Management. There are so many names and programs that came about that I can see how people can get very quickly confused.

One important criterion you want to take into your calculation is to make sure the school has AACSB accreditation. Otherwise, you are wasting the money.

You need to make sure that somebody teaches you how to publish and how to get published. You need to do research that has a chance of getting published, that has a chance of getting published. Because otherwise, you spend a bunch of money and at the end, you will have a degree from a school with a nice name. But if you still don't know how to do research and that's what you want to do, then kind of shot yourself in the foot.

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Learn more about the USA Mitchell College of Business

- Business PhD Program

- Master in Business Administration

- Undergraduate Business Degrees

On this episode, Stacy talks with Ph.D. student Justin Scott. Justin has finished all his classwork, and when interviewed, he was working on his dissertation. Justin tells us his thought process in choosing USA Mitchell College of Business, how this program fit his family and career situation, and how there isn't a "mold" for a Ph.D. student. Plus, he shares his best advice for nailing your first year and what learning tool you need to master.

Key Takeaways

- Look for a program that works with your family, career and life situation.

- Find a faculty that could help you and support your research ideas and career goals.

- Prioritize your time when starting your Ph.D. Focus on school, family, and life decisions that are the most important and beneficial.

- Learn to be consistent with your reading, research and classwork. Cramming is not going to work in this program.

- There is no "Ph.D." mold or type of student. All types of people, students and careers enroll and thrive in this program.

Justin Scott Said:

Already having a family, a job, and a home, trying to uproot and move somewhere for a traditional program just did not align with the goals that I set for my family.

Look for a faculty that won't pigeonhole you into their ideas. Rather, they provide you the guidance and support to pursue your own ideas.

Prioritization and consistency will pay off even if it still seems like there's an entire mountain of work in front of you to climb. But before you know it you realize you're on the other side of the mountain.

Don't neglect the pursuit and accomplishment of something that can be career-altering and life-changing simply because you didn't think that you fit the "Ph.D. mold.". That mold does not exist.

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Learn more about the USA Mitchell College of Business

- Business PhD Program

- Master in Business Administration

- Undergraduate Business Degrees

On this episode, Stacy talks with the new Ben May Distinguished Professor of Management at the USA Mitchell College of Business, Dr. Robyn Brouer. Dr. Brouer is a dedicated educator who has a passion for leadership, social influence and effectiveness, Organizational Behavior, and Human Resources. And she is driven by the age-old question of "how can we make leaders better?" Dr. Brouer shares her excitement for engaging with the Mitchell College of Business doctoral students, what skills are essential to thriving in a high-level business school program, and mentoring students in a one-on-one educational environment.

Learn More About Dr. Robyn Brouer

Key Takeaways

- If you have a love of learning, a curious mind, and the will to put in the hard work, then you have what it takes to be in a business Ph.D. program.

- The Cohort system is an excellent alternative to a traditional one at a time Ph.D. program.

- A life of learning begins with your enrollment and completion of your business Ph.D.

- Build solid relationships with your cohort, other students, and instructors; they will be beneficial for your time in school and the rest of your career.

- Look for a business school program that values not only research but also in developing mentorship and one on one relationships with the students.

Dr. Brouler Said:

I've taught at the big schools where students are just a number. That's not the feeling I got from the University of South Alabama.

I'm very excited to come to a school that values research where I can work with doctoral students and develop mentoring and one-on-one relationships.

If you like to learn, a PhD program is for you because you can learn and keep learning and learning. You're never going to run out of things to learn.

One of the main things I look for when selecting Ph.D. students is that drive, curiosity, and desire to have more knowledge.

It's not about what grades you got. It's not about your GMAT score for me. Ph.D. programs are hard work, but you don't have to be the smartest. You just have to have that curiosity, and you have to be willing to put in the work.

I think cohort programs do a good job rather than the one-off accepting one Ph.D. per person at a time.

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Learn more about the USA Mitchell College of Business

- Business PhD Program

- Master in Business Administration

- Undergraduate Business Degrees

In this episode, Stacy spends time with her friend, class cohort, and recent graduate Nicole Beachum. Nicole was a single Mom, already thriving in her marketing firm, loved to teach, and didn't think she could find a Ph.D. program to meet her work and life situation and responsibilities. After a suggestion to check out Dr. Joe Hair at the USA Mitchell School of Business, Nicole found the perfect program for her life and teaching goals, and the rest is history. Nicole shares her academic journey, what you should look for in a Ph.D. program, why academic conferences are amazing, and her philosophy of finding dissertation co-authors, researchers, and mentors.


Learn More About Dr. Nicole Beachum

Key Takeaways

- Find a Ph.D. program that fits your work/life goals and has a prestigious staff and supportive leadership.

- When choosing a Ph.D. program, research which institutions recent graduates are being placed.

- Procrastination is not going to benefit you. You're going to get out of each class what you put into it in this Ph.D. program.

- Put yourself out there early. Strive to review journals and articles. Go to as many academic conferences as possible.

- Look for paper co-authors and academic mentors in your cohort, institution, and conferences.

Nicole Said:

My current Department Chair recommended that I consider the USA program specifically because Dr. Joe Hair was there.

Attending the USA Mitchell School of Business decision for me; not only was it time-saving and allowed me to keep my main job, but I'd be studying under ultimately some of the best in academia.

Learn more about Dr. Hair, realize he's kind of a marketing legend.

The Mitchell College of Business is under good leadership, the Global Scholars are incredible, and USA does a really good job of helping and supporting you as a student.

If you have a paper that you can present at a conference, USA will try to get you there, and every student can basically go to at least one conference every year.

I think we're spoiled at USA because we have Dr. Joe Hair introducing us to all of these marketing giants and other professors that are big names.

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Learn more about the USA Mitchell College of Business

- Business PhD Program

- Master in Business Administration

- Undergraduate Business Degrees

On this episode, Stacy Wellborn talks with the President and Founder of Morale Resources, Dr. Gia Wiggins. Dr. Wiggins earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration in 2019, and she candidly shares why she chose to attend the USA Mitchell College of Business, why every class and lesson counts, and why that "Dr." in front of your name is going to be huge for your career. Not only is Gia a recent alumna, Gia also teaches Human Resources Management at USA. Known in her career as the "Workforce Whisper," Gia boosts that her transformation into a data analysis machine by Dr. Joe Hair has made her a more valuable commodity for her clients and the local community that she serves.

Learn More About Dr. Wiggins and Moral Resources

Key Takeaways:

A Ph.D. program, your cohorts, and the alumni is a very exclusive club, and where you go really does matter.

A Ph.D. makes you look at the macro point of view, while an MBA is more of a micro perspective.

Acquiring high-level data analysis skills gives you a competitive advantage in the private sector and academia.

Be strategic with your time, be patient, and stay resilient during the arduous and complex dissertation process.

Dr. Gia Wiggins Said:

A program that has an online component is fine. But it would be best if you made sure that the school has a brick-and-mortar location.

If you think that where you got your Doctorate doesn't matter. Then you don't understand the way academia works.

Learning how to analyze data makes me more valuable to my clients and the people I serve in the community.

A Ph.D. pulls you to look from a macro point of view and understanding the importance of major trends instead of those outliers. That is the biggest difference between the MBA and the Ph.D. programs.

Every single lesson counts. The knowledge builds upon the next bit of knowledge, and a paper you're writing early in an early class could be your dissertation topic.

The best dissertation is a done dissertation.

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Learn more about the USA Mitchell College of Business

- Business PhD Program

- Master in Business Administration

- Undergraduate Business Degrees

On this episode, Stacy talks with Global Instructor Dr. Bill Dish. Global Instructors are visiting professors that share their knowledge, insights, and real-world experiences with the students. Bill talks in-depth about why he decided to teach at USA and with Dr. Joe Hair. He also explains what makes the USA Ph.D. program unique, and he gives his thoughts on what it takes to navigate a high-level business school graduate and Ph.D. program. Plus, he gives us a peek under the hood on his innovative AI and Cloud Computing company DataRobot.

Key Takeaways

- The USA program is teaching the most advanced and innovative data analysis methods and tools available.

- Global and traveling instructors like Bill Dish share the latest cutting-edge tools and real-world lessons to make a genuinely relevant and unique academic program.

- Look for a degree that teaches the latest innovative tools and concepts, plus is versatile enough to allow many options for future career opportunities.

- The newest tools and real-world concepts taught by Dr. Hair and The USA program are essential in today's global marketplace.

On this episode, Stacy talks with fellow student and Ph.D. candidate Jen Zoghby. Jen shares her long, winding, and diverse career path and journey to The Mitchell College of Business Ph.D. Program. Listen closely because Jen knows what it takes for "getting started" in a business past graduate school and what skills and tools you will need to not only survive but thrive in a high-level program. Plus, Jen reveals her thesis work and her plans moving forward with her Ph.D.

Key Takeaways

- Don't let excuses and fear stop you from pursuing your academic dreams. Be patient, but if you genuinely want a post-graduate degree, get started.

- The USA program and cohort structure allowed Jen to keep up with her current life and career responsibilities while earning her Ph.D. degree.

- The Ph.D. program academics were challenging and engaging.

- While the USA program is highly competitive, Jen found her fellow cohorts to be supportive and instrumental to her success in pursuing her degree.

Welcome to the Mitchell Moments podcast, the "in the know" post-graduate business school podcast presented by The Mitchell College of Business at the University of South Alabama.

On this first episode, you will meet show host Stacy Wellborn as she talks with the Director of the Ph.D. program Dr. Joesph Hair. Dr. Hair will share his professional and teaching journey from Ole Miss, LSU, Kennesaw State, The University of South Alabama, and all points in between. Plus, he gives us his insights on choosing the right Ph.D. school and program for you and what it takes to succeed as a student in a high-level business school and Ph.D. program.