Addressing Concerns on Administration of Double Degree Programs

Angeline B. Buenaventura (11293756)

An action research proposal submitted to

Dr. Benito L. Teehankee
as a partial requirement for
Management Action Research (BUS530M)

Master of Business Administration Program

Management and Organization Department
Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business
De La Salle University
2nd Term, AY 2015-16

Purpose and Rationale of the Research

The purpose of this research is to address on-going concerns regarding the
administration of double-degree programs with each program being offered by a
different school. In particular, logistical issues such as use of classrooms, dissemination
of announcements of class suspensions, enrolment and enlistment concerns are the
main problems that the organization is now facing.
The researcher is currently a student of the De La Salle University-Far Eastern
University Consortium, which offers the first and only Master of Business Administration
and Juris Doctor double degree program in the Philippines. De La Salle University
(DLSU) offers the Master of Business Administration program while Far Eastern
University (FEU) offers the Juris Doctor degree. Separately, the total number of years to
complete both programs is six (6) years. In the double degree program, it only takes five
(5) years to complete.
The Juris Doctor curriculum includes all law subjects required in the Philippine
Bar Examinations (i.e., Constitutional Law, Labor Law, Criminal Law, Civil Law,
Commercial Law, Taxation Law, Remedial Law, and Legal Ethics) and electives relating
to corporate legal practice.
The Master of Business Administration curriculum includes preparatory MBA
courses (i.e. Lasallian Business Ethics and CSR, Quantitative Methods, Management
Action Research, and Management Accounting), core MBA courses (i.e., Financial
Management, Marketing Management, Production and Operations Management,
Organizational Behavior, Information Management etc.), elective MBA courses (i.e.,
International Business, Sports & Recreation Management, Culture & Arts Management,
Property Management, Agribusiness, Entrepreneurship, etc.), and integrating MBA
courses (i.e., Research Methods and Strategic Management).

Currently, the double degree program is at its twilight years, the program having
been dissolved due to issues undisclosed by both schools. Although it has been
rumoured that the closure of the said program is attributed to De La Salle University and
the introduction of their own Juris Doctor program, such rumor has not been proven by
any of the administrators of either institution. As such, problems regarding
communication dissemination and the like are hounding the current program which
adversely affects the stakeholders.
The main issue that the researcher would like to address is the enlistment and
enrolment process. The schedule of De La Salle University is trimestral, while that of
Far Eastern University generally follows the semestral system. However, since the
inception of the program, the DLSU trimestral system has been followed which
compresses the regular JD subjects into 14 weeksquite a short time to fully
understand the legal concepts needed for the Philippine bar exams. Initially, there have
been no problems with the enrolment system, for both school release the schedule early
enough for the student to easily plot their desired schedules for classes. Recently,
DLSU still follows the protocol for the release of schedule for the next school term, but
FEU has been lagging in the release of its schedulethe height of which was it being
released at the start of the term itself which caused many students to drop MBA classes
to accommodate JD subjects that are seasonally offered. Another factor to consider as
to why it was becoming a problem to get the JD schedules ahead of time was due to the
lack of classrooms. Under the agreement of the consortium, the JD classes would be
held at the DLSU Makati Extension Campus in RCBC Plaza, Ayala Ave., Makati City.
However, DLSU Makati took in more MBA classes than their usual capacity due to the
closure of the Ortigas Extension Campus located at Wynsum Corporate Plaza along
Ortigas Ave. Thus, DLSU prioritizes the schedule of the MBA classes first before giving
the remaining classrooms to the JD subjects. This resulted in problems regarding the
assignment of classrooms and the further displacement of some JD classes which are
now being held at the FEU Makati Campus which houses the FEU Institute of Law JD
program.

Ancillary issues to be tackled involve dissemination of messages regarding class

suspensions and which protocol the MBA-JD student must follow when it comes to
class suspension. Initially, the DLSU protocol is being followed because the JD classes
were all held in the Makati Extension Campus. But in recent years, the consent of both
schools must be acquired in order to announce class suspensions most especially for
those with JD subjects. It has caused widespread confusion many times which resulted
to arguments and questions regarding the policies of both schools and whether
compromises can be made in order to achieve faster information dissemination.

Context
Double degree (also called joint or combined degrees)programs of study which
combines two bachelor or masters degrees are becoming increasingly popular in
Western society and is gaining popularity in most modern-day societies. These doubledegree programs are studied over approximately five (for three-year degrees) or six
years (for four-year degrees). These programs generally require higher entrance
examination scores than the corresponding single degree programs. Students of such
programs often enjoy a discount in terms of credit and time compared to taking the two
degree programs separately.
As an example, many schools of international affairs offer joint degrees with law
and business schools. In fact, the Juris Doctor-Master of Business Administration
double degree program is one of the most popular double degree programs in
existence. Double-degree programs in public health, energy, and environmental science
are increasingly popular. Most programs usually partner with a Master in Business
Administration because MBA programs focus on management, marketing, and finance.
Double degrees, in covering more than one disciplinary area, seem ideally suited
to provide the kind of education that graduates, employers and society need in a
complex, changing, knowledge-intensive world. (Russell, et al., 2007) Two degrees
provide options to graduates unlikely to remain on a single, stable career path. New
opportunities exist for graduates with a mix of knowledge and skills, such examples are
biologists with law to work in biotechnology companies, historians with management to
work in public agencies, IT specialists with creative arts to work in web design.
Moreover, there is an increasing emphasis on transferable skills and literacies, reflected
in government policy and initiatives within universities. Studies have suggested that
many such skills and literacies are developed in discipline-specific contexts and are not
in fact easily transferable. (Russell, et al., 2007) In developing skills in at least two
disciplines, and in learning to switch between, double degree students may emerge

more able to adapt their skills and knowledge to new contexts in flexible and responsive
ways.
Some prospective employers see this program as a welcome change, however
some assert that there is no real need to it. The opinion of employers matter because a
double or joint degree program process is a relation among some sides with the
university as supplier, student as a client and employers as a market. (Bileviien and
Parainskait, 2013)
The emergence of double degree programs demonstrates that they have a clearcut role in the current landscape of higher education. It also helps that there is an
increasing interest with these double degree programs. (Knight, 2011) However, there
also underlying challenges as to the feasibility of these programs including the
administration of such. One such question is on the quality of the program. In other
nations, the rise of graduate double degree programs are seen as putting profit-making
ahead of program quality, which then resulted to the failure of some. (Yefanova, 2011)
Different regulatory systems, academic calendars, credit systems, tuition and
scholarship schemes, teaching approaches and examination requirements are only a
few of the more technical challenges that need to be acknowledged. (Knight, 2011) For
the purpose of this action research, administration and the logistical issues will be
discussed.

Methodology and Methods of Inquiry

This research will make use of the action research process by Coghlan and
Brannick (2014) and Scheins (1999) Intra-Psychic process referred to as ORJI
(Observation, Reaction, Judgement, and Intervention) as guides to further expound on
the processes I undergo as a stakeholder of the organization.
I.

Action Research Process

The above figure depicts the meta-cycle of action research.

In the Context and Purpose stage, the researcher presented the context upon which
this action research is hinged on as to further educate the reader on how the issues are
brought about. In the Constructing stage, the issues that affect the researcher as a
student of the MBA-JD program are articulated and specified. In this stage, the
researcher constructed the issues by collaborating with other students to ascertain the
basis for which the action will be planned and taken. Careful and thorough sifting
through the issues in order to ascertain the main reason for the birth of these issues
was done by the researcher as to eliminate other matters that do not affect this research
in whatever manner. In the Planning Action stage, the possible scenarios in which the
researcher may be able to contribute to the solution are identified and the factors
surrounding each weighed scenario. Here, the intended action for the solution is
planned carefully in order for all the stakeholders to benefit from it, at the same time

where compromises are made as to not undermine the current administration as well.
The Taking Action stage, is the part where the proposed solution is applied to the
current situation by the researcher.

II.

Intra-psychic Process

Through the use of the Intra-psychic process, the researcher made full use of this
process by keeping a journal. In this journal, the researcher recalled the observations
from past incidents in which the issues at hand became evident. The researcher also
took note of the initial reaction and attitude of the collaborators towards the confusing
policies. After taking note of all the reactions of the researcher and the collaborators,
judgement followed suit. The judgement part is where the researcher used logic and
reason in order to come up with a final assessment as to why such confusion as to the
policies are taking place. Lastly, the Intervention stage is where the researcher takes all
the factors and incidents and by using very rational means, the solutions which the
researcher can possibly contribute to alleviate the confusion as to the policies.
As a result of the application of all these frameworks, the proposed solution as of
now is to put up a student government composed of people who are competent enough
to discuss with the current administration. To give a brief background, there used to be a
student government made up solely of MBA-JD students occupying five (5) positions:
President, Vice President for Internals, Vice President for Externals, Secretary, and

Treasurer. The researcher was once the Student Council Secretary for the school year
2013-2014. The last Student Council was elected during the school year 2014-2015 and
was then discontinued because it was not feasible to maintain a student council
anymore due to the dwindling number of enrolees. The researcher proposes, as a form
of intervention, to maintain a student council which will continue as the bridge to and
from the administration of the partner schools and the student body.

Meta-learning
In going through all the factors and situations surrounding the main and ancillary
issues at hand, I was able to deeply reflect on my journey as an MBA-JD student. I am
currently in fourth yeara year to go before I graduate. That gives me a year to fully
implement my very simple solution which is at this point the only feasible way to make
communication between the stakeholders (partner schools and students) possible.
As the person who will conduct the intervention, the careful implementation of
such intervention causes anxiety on the part of the researcher. The possibility of being
turned down once the proposal is submitted is very high because to maintain a student
council costs time and money. Another factor is that time is of the essencethe double
degree program is closing down in 2 years, which will make the institution of a student
council irrational. However, above all these anxieties the researcher is confident that the
administration will open its eyes to the current issues which the students face outside
their academic requirements. These issues take up a lot of time and effort on the part of
the students which affects their academic performance as well.
As a student of the MBA-JD program, the researcher honestly feel sad about the
cessation of the double degree program. It is one thing to be blessed with having been
part of an elite group of business and corporate lawyers and another to be a student of
two esteemed institutions who have made their niches in both business and legal
studies. In the mind of the researcher, the benefits of having a double graduate degree
outweighs the consequences by a long shot. The researcher takes pride in being honed
by two elite institutions, in fields that they are a master of. Such pride prompted the
researcher to find a solution to the increasing worries regarding matters that are nonacademic related but weighs heavily on the part of the student.
This action research is a continuing process which the researcher feels must be
improved after every step or every milestone in the implementation. Even after the end
of the MBA-JD program, such action research will come in useful for those also involved

in double degree programs or the consortium setup. The fact that action research is a
never-ending process, the researcher takes that fact as the greatest learning in this
activity. Secondary to that learning is the idea that any person who is a part of an
organization no matter how low in degree is a stakeholder. It is not always up to the
management (or for the purpose of this research, the administration) to make up
policies without the consent of all the stakeholders. In fact, the consent and opinion of
everyone who is affected must be acquired in order to successfully and optimally
implement new policies. This will raise of the morale of everyone and make them feel of
their importance and role in the organization. Action research paves the two-way road to
effective

communication

between

the

bosses

and

the

subordinates.

Such

communication guarantees that work is efficiently done and mistakes are avoided at the
onset.

Bibliography

Bileviien, T., Parainskait, G. (2013). Joint Degree Program: The Perspective of

Employers. Socialines Technologijos. Vol. 3, No. 1, p. 159-176. Retrieved from the
World Wide Web: https://www.mruni.eu/upload/iblock/454/011_Parazinskaite.pdf
Coghlan, D., Brannick, T. (2014). Doing Action Research in Your Own Organization.
London, England: Sage Publications Ltd.
Knight, J. (2011). Doubts and Dilemmas with Double Degree Programs. In:
Globalisation and Internationalisation of Higher Education. Revista de Universidad y
Sociedad del Conocimiento (RUSC). Vol. 8, No 2, pp. 297-312. UOC. Retrieved from
the

World

Wide

Web:

http://rusc.uoc.edu/ojs/index.php/rusc/article/view/v8n2-

knight/v8n2-knight-eng
Russell, W., Dolnicar, S., Ayoub, M. (2008) Double Degrees: Double the Trouble or
Twice the Return? Higher Education, Vol. 55, No. 5, pp 575-591. Retrieved from the
World Wide Web: http://www.jstor.org/stable/29735205
Yefanova, D. (2011). Stakeholder View Congruence on Corss-Border Graduate Double
Degree Program Implementation in Japan, Australia and the United States. Michigan,
United States; UMI Dissertation Publishing.