You don't need to look at "The Economist" or any other magazine to see information on the "International Development" program, because the USM Web page has a link to it, where you can download a low-res PDF of the ad.
From the looks of it, the usual SFT cronies have merged with the remnants of the "British Studies/USM in Europe" faculty of Geography, to create a 'faculty' from spun sugar.
The IDV web page also has some "interesting facts" from a recent student survey. COB faculty should make note of the business references (I've underlined them below) as well as preserve as a screen shot: http://www.usm.edu/international/. AACSB might find these facts interesting, too.
A recent student survey revealed some interesting facts about the students in the International Development Ph.D. Program program. For example, "The typical student in the program from the four years of the program’s existence is an American, upper middle class, 38-year-old public sector employee seeking knowledge. This student has traveled internationally before joining the program, speaks Spanish, and learned of the program by word of mouth." When asked to describe this program, students say things like, "a challenging online Ph.D. program -- a professionally deliveredonline international business Ph.D. program -- a great executive Ph.D. program much like the many executive MBA programs available."
quote: Originally posted by: Googler "a great executive Ph.D. program much like the many executive MBA programs available.""
Yup. A student survey designed by the same customer service oriented folks who gave us The Questionnaire. A graduate student who was previously the Associate Dean for Phoenix University's on-line executive MBA program and brought here to do the same thing for USM, the IDV program director who sold the PhD program to current professors at other colleges that desired faculty to have a degree from an AACSB accredited program, and a department chair who's has been pushing an executive MBA program on the coast without support of the college responsible for delivering it. Credible all.