Doctor of Business Administration, DBA

The DBA program seeks to serve the educational and career development needs of executives and professionals. It differs from the traditional PhD program in a number of ways. Traditional PhD programs are designed to prepare students who want to become full-time professors, emphasizing developing new theories and conducting scholarly research. Unlike most traditional doctoral programs, the DBA is designed for working adults who cannot take time off from work and is not a fully residential program. The residential component is on weekends (Friday and Saturday) once a month. The rest of the learning takes place online. The chosen method of delivery is “web-enhanced,” where the faculty and students interact in multiple ways during the period between the weekends they attend in-person classes.  For their dissertation research, students will be encouraged to select a subject of relevance to the business world, which will answer previously unsolved problems, generate new knowledge, and respond to the challenges faced by business executives. 

The College of Business accepts applications for admission to the DBA program.  Applicants are reviewed by the Office of Graduate Studies and the College of Business DBA Admission Committee.  

Program Learning Goals

  • Program Goal 1: Mastery of Content: Graduates will demonstrate knowledge, cognizance, analysis, and solution for managing diverse organizational challenges.
  • Program Goal 2: Ethical Leadership: Graduates will be cognizant of ethical challenges and leadership issues pertaining to a business environment.
  • Program Goal 3: Global Perspective: Graduates will develop knowledge regarding the global issues, practices, challenges to be successful leaders in a global economy.
  • Program Goal 4: Communications: Graduates will be effective rhetorical savvy to be compelling, persuasive, and influential in the management of modern corporations.

Admission Requirements

  1. A Master's degree from an accredited college or university with a minimum 3.0-grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 grading scale.
  2. Official transcript(s) for all college work (undergraduate and graduate from each institution previously attended) are required for admission.
  3. Seven or more years of professional or managerial experience that requires high levels of responsibility
  4. Interview with the DBA Admission Committee
  5. Two essays: Statement of Purpose essay (maximum two pages) and the Proposal of Research Interest essay (maximum five pages). The Statement of Purpose essay should describe the applicant's motivations for pursuing the DBA program and the goals the applicant would like to accomplish. The Proposal of Research Interest essay should outline planned research objectives or practical problems of interest, how they are relevant to academic literature and real-world business practices, what research methodologies are employed, how data are collected, how research outcomes can contribute to academic literature and solve real-world business problems, etc. 
  6. Three letters of recommendation from supervisors and/or colleagues who can attest to your professional and managerial experience by describing your job responsibilities and accomplishments in detail.
  7. A non-refundable fee

DBA Program Requirements 

EDBA 7311Research and Academic Writing3
EDBA 7312Applied Statistical Analysis I3
EDBA 7313Qualitative Research Methods3
EDBA 7314Applied Statistical Analysis II3
EDBA 7317Dissertation Mini-Proposal I3
EDBA 7318Dissertation Mini-Proposal II3
EDBA 7321Applied Research in Accounting3
EDBA 7322Finance Theory and Applications3
EDBA 7323Information Systems Research3
EDBA 7324Organizational Leadership Theory and Applications3
EDBA 7325Strategic Business Analysis3
EDBA 7326Business Analytics and Supply Chain3
EDBA 7327Marketing Theory and Applications3
EDBA 7328Global Economic Systems and Issues3
EDBA 8691Dissertation I6
EDBA 8692Dissertation II6
EDBA 8693Dissertation III6
Total Hours60