Business Administration

doctor of Business Administration

Program Requirements

Program Design

The DBA degree requires the completion of 54 semester credit hours distributed as follows: common core course requirements, 21 credit hours; program core course requirements, 24 credit hours; and dissertation or research project requirements, 9 credit hours. The program course work is designed to be completed within a 2 ½ year time frame. The dissertation or culminating research project will require additional time to complete, typically a year. The program is organized and scheduled to accommodate the needs of people who maintain full-time employment while pursuing the degree. The program design permits students to complete the requirements for the DBA at their own pace. Students will have 7 years from the start of their first class to complete the DBA program. Students who take longer than that time period will have to meet with the Program Director to discuss their options. Students are required to have achieved a "B" or higher in undergraduate or graduate courses in at least two of the three following courses: economics, finance, and accounting.

Advancement to Doctoral Candidacy

At or near the completion of the student's course work, but before embarking on the DBA dissertation or research project, the student is required to achieve a passing grade on a formal Comprehensive Examination. In addition, the student is required to recruit a dissertation committee and gain approval for a concept paper describing the purpose and approach envisioned for dissertation research. After completing these requirements, the student will advance to doctoral candidacy.

Dissertation or Research Project

The DBA dissertation or culminating research project requires a minimum of 9 semester credit hours for completion. This process involves extensive work by the student with advisement from a dissertation committee. A dissertation or research project proposal must be completed, reviewed, and approved by the student's dissertation committee prior to the beginning of data collection in the area of the research topic. Once the dissertation or research project is complete, the student will present the results before the dissertation committee and colleagues.

Qualifications for Degree

To qualify for the DBA degree, a student must satisfactorily complete 54 credit hours beyond the master's degree, including four research foundation courses, 11 program-specific courses, and a dissertation or research project. The student must: (1) maintain a minimum grade point average of at least 3.0; (2) achieve a grade of at least "B-" or better in all courses; (3) achieve satisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination; (4) obtain approval of the student's research proposal; and (5) successfully complete and defend the dissertation or research project. These requirements must be completed within seven years of matriculation into the program.

Course Description

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