Business Administration (DBA)
See: Business Administration (DBA)
College/School: School of Professional Studies
The Doctor of Business Administration degree in the School of Professional Studies builds on the knowledge and skills of students who have already completed master’s level study in business- and business-related disciplines. The DBA degree is a 45-hour program including a minimum of nine (9) supervised hours of Qualifying Experience, which includes either the traditional dissertation, or peer-reviewed publication, conference presentation, or work-based project credit hours. To qualify for the business administration doctorate, the student must successfully complete the program of study as specified in the degree plan, including the dissertation, or a total of three peer-reviewed presentations, conference presentation, or work-based project. Students must successfully complete a minimum of three semesters of DBA 9300 and must make at least two unique selections (students may not publish three articles, make three presentations, or complete three work-based projects) if not completing the five-chapter dissertation to satisfy program requirements
Admissions
Applicants to the DBA program should hold an earned master’s degree in business (typically a MBA) from an accredited university with an overall master’s GPA of not less than 3.0. If the earned master’s degree is not in a business area, the applicant may be required to successfully complete one or more master’s-level graduate business courses to provide an adequate foundation in core areas of business studies. These courses may include accounting, economics, finance, marketing, quantitative methods/statistics, and strategy. If an applicant’s overall master’s GPA is below 3.0, the results of the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) may be submitted for consideration.
In addition, applicants should submit
- all official transcripts from each college and university previously attended;
- at least one professional and one academic letter of recommendation describing potential for successful doctoral studies;
- a current, professional resume;
- and a written statement of purpose detailing the applicant’s fit with the university and the program.
International students are required to report their Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) scores along with the other credentials required by the University and the Office of International Admissions.
Because the DBA curriculum concisely and uniquely combines several traditional subject areas to form each of its 15 courses, all 45 credit hours must be completed through UIW’s School of Professional Studies. Although students may have previously completed graduate coursework beyond the master’s degree (including some doctoral coursework), transfer credit is not accepted into the 45-credit-hour degree program.
Apply to UIW
Application to the Doctor of Business Administration Program
Degree Requirements
Students may choose to pursue the DBA degree at a less than full-time pace, although the program’s design enables highly-driven and motivated students to possibly complete their degree in as few as five semesters. To accomplish this, students would successfully complete nine credit hours per 16-week semester for a total of five semesters.
Curriculum
First Semester:
Second Semester:
| DBA 8325 | Quantitative Research and Analysis | 3 |
| DBA 8330 | Survey Design, Development, and Deployment | 3 |
| DBA 8335 | Business Operations and Process Improvement | 3 |
Third Semester:
| DBA 8340 | Writing for Publication and Presentation | 3 |
| DBA 8345 | Marketing Research and Analysis | 3 |
| DBA 8350 | Research Design and Analysis | 3 |
Fourth Semester:
| DBA 8355 | Practical Econometrics and Decision-Making | 3 |
| DBA 8360 | Contemporary Global Issues, Trade, and Investment | 3 |
| DBA 9300 | Culminating Experience | 3 |
Fifth Semester:
All coursework, including the dissertation, peer-reviewed publication, conference presentation, or work-based project courses, must be completed within the 10-year limit for completion of doctoral degree requirements.