Doctor of Business Administration
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 Culminating 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.
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.
Admission Requirements
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.