The world of business is constantly evolving, and with recent advances in technology, it’s changing faster than ever before. To be successful in business today, you need to be adaptable and able to think outside the box to stay ahead of the curve. A Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) can give you the skills you need to succeed in this fast-paced environment.
A DBA programme is a research-based degree designed for business professionals; it allows you to dive deep into the theories and principles of business. You’ll learn how to apply these concepts to real-world problems and develop innovative solutions. With a DBA, you’ll be prepared to lead in today’s business world.
What an online DBA program entails: How does it differ from a Ph.D.?
A DBA program is the highest-level management degree you can attain, which helps to prepare you for high-ranking roles in organizational management and business leadership. The curriculum includes understanding business literature and theory, applying classroom studies to real-life professional challenges, and conducting applied research. After acquiring several years of business experience and earning an MBA, a DBA is the most logical next step you can take.
As a potential candidate, you may wonder if a Ph.D. differs from a DBA. Well, both are doctoral degrees; a DBA deals with applied research, while the focus of a Ph.D. is more on original research. If you want to solve real-world business problems using professional experience and research, earning a DBA is more relevant.
A Ph.D. will be ideal if you want to further your knowledge in your discipline by developing new approaches and theories. Both of these programs may also share similarities such as advanced coursework in several areas ranging from corporate social responsibility and managerial ethics to finance and economics.
Curriculum and degree requirements
To be in a position to pursue a DBA, you must have a strong foundation in business administration, accounting, and mathematics. The program will help you develop the in-demand skills needed to tackle a range of professional challenges and stand out to employers.
The DBA online program is intended for business professional candidates with busy working schedules who are not in a position to attend classes on campus. This offers the flexibility needed to advance your education while working full-time.
Consisting mainly of core professional research courses, business courses, and 24 credits in specialty areas, a DBA comprises a 66-credit curriculum. Here are the core areas of specialty you will pursue:
- Entrepreneurship
- Accounting
- Finance
- Marketing
- Healthcare administration
- Strategic management
- Project management
If you are able to earn 24 credits per academic year, you can complete the DBA program in three years, and five years if you complete 12 credits per academic year.
The core courses include:
- Corporate Finance: Fiscal Management in a Global Climate
- Comparative Economics
- Strategic Marketing: Practice and Research
- Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics
- Advanced Managerial Accounting
- Strategic Thinking, Innovation, and Decision-Making
Professional research courses include:
- Qualitative Research
- Advanced Statistical Applications
- Inferential Statistics
- Proposal Development and Professional Writing
- Advanced Research Methods
- Dissertation Seminar
- Dissertation
Admission requirements
To gain admission to a DBA program, you will need to have at least a master’s degree in business or an equivalent degree. However, you will also be accepted if you hold a business-related undergraduate degree and any master’s degree. You will need to submit all transcripts for all qualifying coursework.
You must also have graduated from an accredited institution of higher education (local or regional) or a certified foreign institution that has been documented and approved by the director of the DBA program. In addition, you must have at least three years of experience in your field of study and a strong GPA of at least 3.0.
For any coursework completed internationally, official transcript evaluations must be completed and submitted to the relevant university by the evaluation firm. Approved evaluation firms include:
- Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
- World Education Services (WES)
- Educational Perspectives (EP)
- International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
For non-native English speakers, documentation of language fluency is required. While there are many ways of learning English, a score report from either the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo is a requirement. But if you completed your bachelor’s or master’s degree at any accredited institution in the US, this requirement is waived. Here are the minimum acceptable IELTS, TOEFL, or Duolingo scores for admission:
- Internet-based TOEFL – 79
- Paper-based TOEFL – 550
- Duolingo – 100
- IELTS – 6
What can a DBA qualification help you do?
A Doctor of Business Administration prepares you from the ground up to become a manager, leader, and innovator who can solve business problems and produce solutions. With the most in-depth business training available, the DBA prepares you to be a leader.
A career in management can be busy. A Doctor of Business Administration will help you keep up with all that’s going on and give you the skills needed to solve problems. The title implies it, but a Doctor of Business Administration is not just for senior managers. In fact, the business management skills you acquire as a student can help you advance at every level in your field.
The DBA prepares you to be an effective manager or leader at any level – a university professor or high-ranking executive. It gives you the tools to manage both large organizations and small businesses as a management analyst – a role expected to grow by 14% – and ensure they’re connected to one another, international markets, and customers.
Here are some high-level management career paths a DBA program prepares you for:
- Chief executive officers (CEOs)
- Chief operating officers (COOs)
- Chief financial officers (CFOs)
- Other C-suite roles
- Human resources director
- Business and logistics analyst
- Organizational development manager
- Business consultant
- Information systems manager
Is a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration worth it?
Absolutely yes! A Doctor of Business Administration helps you step up and stand out in your field. It also provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to advance your career, whether it’s taking on new responsibilities or expanding your reach into international markets.
Here are some potential advantages of earning a DBA:
- You’ll gain industry-leading expertise – Proposed by the AACSB International, the highest international accounting honor a program can receive, the DBA degree prepares you for research, scholarly activity, and leadership in business.
- A return on investment – No matter what career you choose, the DBA degree has been consistently shown to increase earnings. Graduates tend to earn more, stay in these positions longer, and get promoted faster than non-DBA holders.
- Job opportunities – The DBA prepares you for a variety of management positions, including senior-level positions in research, accounting and finance, marketing, human resources, information systems management, and other industries.
Earn a DBA today and grow professionally
A Doctor of Business Administration prepares you to take your career to the next level by demonstrating the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to be successful in your field. You will demonstrate high professional and ethical standards in research, relationships, and conduct. You will also be well positioned to facilitate exceptional practical and analytical skills that can be efficiently transferred to executive-level decision-making.
An intellectually stimulating yet painstaking program, a DBA will expose you to a wide range of management experiences and prepare you for a future business career. Additionally, you will learn to defend rigorous research studies, findings, and ideas to both professional and academic audiences.
No matter what career path you follow, a DBA is an impressive way to graduate from business school. Whether it’s leading a team or developing new information systems, it helps make you more valuable at every step of your career.
