Description of Program
The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program is designed for current and potential business leaders and senior managers, in the private and public sectors to enhance their knowledge and competencies appropriate to a leadership role in business administration. The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program is a research-based degree, but unlike the PhD, the DBA program is intended to engage the student in the application of theoretical knowledge to the advancement of practice in the field (solving complex problems) (Archibald, 2010; Corley & Giola 2011; Huba, Shubb & Shelley, 2006).
The outcome of the research is designed to provide valuable insights to an organization. Examples of an applied investigation may include a replication study, a case study, or a special project (such as, for example, the creation of a curriculum, training program, or educational artifact), followed by an evaluation. A doctoral project for a professional degree does not have to be an original contribution to the body of knowledge that impacts the theories in the field, but typically responds to a practical problem or proposed innovation (Archibald, 2010).
The DBA is increasingly recognized by international business and management schools as the most appropriate post-MBA (or equivalent master’s degree) route to combining academic research with management and business.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop business methods and concepts based on practical application of current theories
- Communicate with diverse audiences about practices, solutions, and perspectives related to business
- Construct socially responsible and ethical business strategies
- Evaluate the relationship between the global environment and business decisions
- Formulate solutions to practical business problems based on original research
Basis for Admissions
Admission to the Doctor of Business Administration program will be determined by the degree used to meet the basis for admission. In order to enter the doctoral program, applicants are required to have a conferred master’s degree from a nationally or regionally accredited academic institution. There are two options for entering the doctoral program in the School of Business.
- Direct Entry – Individuals may immediately begin the doctoral program through the DBA or PhD track with a previously completed master’s degree in one of the following:
- A generalized business area such as business management or business administration
- Specialized business area (e.g. Master of Finance, Master of Human Resources Management) AND an undergraduate degree in business
OR
- A previously completed master’s degree in any field AND an undergraduate in business
- Evaluation Track – Individuals not meeting the direct entry requirements are required to take SKS-7001 - Doctoral Comprehensive Strategic Knowledge Studies as part of their degree plan.
Students in the Evaluation track will begin their degree plan with BUS-7102 - Applied Doctoral Studies in Business followed by SKS-7001 - Doctoral Comprehensive Strategic Knowledge Studies and upon successful completion of SKS -7001 take the remaining courses in their degree plan.
Students who feel that they have the business background and knowledge are allowed to take a test-out exam that covers the major business areas. The student must score 70 or above on the exam and can be taken no later than two weeks prior to the beginning of SKS-7001 - Doctoral Comprehensive Strategic Knowledge Studies course. This can be discussed with your enrollment or Academic and Finance Advisor.
Degree Requirements
Admission to the Doctorate programs requires a master’s degree from an accredited institution (also see Direct Entry and Evaluation Track Requirements).
The University may accept up to 12 semester credit hours in transfer with a maximum of 9 semester credit hours in transfer eligible toward the specialization courses in the doctoral degree for graduate coursework completed at an accredited college or university with a grade of “B” or better.
The DBA degree programs in business have the following graduation requirements:
- A minimum of 36 credit hours of graduate instruction must be completed through NCU
- Grade Point Average of 3.0 (letter grade of “B”) or higher
- Satisfactory completion of the DBA Pre-Candidacy Prospectus
- University Approval of Dissertation Manuscript and Oral Presentation completed
- Submission of the approved final dissertation manuscript to the University Registrar, including the original unbound dissertation manuscript and an electronic copy
- Official documents on file for basis of admission: a conferred master’s degree from an accredited academic institution
- Official transcripts on file for all transfer credit hours accepted by the University
- All financial obligations to the University paid in full
Dissertation Completion Pathway
The NCU mission is dedicated to assisting students in achieving their academic aspirations and helping them become valuable contributors to their community and profession. To support our mission, NCU now offers a dissertation completion pathway for students who have successfully completed their doctoral coursework and achieved doctoral candidacy at a previous institution but were unable to complete their dissertation. NCU’s Dissertation Completion Pathway (DCP) offers a unique opportunity for students to complete their doctorate in one of the doctoral programs offered at NCU (excluding the PhD in MFT, DMFT, and DHA). Students successfully meeting the entrance and application requirements will complete a minimum of 23 credit hours to earn their doctorate.
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Fundamental Competencies
Students in the DBA program are required to demonstrate competency in the areas listed below:
- Graduate-Level Research Methods Competency- DBA students are required to complete the following courses at NCU: BUS-7100 and BUS-7320 , BUS-7380
- Graduate-Level Statistics Competency- DBA students are required to complete the following course at NCU: BUS-7105
- Computer Competency - Doctoral students are required to have computer skills necessary for completing a dissertation
- Students must be able to prepare documents using advanced word processing skills (e.g., creation of tables and figures, headers and footers, page breaks, tables of contents, hanging indents)
- Students must use computer programs for the statistical analysis of data (e.g., SAS)
- Students must produce a computer-based presentation (e.g., PowerPoint) for their dissertation oral examination
Time to Completion
NCU allows 7 years to complete all doctoral programs of 60 credits or less.
Normal time to completion for this program is 84 months.
Time to completion varies depending upon the pace in which a student completes courses and the number of transfer credits accepted. As most NCU students are working adults, balancing educational, professional, and personal commitments, our academic and finance advisors will work with you to develop a program schedule that works best for your needs.
The normal time disclosed above reflects the experience of students who may have entered under different program requirements. In the quest for continuous improvement, academic leadership has revised the program to optimize curriculum and pace, facilitate student learning, and improve chances for success. Therefore, the program is now designed for students enrolling today to take advantage of these revised course structures, lengths, and schedules. New students following the preferred schedule designed by the Dean for this program, and applying no transfer credits, can expect to finish in as little as 39 months.
Dissertation Process
Faculty assists each NCU Doctoral student to reach this high goal through a systematic process leading to a high-quality completed dissertation. This process requires care in choosing a topic, documenting its importance, planning the methodology, and conducting the research. These activities lead smoothly into the writing and oral presentation of the dissertation.
A doctoral candidate must be continuously enrolled throughout the series of dissertation courses. Dissertation courses are automatically scheduled and accepted without a break in scheduling to ensure that students remain in continuous enrollment throughout the dissertation course sequence. If additional time is required to complete any of the dissertation courses, students must re-enroll and pay the tuition for that course. Continuous enrollment will only be permitted when students demonstrate progress toward completing dissertation requirements. The Dissertation Committee determines progress.
Course Sequence
The DBA program may be completed in 48 credits. Additional credit hours may be allowed as needed to complete the dissertation research. If granted, additional courses will be added to the student degree program in alignment with the SAP and Academic Maximum Time to Completion policies. Students who do not complete their program in accordance with these policies may be dismissed.
Courses taken to satisfy the fundamental requirements may not be counted toward completion of required specializations courses or electives.
Students who complete at least 12 credit hours in a single area of specialization at NCU (not counting foundational courses) may elect to have the specialization recorded on their transcript and diploma. Students may also opt for a General Business specialization, electing 12 credit hours of cross-discipline courses. Elective courses must be appropriate to the student’s degree program.
All DBA specializations require the following courses:
Required Foundational Courses must be taken first and in sequence. Evaluation track students will take SKS -7001 after BUS-7102 and before BUS-7112 .