Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
The DBA program is designed for visionary professionals who want to use their expertise to change how their business changes the world. With access to resources that allow students to track their progress more closely, they will define the social change impact they want to make—and then design their doctoral experience around it. Students can explore some of today’s greatest business challenges and opportunities—including globalization, ethics, and relationship management—and examine those issues in relation to their own organization.
Accreditation
Walden University’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP). ACBSP is a leading specialized accreditation association that identifies and supports excellence in business education.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the program, students will be able to:
- Evaluate the relevance of current and emerging business theory and practice from an interdisciplinary perspective (WO III, IV, V, VI, VIII).
- Formulate effective solutions to complex, real-world problems common to the practice of business and management (WO II, IV, V, VIII).
- Apply current research literature to practical problems found in business and management (WO III, IV, V, VI, VIII).
- Evaluate scholarly research in business and management (WO II, III, IV, V, VI).
- Design rigorous research that contributes to the professional body of knowledge of business and management (WO II, III, IV, V, VI).
- Design rigorous research that contributes to positive social change (WO I, II, IV, VII, VIII, IX).
- Apply professional ethics appropriately (WO I, II, IV, VII, VIII, IX).
Minimum Degree Requirements
- Doctoral Writing Assessment (0 quarter credits)
- Foundation courses (5 quarter credits)
- Core business course (5 quarter credits)
- Business strategy course (5 quarter credits)
- Research methods courses (15 quarter credits)
- Specialization courses (15 quarter credits)
- Completion of Business Research Project
- Business Research Project mentoring (3 quarter credits)
- Business Research Project completion (5 quarter credits per term for a minimum of 4 terms until completion)
- Two academic residencies
Note: Students who have earned a Professional in Human Resources (PHR), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), or Global Professional in Human Resources (GPHR) certification may be eligible to accelerate their DBA program. For information, contact the Student Success Advising Team.
Curriculum
Foundation Courses (5 quarter credits)
Core and Business Strategy Courses (10 quarter credits)
Research Methods Courses (15 quarter credits)
Specialization Courses (15 quarter credits)
These courses are dependent upon the particular specialization. Please see the course list on each specialization page. Changing specializations may increase a student’s expected time-to-degree completion and cost.
Residency Requirements
- Complete Residency 1 as soon as you begin your program (while taking DBAX 8006 or DBAX 8151); required in order to advance into DBAX 8161 or DBAX 8303.
- Complete Residency 2 just prior to the start or during the first few weeks of DBAX 8303; required in order to advance into DBAX 8307.
- Optional: Complete a DBA Research Project Intensive retreat face-to-face during DBAX 8101/8101C or DBAX 9100/9100C. Contact Student Success Advising to register.
Completion of the Business Research Project
OR
OR
1 credit each quarter = total 3 credits
To be taken along with other coursework starting with after completion of DBAX 8300 until beginning DBAX 9100/9100C.
OR
OR
Students take this course for a minimum of four terms and are continuously enrolled until completion of their business research project with final chief academic officer (CAO) approval.
To complete a business research project, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their Project Mentor, a Program Project Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; and gain final approval by the CAO. Students must also publish their business research project on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the business research project process in the DBA Capstone documents.
Course Sequence
The recommended course sequence is as follows:
|
Quarter |
Course |
Credits |
|---|---|---|
|
Quarter 1 |
DBAX 4990 - Business Essentials |
0 credits |
|
DBAX 8006 - Contemporary Challenges in Business |
5 credits |
|
|
Complete Residency 1 face-to-face as soon as you begin your program (while taking DBAX 8006 or DBAX 8151); required in order to advance into DBAX 8161 or DBAX 8303. |
||
|
Quarter 2 |
DBAX 8151 - Organizational Leadership: Doctoral Theory and Practice |
5 credits |
|
DBAX 8300 - Qualitative and Quantitative Methodology for Applied Business Research |
5 credits |
|
|
Quarter 3 |
DBAX 8161 - Business Strategy and Innovation for Competitive Advantage |
5 credits |
|
DBAX 8303 - Qualitative and Case Study Methodology for Business Analysis Research |
5 credits |
|
|
DBAX 8101 - Business Research Project Mentoring* OR |
1 credit |
|
|
Complete Residency 2 just prior to the start or during the first few weeks of DBAX 8303; required in order to advance into DBAX 8307B. |
||
|
Quarter 4 |
DBAX 85XX - Specialization Course 1 |
5 credits |
|
DBAX 8307B - Quantitative Business Data Analysis Using SPSS |
5 credits |
|
|
DBAX 8101 - Business Research Project Mentoring* OR |
1 credit |
|
|
Quarter 5 |
DBAX 85XX - Specialization Course 2 |
5 credits |
|
DBAX 85XX - Specialization Course 3 |
5 credits |
|
|
DBAX 8101 - Business Research Project Mentoring* OR |
1 credit |
|
|
Optional: Complete a DBA Research Project Intensive retreat during DBAX 8101 or DBAX 9100. Contact Student Success Advising to register. |
||
|
Quarter 6 |
DBAX 9100 - Business Research Project** OR Continuous enrollment for a minimum of four terms until completion |
5 credits per term for a minimum of 4 terms; Continuous enrollment until completion of Business Research Project |
|
Quarter 7 |
DBAX 9100 - Business Research Project** OR Continuous enrollment for a minimum of four terms until completion |
5 credits per term for a minimum of 4 terms; Continuous enrollment until completion of Business Research Project |
|
Quarter 8 |
DBAX 9100 - Business Research Project** OR Continuous enrollment for a minimum of four terms until completion |
5 credits per term for a minimum of 4 terms; Continuous enrollment until completion of Business Research Project |
|
Quarter 9+ |
DBAX 9100 - Business Research Project** OR Continuous enrollment for a minimum of four terms until completion |
5 credits per term for a minimum of 4 terms; Continuous enrollment until completion of Business Research Project |
* DBAX 8101/8101C- 1 credit each session = total 3 credits; To be taken along with other coursework after completion of DBAX 8300 until beginning DBAX 9100/9100C.
** Students take this course for a minimum of four terms and are continuously enrolled until completion of their business research project with final chief academic officer (CAO) approval. To complete a business research project, students must obtain the academic approval of several independent evaluators including their Project Mentor, a Program Project Reviewer, and the Institutional Review Board; pass the Form and Style Review; and gain final approval by the CAO. Students must also publish their business research project on ProQuest before their degree is conferred. Learn more about the business research project process in the DBA Capstone documents.