Educational goals and objectives of the program:
The Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program of Adam University is distinguished from others in its innovative approach toward personal growth and leadership development of the candidates. The focus is to provide a holistic approach to understanding personal, organizational, business, and world issues using an integrated framework. This degree focuses on leadership and personal growth and development. The philosophy that underpins this is more profound than exposing candidates to more advanced courses in conventional subjects like quantitative methods. We envision the candidates to be at a stage of their lives where they should be reflective and visionary.
Objectives
To focus on the candidates and their organizations and is designed to develop senior professional and business executives with:
Applied research and analytical skills
Managerial and evaluative skills
Strategic and entrepreneurial skills
Advanced decision making and synthetic skills in a competitive, complex and chaotic environment
The Outcomes
Those who have completed the course would have experienced transformation in personal growth and visionary leadership such that they develop a:
Reflective Mindset
Analytic Mindset
Collaborative Mindset
Worldly Mindset
Action Mindset
Program Structure:
The DBA program is composed of five parts:
- Core Courses
- Core Seminars
- Concentrations
- Electives
- Dissertation
Requirements for a Doctorate in Business Administration:
To earn a Doctorate in Business Administration, the following conditions must be achieved:
- Complete a minimum of 60 semester hours (20 Courses) beyond the Masters level. Approximate time to complete program is two/three years.
- Complete the required DBA curriculum.
- Achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 grade point scale, with no grade below a “C” 2.00.
- Comprehensive Oral Exam
- Complete a minimum of 45 semester hours at Adam University.
DBA Sequence of Courses
Core Courses – 6 Semester Hours (2 Courses)
Research Foundation Requirements
DBA 610 Critical Thinking
DBA 612 Research Method and Presentation
Core Seminars – Doctoral Level 15 Semester Hours (5 Seminars)
DBA 614 Philosophy and Search for Meaning
DBA 616 Dialogue on Politics, Economics, and Security Issues
DBA 618 Leadership and Influence
DBA 620 Critical Decisions in History and Business
DBA 622 Scenario Analysis: Future States
Leadership Major – 21 Semester Hours (Select 7 Courses from the following)
DBA 624 Advanced Seminar in the Psychology of Leaders
DBA 625 Advanced Seminar in Managerial Psychology
DBA 626 Advanced Topics in Governance
DBA 630 Advanced Topics in Management and Execution
DBA 638 Advanced Seminar in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
DBA 711 Advanced Seminar in Knowledgement Management
DBA 712 Advanced Seminar in Cross-Cultural Management
DBA 714 Advanced Seminar Business Values and Ethics
DBA 718 Advanced Seminar in Leadership and Succession Planning
Electives – 9 Semester Hours (3 Courses)
Students will select up to three electives from among all graduate offerings.
Note: No more than two courses of the DBA program may be 500 level courses. Students may select electives from 600 or 700-level courses.
Dissertation
DBA 750 Dissertation I
DBA 760 Dissertation II
DBA 770 Dissertation III
Doctoral Seminars
The Doctoral Seminars provide the forum for candidates to develop rigorous, evaluative, analytically self reflective skills that are designed to provide the conceptual base for researching the thesis. The Seminars are a critical introduction to the research literature and knowledge base underpinning the related professions of leadership and management, entrepreneurship and management consulting. The priority focus is to ensure that candidates develop multi-disciplinary knowledge and analytical skills with reference to the certain areas of specialization within the DBA.
Doctoral Seminars are aimed at developing the candidates’ conceptual understandings to practical excellence within their area(s) of specialty. Candidates are expected to immerse themselves in current literature/journal articles relevant to the particular subject and to discourse this material that shows they have grasped the concepts and know how to apply them to their business thinking and personal development.
Dissertation
A dissertation is required. This would represent a major advancement in professional practice. Priority is given to practicable outcomes. The dissertation may expand one of the themes of the Doctoral Seminars, or various multi-dimensions of them.
By negotiation, the dissertation may be undertaken within any of the functional areas of leadership and management, case studies of corporate success and failure.
The dissertation will demonstrate the candidates’ ability to critically study relevant conceptual frameworks and methods. They should also demonstrate the capacity to conceptualize, organize, apply, and articulate cogently.
Candidates are given individual supervision while doing their dissertation. There will be assigned a major advisor and he/she is supported by a faculty who will be the expert in the field.
The candidates will defend their works in a viva.
Academic Progress
Students must complete all course work with a 3.0 GPA or higher to progress to the dissertation courses.
Attendance and Duration
A candidate shall attend such workshops, seminars, tutorials, or courses as are prescribed by the candidate’s major professor or the DBA Director.
A full-time candidate shall complete the requirements for the DBA degree within a period of no more than five (5) years. Unless the DBA Committee, under special circumstances, otherwise determines an extension is appropriate.
A part-time candidate shall complete the requirements for the DBA degree within a period of no more than six (6) years. Unless the DBA Committee, under special circumstances, otherwise determines an extension is appropriate.
A candidate may convert from full-time to part-time candidate, and vice versa, with the approval of the DBA Committee, which shall also determine on a pro-rata basis a revised statement of maximum and minimum periods of candidacy.
Unless the DBA Committee, in special circumstances, otherwise determines, a candidate shall complete the requirements of the DBA Program without interruption from the date of first enrollment.
Advanced Standing
The VPAA may, on the recommendation of the DBA Committee, grant advanced standing for units successfully completed at this University, at another accredited university, or at other types of higher education institutions acceptable to the DBA Committee, provided that those courses have a reasonable degree of correspondence to the courses in the DBA degree.
Any such advanced standing shall not exceed 15 credits or equivalent credit requirements for the DBA degree.
Supervision and Progress Reports
Upon enrollment in the dissertation courses for the DBA, all candidates shall normally have secured a DBA major advisor under whose general guidance a dissertation shall be completed. The DBA Committee may at any time approve a change of DBA advisor.
A candidate shall pursue the dissertation research approved by the DBA Committee under the immediate direction of the DBA advisor. Candidates shall, as their principal DBA advisor may from time to time require, submit drafts of the major sections of the written dissertation and shall submit to their DBA advisor a final draft of the written dissertation to the advisor for advice and comments before submission for examination.
Candidates shall, through their DBA advisor, submit in the prescribed form and at the prescribed times progress reports to the DBA director.
Dissertation Defense
The candidate must submit their final dissertation to his/her DBA advisor and the Director of the DBA Program. The candidate will orally present the dissertation to their committee. Three individuals will be selected jointly by the candidate and their DBA advisor to serve as the evaluator of the dissertation. These individuals will examine the candidate’s dissertation and report their recommendation for the changes or approval to the DBA Director.