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Doctor of Business Administration

The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program consists of 60 credit hours. For students maintaining consistent full-time status, normal degree completion time is nine consecutive Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the program is competitive, and the attainment of a specific set of minimum qualifications does not assure admission. Instead, admission is granted to the candidates deemed to be most qualified to achieve success. In general, admission requirements are the following.

  1. Master’s degree in business or equivalent business-related degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Applicants wishing to major in the area of Accounting must meet the following additional prerequisites:
    Intermediate Accounting I
    Intermediate Accounting II
    Cost Accounting
    Advanced Accounting
    Income Tax
    Auditing
  2. Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on all previous graduate coursework as evidenced by official graduate transcripts
  3. Submission of a current, professional résumé
  4. Statement of interest indicating the applicant’s chief academic strengths and limitations and reasons for selecting the DBA program and GWU
  5. Two letters of recommendation (professional and academic)
  6. Completion of an interview with the DBA Director and DBA Committee may be required if deemed necessary by the program director

Applicant folders must be complete for consideration.

DBA students select a concentration major and progress through the program in a cohort. Concentration majors are available in the following areas: 

  • Accounting
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • International Business
  • Marketing

Student Learning Outcomes

In consideration of the institution’s mission, the DBA program has the following learning objectives or student competencies.

Oral and Written Communication

  1. Demonstrate advanced oral business communication skills that are relevant to business education by selecting appropriate communication tools and utilizing them in a highly effective, professional manner.
  2. Demonstrate a high skill level in academic writing by properly utilizing information literacy and research methods; critically analyzing results; and expressing findings using clear, concise tools and writing styles and proper academic and professional writing formats.

Disciplined Inquiry

  1. Select appropriate research methods and be able to properly apply them to economic, behavioral, and social-science theories that provide the foundation for strategic research in business-administration problems.
  2. Exercise critical thinking strategies relating to business problem definition (reasoning), problem analysis (problem solving), and evaluation of solutions and be able to apply them within the organization.

Information Literacy

  1. Demonstrate the ability to access, evaluate, and use information and information technologies to enhance the effective utilization and practice of business research.

Ethics and Christian Values

  1. Exhibit Christian faith, service, and leadership, and properly evaluate and apply ethical values to guide professional behaviors and decision-making in business organizations.

Global Strategies and Leaders in Change

  1. Assess the knowledge and skills that are essential to implement change in the business environment and be able to apply them effectively at strategic levels.
  2. Develop strategies to effectively address issues facing business leaders in a contemporary global environment.

DBA Curriculum (60 hours)

Academic Curriculum

BADM 800Doctorate of Business Administration Orientation

0
BADM 802Advanced Business Statistics I

4
BADM 804Advanced Research Methods

4
BADM 806Advanced Business Statistics II

4
BADM 812Foundations for Ethical Reasoning in Business

4
ACCT 824Accounting: Theory and Research

4
ECON 832Economics: Theory and Research

4
FINC 828Finance: Theory and Research

4
INTL 830International Business: Theory and Research

4
MGMT 820Management: Theory and Research

4
MRKT 822Marketing: Theory and Research

4
 
ACCT 810Seminar in Accounting

4
OR
ECON 810Seminar in Economics
OR
FINC 810Seminar in Finance

4
OR
INTL 810Seminar in International Business

4
OR
MGMT 810Seminar in Management

4
OR
MRKT 810Seminar in Marketing

4
 
ACCT 897Accounting Dissertation Design

4
OR
ECON 897Economics Dissertation Design

4
OR
FINC 897Finance Dissertation Design

4
OR
INTL 897International Business Dissertation Design

4
OR
MGMT 897Management Dissertation Design

4
OR
MRKT 897Marketing Dissertation Design

4
 
ACCT 901Doctoral Dissertation I in Accounting

4
OR
ECON 901Doctoral Dissertation I in Economics

4
OR
FINC 901Doctoral Dissertation I in Finance

4
OR
INTL 901Doctoral Dissertation I in International Business

4
OR
MGMT 901Doctoral Dissertation I in Management

4
OR
MRKT 901Doctoral Dissertation I in Marketing

4
 
ACCT 902Doctoral Dissertation II in Accounting

4
OR
ECON 902Doctoral Dissertation II in Economics

4
OR
FINC 902Doctoral Dissertation II in Finance

4
OR
INTL 902Doctoral Dissertation II in International Business

4
OR
MGMT 902Doctoral Dissertation II in Management

4
OR
MRKT 902Doctoral Dissertation II in Marketing

4
 
ACCT 903Doctoral Dissertation III in Accounting

4
OR
ECON 903Doctoral Dissertation III in Economics

4
OR
FINC 903Doctoral Dissertation III in Finance

4
OR
INTL 903Doctoral Dissertation III in International Business

4
OR
MGMT 903Doctoral Dissertation III in Management

4
OR
MRKT 903Doctoral Dissertation III in Marketing

4

As-needed Continuing Hours

ACCT 904Doctoral Dissertation Extension in Accounting

1-4
OR
ECON 904Doctoral Dissertation Extension in Economics

1-4
OR
FINC 904Doctoral Dissertation Extension in Finance

1-4
OR
INTL 904Doctoral Dissertation Extension in International Business

1-4
OR
MGMT 904Doctoral Dissertation Extension in Management

1-4
OR
MRKT 904Doctoral Dissertation Extension in Marketing

1-4

Total Credit Hours: 60