Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Develop advanced research expertise and translate your findings into practical recommendations for business strategy and organizational improvement.
60Total credit hours
Core Modules + Research Methods + Specialization + Doctoral Dissertation
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
- Duration
- 18 months full-timeup to 36 months part-time
- Available specializations
- Strategic ManagementSustainable StrategyStrategic Application of Emerging Technologies
The DBA is a professional doctoral program designed for senior executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders seeking to apply advanced research to real-world organizational challenges. The program combines strategic leadership, innovation, sustainability, emerging technologies, and applied research.
What the DBA is designed to achieve
Six overarching goals shape every course, assessment, and project in the program.
- 01
Develop scholar-practitioners capable of producing original, rigorous research that advances knowledge and professional practice in business administration.
- 02
Equip doctoral candidates with advanced analytical capabilities, including mastery of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research methodologies and advanced statistical analysis.
- 03
Foster transformational leadership grounded in strategic thinking, corporate governance, and ethical stewardship.
- 04
Prepare graduates to lead organizational innovation through the strategic integration of emerging technologies, including AI, cloud computing, and business strategic management.
- 05
Build advanced competency in the chosen specialization — in Strategic Management, Sustainable Strategy, or the Strategic Application of Emerging Technologies.
- 06
Cultivate the capacity to translate doctoral research into evidence-based strategy and measurable organizational impact within global and regional contexts.
What you'll be able to do
Upon successful completion of the DBA program, graduates will be able to:
- PLO 1
Design and execute original doctoral-level research that makes a substantive contribution to business theory and professional practice.
- PLO 2
Apply advanced quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research methodologies, including statistical analysis, to address complex business and organizational problems.
- PLO 3
Critically evaluate and synthesize contemporary business literature to frame research problems and situate findings within established scholarly discourse.
- PLO 4
Demonstrate mastery of strategic leadership and corporate governance principles applicable to global, multi-stakeholder organizational contexts.
- PLO 5
Integrate emerging technologies — including AI, cloud computing, and big-data tools — into doctoral research and evidence-based strategic recommendations.
- PLO 6
Assess and address sustainability imperatives, including ESG frameworks, energy transition, and climate-related financial risk, within advanced business strategy.
- PLO 7
Communicate doctoral-level research findings, policy recommendations, and strategic insights effectively to academic and professional audiences.
Your path to the degree
Four stages, 60 credit hours. Build advanced theoretical and leadership foundations, master doctoral research methods, specialize at a high-demand frontier of practice, then contribute original knowledge through your dissertation.
Core modules
All DBA candidates, regardless of specialization, complete the following seven core modules. These modules establish the advanced theoretical, analytical, and strategic leadership foundations essential for doctoral-level practice and research.
7 courses · 21 credit hours
Research methods modules
The Research Methods sequence builds the methodological mastery required to design and execute rigorous doctoral research. All candidates complete the following four modules before advancing to the dissertation phase.
4 courses · 12 credit hours
Choose your specialization
After completing the Core and Research Methods modules, candidates select one of three doctoral specializations. Each specialization comprises five modules totaling 15 credits and is designed to position candidates at a high-demand frontier of contemporary practice and to anchor their dissertation research.
Strategic Management
This specialization prepares doctoral candidates to lead research and practice in advanced management applied to business strategy. Candidates develop advanced expertise in corporate sustainability, data-driven decision making, digital transformation leadership, business agility and resilience, and strategic brand management — building the scholarly and technical foundation to conduct original doctoral research and drive contemporary organizational transformation.
5 courses · 15 credit hours
Doctoral Dissertation
Doctoral Dissertation
The Doctoral Dissertation is the culminating scholarly requirement of the FUBT DBA program. Under the supervision of a faculty dissertation committee, each candidate conducts original, independent research that makes a meaningful contribution to business knowledge and professional practice.
- Step 1Proposal development and committee approval
- Step 2Comprehensive literature review
- Step 3Research design and data collection
- Step 4Rigorous analysis and scholarly writing
- Step 5Formal oral defense before the committee
The dissertation demonstrates the candidate’s mastery of doctoral research competencies and the ability to generate knowledge that advances the field. Candidates are encouraged to ground their research in their own organizational and regional context, producing applied scholarship with immediate professional relevance.
Capabilities you'll carry into the boardroom
- Advanced qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research design
- Advanced statistical analysis and structural modeling
- Strategic leadership theory and application at senior executive level
- Corporate governance, ethics, and board-level decision-making
- AI strategy, generative AI, and agentic automation
- Sustainability, ESG strategy, and green finance
- Academic writing, peer review, and scholarly publication
- Evidence-based consulting and executive thought leadership