Doctor of Business Administration

Submit your DBA application by June 1

It's time to achieve the highest level you can in business. It's time to implement positive change on the performance of organizations and their employees. Begin your journey to a doctorate in business with our July 2023 cohort. Connect with other motivated professionals where you will grow your skills and network together for the next three years.

Credits60

App deadline

6/1/23 for July 2023 cohort

Cost Per Credit^$890

Concentrations

Healthcare Admin, Organization Change & Performance, Financial & Economic Management, Sustainability

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Program Overview

The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is the highest accredited academic business degree at Concordia University designed to address the current challenges facing companies, leaders, and teams in today’s business environment. You will develop scholar-practitioner skills as you learn from industry experts skilled in blending applied learning with theory development. You'll leave the program equipped with the tools, experience, and knowledge to transform organizations and improve performance through grounded research methods.

This three-year, 60-credit (minimum) Doctor of Business Administration program features four distinct concentrations:

Financial and Economic Management: Study how the financial and economic theory impacts global and regional organizations. You'll have the opportunity to explore further either financial or economic principles allowing you to apply the concepts to organizational structure and productivity.

Organizational Change and Performance: Learn applied methods and theories that address organizational improvement by examining individual, team, and organizational analysis and enhancing decision-making techniques.

Healthcare Administration: Study the administration of global health care systems and provide graduates with the opportunity to examine technology and analytics, legal and ethical considerations, and leadership topics encountered by top industry professionals.

Business Sustainability: Examine multiple methods to assess environmental risks and innovate sustainable solutions in order to implement strategies that generate value and increase competitiveness through sustainability.

Regardless of concentration, you will benefit from the unique holistic approach that the program takes in addressing and teaching both quantitative and qualitative business concepts. Throughout the coursework, you will acquire evidence-based decision-making skills to prepare them for effective leadership in business, healthcare, non-proﬁt, education, government, and other professional industries.

Download our DBA brochure here.

NEW - All But The Dissertation (ABD) option

Have you started your doctorate but life got in the way? Completed course work, but never finished your dissertation? Our new program provides an opportunity for students who have completed all requirements for a doctorate at another institution, except their doctoral dissertation. Concordia University welcomes all applicants who have achieved this status in their graduate education. We will help you achieve your goal and set you up for success. Now is the perfect time to finish earning your doctorate. Let us help! Click here for more information.

DBA overview

Informational Webinars

Our DBA faculty and staff provide live webinars for you to learn more about this new program including an in-depth view of the DBA concentrations, what the dissertation entails and how you'll be supported throughout this doctorate program.

View our previously recorded DBA informational webinars below. In these recordings, you'll meet staff and faculty who explain the curriculum structure, concentrations, dissertation, and how this will help you reach the goals you’ve set for yourself. You'll also learn more about the admission and application process.

Previously recorded webinars:

What to Expect

The DBA launched in July 2021 as a primarily online program with low residency requirements. Designed in collaboration with the School of Education, the program follows an eight-week format and includes 16 new online courses. The DBA is a perfect next educational step for students who already possess an MBA or a Master in Organizational Leadership degree, especially organizational managers seeking to advance their careers by developing an ability for advanced critical reasoning.

Upon completion of this program, you will be able to:

Compose ethical business solutions to complex organizational problems.
Formulate scholar-practitioner knowledge for organizational success.
Design qualitative and quantitative research projects related to business.
Evaluate organizational structure and design for productivity.

Specialized Courses

As the DBA program continues to grow and evolve, the following defined specialization courses have been approved as offerings in each area, effective for the spring 2023 semester. As we move forward and look to IACBE and eventual AACSB accreditations, as well as to our first full cohort of graduates, we are excited to see the progress and opportunities ahead.

Financial and Economic Management:

DBA9330: Economic Theory & Bus Effectiveness
DBA9331: Financial Theory & Decision Making
DBA9333: Applied Economics
DBA9337: Investment Portfolio Analysis

Organizational Change and Performance:

DBA9320: Leading Transformation & Change
DBA9321: Scenario Planning
DBA9323: Contemporary Topics in Org Performance & Change
DBA9325: Talent Mgmt. & Development

Healthcare Administration:

DBA9310: Managing Human Capital in Healthcare
DBA9311: Legal & Ethical Issues for HC Prof
DBA9313: Healthcare Financial Mgmt. & Economics
DBA9317: The United States Healthcare Delivery System

Business Sustainability:

DBA9340: Environmental Risks and Sustainable Solutions for Business
DBA9041: Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development
DBA9043: Engaging Science to Promote Innovation
DBA9045: Environmental Stewardship Plan Development for Business

The next cohort will start in July 2023 with the in-person residency July 13-15, 2023. The application is now open and closes June 1. Apply today!

DBA Admission Process

To be admitted into the DBA program, applicants must:

Have a master’s degree with a focus in business or other relevant degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Provide supporting evidence that you have completed an intermediate level statistics course (MBA 510 or equivalent), or have equivalent work experience. (please see section below for more information on this requirement)
Submit an application at cuw.edu/apply.
Submit official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate coursework.
Submit a resume or CV, and a list of references.
Submit a personal statement (no more than 3 pages).
- How the applicants educational and personal experience influenced the decision to pursue a DBA.
- Career goals and how this degree will help achieve those goals.
- A research topic or interest area that the applicant plans to study.
Participate in a video-conference interview.
No GMAT or GRE required
Have earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in one’s master’s coursework.
Applicants for whom English is a second language must provide English proficiency.

Apply Now

Admission to the DBA program is governed by policies and procedures developed by the Batterman School of Business and Concordia University of Wisconsin. The University reserves the right to refuse admission or readmission to any prospective study or re-enrollment to any student. Any applicant who intentionally withholds pertinent information or falsifies information may be required to withdraw from Concordia University. The University and the Batterman School of Business reserves the right to make necessary changes to admission requirement without notice.

The DBA is a competitive admissions process. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the DBA program. Concordia University of Wisconsin and the Batterman School of Business may request additional documentation to evaluate a candidate’s record before a final admissions decision can be made.

Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis through the calendar year. The final due date to be considered for the DBA program is May 1 for the July 2023 start date and an in-person residency from July 13-15, 21, 2023. Applicants are encouraged to submit applicant material early, as cohort sizes are limited.

Pre-stats requirement

Our goal in this DBA program is to have high graduation success ratio (90% or better) and have put several procedures into place to meet this goal.

We completely understand the concern regarding the need to take the pre-stats course and the financial burden that this course can add on an individual. The pre-stats course intends to help ensure that the doctoral student can be successful in our doctoral stats course. We want to ensure that all students have the skills and knowledge to be successful in our program.

Many master level students take a stats course in their master program, but not all. Those who have not will need to take a master-level stats course before the start of our DBA stats course. Please remember, this is for the benefit of the student. We want to ensure that every student can successfully pass our DBA stats course.

Credit Transfer

Effective in the Fall 2022 semester, students who have taken equivalent doctoral-level courses can submit a DBA Transfer Credit Application to have up to 30 credits count toward DBA program requirements. Courses must be equivalent in scope and rigor to Concordia DBA courses.

Concordia MBA students who receive pre-approval to take up to 12 qualifying DBA credits (at the 8000-level or above) may count these credits toward the DBA program.

It is the responsibility of each applicant to supply official transcripts along with a transfer credit request to have the credit(s) applied to the DBA program. Students may be asked to submit a syllabus for coursework being considered for transfer, along with a rationale as to why the student believes the course(s) meets the DBA requirements. Eligibility of transfer credits will be assessed by the DBA Director and based on relevance to DBA studies.

To take your next step or for additional information, please contact our team at 877-289-1897 or Inquiry.Support@cuw.edu. We are here to help Monday - Saturday 8am-8pm cst.

All But The Dissertation

How does it work?

As an incoming student, you can transfer up to 30 credits into the DBA program.
In addition, 30 credits will be needed to graduate - 24 credits through research courses to help you write your dissertation and 6 topical credits.
Collaborate with other DBA students in one three-day residency in either January or July of the year you begin.
Your faculty advisor will guide you through seven dissertation courses so you make consistent progress from day one.
Average length of completion is 1.5 year.
Upon dissertation completion, you will graduate with a Doctorate in Business Administration.

To be admitted into the DBA program, applicants must:

Have a master’s degree with a focus in business or other relevant degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Submit an application at cuw.edu/apply.
Submit official transcripts from undergraduate and graduate coursework.
- Seven year maximum for transfer credits from a regionally accredited institution. Credits aged between 8 and 12 years can be accepted as an exception, with director approval.
- Must have completed all required doctoral program coursework and/or achieved candidacy at another institution
Cannot be academically dismissed from the previous doctoral program
Previous doctoral programs must academically align with a degree program and specialization offered by Concordia
Submit a resume or CV, and a list of references.
Submit a personal statement (no more than 3 pages).
- Discuss events that lead to the ABD status.
- Explain how the CUW Doctorate of Business Administration ABD pathway can help you meet your goals.
- A research topic or interest area that the applicant plans to study.
Participate in a video-conference interview.
No GMAT or GRE required
Have earned a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in prior doctoral program.Exception with director approval.
Applicants for whom English is a second language must provide English proficiency.

Informational Webinars

Join the Program Director, Dr. Dana Sendziol, and a panel of current DBA students for an engaging discussion on the program and their experiences. Get advice from the students, learn about Concordia's commitment to work-life balance, hear about the cohort residency from students, and more. It's worth the watch!

Doctorate of Business Blogs