May 13, 2025  
2013-2014 Argosy University Academic Catalog—Graduate Programs | Volume 4, Issue 2 
    
2013-2014 Argosy University Academic Catalog—Graduate Programs | Volume 4, Issue 2 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Doctor of Business Administration Degree Program (Revised Curriculum)


Offering Campuses*


Argosy University, Atlanta; Argosy University, Chicago; Argosy University, Dallas; Argosy University, Denver; Argosy University, Hawai’i; Argosy University, Inland Empire; Argosy University, Los Angeles; Argosy University, Nashville; Argosy University, Orange County; Argosy University, Phoenix; Argosy University, Salt Lake City; Argosy University, San Diego; Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area; Argosy University, Sarasota; Argosy University, Schaumburg; Argosy University, Seattle; Argosy University, Tampa; Argosy University, Twin Cities

Note

*The campuses listed above will begin offering the curriculum effective Summer Semester 2014 (May 8, 2014).

Program Overview


In the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree program (Revised Curriculum), industry and academic professionals have the opportunity to build upon master’s-level competencies, skills, and knowledge. The curriculum is designed to prepare students to perform more effectively in existing professional roles, to qualify for roles with increasing responsibility, to start their own business, or develop capabilities for a second career in consulting or teaching at the college level. The DBA degree program is designed to help students develop applied research inquiry and analytical skills needed in contemporary organizations to foster innovation and lead organizational change.
The DBA degree program is scheduled to enable busy professionals in balancing the demands of career, family, and school. Students can meet the program’s requirements by completing courses in- residence and online. Students should ask their Argosy University campus for additional information on course formats available.

The DBA degree program (Revised Curriculum) consists of five research foundation courses, six core courses, four concentration courses, one elective course, and twelve credit hours in dissertation study.

The following DBA concentrations are offered:

  • Accounting
  • International Business
  • Management
  • Marketing

In addition, with the approval of the program chair, students may select four courses (12 credit hours) to create a customized concentration that better fits their specific career goals.

Program Learning Outcomes


Core Requirements

Outcome One: Strategic Thinking
Evaluate business issues and trends brought forth by economic globalization, to generate strategies that sustain long-term business success.

Outcome Two: Divergent Thinking
Analyze and prioritize the needs of diverse stakeholders in business situations to recommend innovative, feasible, ethical, and legal actions.

Outcome Three: Professional Communication
Synthesize and communicate in a professional manner complex information that is concise, clear, organized and well supported, appropriate to each business situation.

Outcome Four: Informed Decision-Making
Evaluate and apply relevant academic and professional literature to make evidence-based decisions in cross-cultural business environments.

Outcome Five: Research
Design, conduct, and justify applied research in the area of specialization to foster positive change in organizations and communities.

Outcome Six: Professional Focus

Concentration Requirements

Outcome 6.1: Accounting
Evaluate the results of accounting research and analyses to determine appropriate business actions for meeting organizational goals.

Outcome 6.2: International Business
Evaluate current research and practices in the global market place and analyze worldwide drivers of business success to recommend sound and responsible organizational strategies.

Outcome 6.3: Marketing
Analyze the foundation and development of marketing and consumer behavior theory and practice to strengthen the marketing function in modern organizations.

Outcome 6.4: Management
Evaluate management research and current practices to develop employees and systems that sustain competitive and responsible organizations in changing environments.

Admission Requirements


  • A master’s degree in business administration, management, public or non-profit management, engineering management, JD, LLM, or other degree demonstrating exposure to managerial knowledge; the degree must be awarded by a regionally accredited institution, nationally accredited institution approved and documented by the dean of the Graduate School of Business and Management, or an appropriately certified foreign institution.
  • At least three (3) graduate semester credits or six (6) undergraduate semester credits in each of the following: accounting, finance, economics1
  • To be eligible to select the accounting concentration, applicants must have twelve (12) graduate semester credits in accounting.
  • A grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) in work leading to the master’s degree, and in any subsequent graduate study
  • At least three (3) years and preferably five (5) years of full-time managerial or professional experience, demonstrated by a recently updated resume or an online professional profile. If not currently employed, the applicant has to show active participation in professional organizations.
  • A minimum score on an Argosy University pre-approved English language proficiency test is required for all applicants whose native language is not English or who have not graduated from an institution at which English is the language of instruction as specified in Section Five, Admission Policies, “English Language Proficiency Policy  .”

All applications for admission must be submitted to the Admissions Department. An admissions representative is available to help interested applicants complete the following required documentation:

  • Completed Application for Admission Form
  • Application fee (Non-refundable, except Arizona. In the state of Arizona, the application fee is refundable if the application is canceled within three business days of the applicant signing the Enrollment Agreement.)
  • Documentation of managerial experience and participation in a professional organization
  • Official transcripts from the institution that conferred the master’s degree and any institutions where graduate coursework was subsequently taken. Bachelor’s level transcripts are not required.2
Notes

1 Students may be accepted into the DBA degree program without these functional courses but must complete designated masters-level course work in these fields prior to beginning the DBA degree program coursework. Tuition for prerequisite courses is the same as tuition for doctoral courses.
2Undergraduate transcripts might be needed to demonstrate fulfillment of prerequisites.

Graduation Requirements


  • Satisfactory completion of all requirements in the program of study developed in consultation with the program chair.
  • Satisfactory completion of at least 60 semester credit hours distributed as follows:
    • 15 credit hours, Research Foundation
    • 18 credit hours, Core Course Requirements
    • 12 credit hours, Concentration Requirements
    • 3 credit hours, Elective Requirements
    • 12 credit hours, Doctoral Research Requirements
  • A minimum grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) and a grade of “B-” or better in all courses
  • Satisfactory performance on the Doctoral Qualifying Examination
  • Successful completion of the Doctoral Research Project
  • Completion of these requirements within seven years of matriculation into the program
  • A completed Petition to Graduate approved by campus administration

 

Program Requirements


Students enrolled in the DBA  degree program are required to successfully complete 60 semester credit hours distributed as follows: research foundation requirements, 15 credit hours; core course requirements, 18 credit hours; concentration requirements, 12 credit hours; elective requirements, 3 credit hours; and doctoral research requirements, 12 credit hours.

Research Foundation Requirements


Students enrolled in the DBA degree program are required to complete five research foundation courses (15 credit hours).

Core Course Requirements


Students enrolled in the DBA degree program are required to take six core courses (18 credit hours).

Concentration Requirements


Students enrolled in the DBA degree program are required to take four courses (12 credit hours) in one of the designated concentration areas or receive permission to develop a customized concentration. Many DBA degree program students will seek full-time or part-time teaching opportunities in a variety of college-level organizations. The depth and breadth of graduate course work required by such institutions vary. Consequently, depending on the career interests of the student and the specific educational background, those DBA degree program students should consider using elective credits in the academic discipline in which they hope to teach.

Accounting Concentration Requirements—12 Credit Hours

 

International Business Concentration Requirements—12 Credit Hours

 

Management Concentration Requirements—12 Credit Hours

 

Marketing Concentration Requirements—12 Credit Hours

 

Elective Requirements


In addition, students enrolled in the DBA degree program take 3 credit hours of electives. Students choose courses listed in any of the concentration courses, or from another Argosy University college, at the doctoral-level with permission of the program chair. Electives should be discussed with either the program chair or other faculty to provide the greatest opportunity for the student to meet their personal career goals.

 

Doctoral Qualifying Examination


Students are required to successfully complete a Doctoral Qualifying Examination (DQE) that focuses on the learner outcomes that are associated with the required core courses of their programs. Students must take the DQE the session after successfully completing all required core courses and must pass it within three sessions of successfully completing all required core courses.
 

Doctoral Research Requirements (12 Credit Hours)


Upon successful completion of the prerequisite coursework and the doctoral qualifying exam (DQE), students enroll in doctoral research courses. To progress through each doctoral research course, students must successfully complete specified course objectives. If all objectives of the course are successfully met, students will earn a PR grade, permitting them to enroll in the next doctoral research course as outlined in the course sequence of their program of study. If objectives of a doctoral research course are substantively but not fully met (67% completed) by the end of the course (as determined by the- research mentors) students will earn a grade of Incomplete Progressing (IP) for the course and must complete an IP contract outlining a plan for completion of the remaining course objectives. Students must successfully complete all remaining course objectives by the due date specified in the IP contract before enrollment is permitted in the next doctoral research course. If little to no progress has been made in a doctoral research course (less than 67% of the course objectives were successfully completed) or the IP contract is not successfully fulfilled within the specified timeframe, students will earn a grade of No Credit (NC). Students who earn a grade of NC in a doctoral research course are required to retake the course. A student may only receive any combination of two NC, W, or WF grades in doctoral research courses.. Upon receiving the third NC, W, or WF grade in a doctoral research course, the student will be dismissed from the program. Published course objectives for each doctoral research course apply unless the student and - research mentors agree to and confirm in writing alternative specified objectives more appropriate for a particular doctoral research topic. Students must fulfill the prerequisites of each doctoral research course before enrollment is permitted.

Doctoral Research Requirements—Students Are Required to Take the Following


Doctoral Research Requirements—12 Credit Hours


Gainful Employment Information


The following links provide program duration, tuition, fees, other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important info for the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree program offered at Argosy University:

Campus Gainful Employment Information
Argosy University, Atlanta ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/570
Argosy University, Chicago ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/587
Argosy University, Dallas ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/2045
Argosy University, Denver ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/609
Argosy University, Hawai’i ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/624
Argosy University, Inland Empire ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/641
Argosy University, Los Angeles ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/741
Argosy University, Nashville ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/1450
Argosy University, Orange County ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/689
Argosy University, Phoenix ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/699
Argosy University, Salt Lake City ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/1852
Argosy University, San Diego ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/1388
Argosy University, San Francisco Bay Area ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/726
Argosy University, Sarasota ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/786
Argosy University, Schaumburg ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/817
Argosy University, Seattle ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/818
Argosy University, Tampa ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/835
Argosy University, Twin Cities ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/877
Argosy University Online Programs ge.argosy.edu/programoffering/658