Doctor of

Business Administration

Thought Leadership & Business Innovation

The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program empowers experienced professionals to establish themselves as thought leaders and innovators. Graduates will acquire the subject matter expertise and advanced research skills necessary to evaluate, design, and execute innovative business approaches. Designed for professionals with the very highest aspirations, the DBA focuses on application of theoretical knowledge that will serve as a basis for consulting, authorship, or starting a new business. Students complete a dissertation that brings new ideas to the strategic issues faced by their area of expertise. GGU offers an accredited program that allows students to pursue their degree part-time.

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San Francisco

1,175 /unit

60 Total Units

Offered on-site in the financial district of San Francisco, the Doctor of Business Administration program offers a state of-the-art curriculum delivered by experienced, highly qualified professors. The DBA program is designed for professionals who want to further their career with the most advanced business degree program GGU offers. It is an advanced, rigorous degree for those who want to pursue a career in academia, research, or at the top levels of the business world.

Students are one of the program's greatest strengths. Typical doctoral students at GGU attend part-time. They come from successful careers in top positions in the private, nonprofit, and government sectors. They bring their experiences and knowledge to the classroom and, in turn, demand incisive instruction and intelligent, well-developed classroom discussions.

In the program, students examine current theories, practices, and issues in business; train in research methods; and study the relationships between business and social and global issues. Doctoral students must be adept in all these areas to be successful contributors to the expansion of knowledge and improvement of business practices. For the dissertation, students conduct original research on a topic of current importance and personal interest. The dissertation should impact and help illuminate the strategic issues faced in a student's profession.

DBA VS PHD

The DBA program has been designed with a focus on the "practitioner educational mode," which distinguishes Golden Gate University from other institutions.

This focus is consistent with the position adopted by the Association of Business Schools, which can be summarized as follows:

The DBA is therefore a professional practice doctorate and is concerned with researching real business and managerial issues via the critical review and systematic application of appropriate theories and research to professional practice. This may be contrasted to the PhD which places more emphasis on the development of new knowledge and theoretical perspectives.
The DBA may often be interdisciplinary in approach and/or content.
It is further intended to provide an opportunity for considerable personal development, such that the participant achieves a greater level of effectiveness as a professional practitioner or manager.
While the DBA, like the PhD, may have a program of complementary studies, it is a student-driven degree, as its primary mode of assessment is through the production of a dissertation/thesis.
Notwithstanding this difference in orientation, the DBA is a true Doctoral program designed to be equal in status and rigor to the PhD It should thus share the same position as the PhD in any national postgraduate typology.

PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS

Writing Proficiency

Graduate degree programs require proficiency in writing to ensure that students are successful in their course of study. Learn More

TOTAL UNITS — 60

FOUNDATION CURRICULUM — 12 UNITS

DBA 800: Doctoral Writing and Research Methods
DBA 801: Quantitative Research and Analysis
DBA 802: Qualitative Research and Analysis

QUALIFYING EXAMINATION

After the foundation curriculum course work is completed, a qualifying examination is required. This integrative examination will test your mastery of the skills and disciplines of doctoral-level research methods and analysis.

BUSINESS CORE CURRICULUM — 28 UNITS

DBA 803: Economic Theory and Policy
DBA 804: Management and Organizational Theory
DBA 806: Operations and Technology Systems
DBA 807: Business, Government, and Society
DBA 820: Corporate Finance
DBA 821: Marketing Management
DBA 822: Strategy and International Business

ELECTIVES — 8 UNITS

You must choose two of the following DBA seminars from business areas closely related to your dissertation research topic, in consultation with the DBA director:

DBA 830: Financial Theory and Application
DBA 862: Project and Systems Management
DBA 871: Buyer Behavior
DBA 890: Leadership Theory, Research, and Analysis
DBA 891: Special Topics in Business Administration
DBA 895: Directed Study
DBA 897: Independent Study

DISSERTATION RESEARCH — MINIMUM OF 12 UNITS

Students may register for DBA 899 Dissertation Research only after having first completed all required doctoral seminars and having passed the qualifying examination. Successful completion of the dissertation is the final step in your program.

DBA 899: Dissertation Research

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Doctor of Business Administration

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The admission decision is made by a faculty committee and is based on total accomplishment and skills. Specifically, admission to the program requires:

Educational preparation: A master's degree from a regionally accredited US institution or comparable foreign institution will usually meet this requirement. A minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.5 in the master's degree is required. GGU will consider candidates who only have a bachelor's degree with a 3.5 GPA.
Successful completion of ECON 202 Economics for Managers (or equivalent) and MATH 240 Data Analysis for Managers (or equivalent).
Experience: Applicants with responsible managerial or professional work experience will be given preference. A professional resume is required.
GMAT or GRE examination: students are required to take the GMAT or GRE examination (within 10 years prior to application to the program) and have the test score results forwarded to the university.
English language proficiency: Students whose native language is not English must supply evidence of English language proficiency, such as a score of 550 or higher on the TOEFL or other evidence
Recommendations: Three written recommendations attesting to the ability to succeed in a doctoral program are required.
Statement of purpose: A statement of purpose of approximately 1,000 words is required. This statement should address goals and reasons for seeking the doctoral degree.

The admission decision is based on the full range of skills and accomplishments as shown in the application materials. Strength in one of the above areas can offset weakness in another area.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Graduating students will have:

A thorough knowledge of scientific and scholarly research methods and their application in business settings.
Advanced critical thinking, conceptual communication and analytical skills.
A grasp of both the seminal theories and the latest practices in business administration.
Intensive knowledge of theory and practice in a chosen field of business administration.
The tools to perform original applied research that advances knowledge.
An appreciation of cultural, ethical, and global issues and their impact on business theory and practices.
The ability to make effective decisions in complex environments through integrating theories, insights, and practical knowledge.

MANAGEMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DEPARTMENT

Kathy Bell, Adjunct Professor
Tandra Bell, Adjunct Professor
Rick Berry, Adjunct Professor
Joe Black, Distinguished Adjunct Professor
Mary Anne R. Brady, Adjunct Professor
P. Marcia Brown, Adjunct Faculty
Katherine Chen, Adjunct Professor
Mike Cheng, MBA Program Director & Lecturer
Brian Chiaramonte, Adjunct Professor
Christine Chojnacki, Adjunct Professor
Daniel Popkin Clurman, Senior Adjunct Professor
LouAnn Conner, Adjunct Professor
Heather Cowan, Adjunct Professor
Terry Curl, Senior Adjunct Professor
Thomas Cushing, Senior Adjunct Professor
Lydia Daniels, Senior Adjunct Professor
Rose Davis, Adjunct Professor
Vincent Deluard, Adjunct Professor
Ronald Demerin, Senior Adjunct Professor
Carol Dixon, Adjunct Professor
Sylvia Doss, Adjunct Faculty
Lawrence Ebert, Adjunct Professor
David Fickbohm, Distinguished Adjunct Professor
John Ford, Adjunct Professor
Paul Fouts, Professor
Peter C. Freeman, Senior Adjunct Professor
Philip Friedman, Professor
Gwendolyn Giblin, Senior Adjunct Professor
Robert Gigliotti, Adjunct Professor
Steven Gilman, Senior Adjunct Professor
Reem Gohar, Senior Adjunct Professor
Donetta Gunnells, Adjunct Professor
John L. Hansen, Adjunct Professor
Wanda Harmon, Senior Adjunct Professor
Felicia Harris-Foster, Adjunct Professor
John Hawes, Senior Adjunct Professor
Aben Hill, Adjunct Professor
Pamela Hopkins, Adjunct Professor

Robert Hughes, Adjunct Professor
S. Phillip Dillard II, Adjunct Professor
Tina Jackson, Senior Adjunct Professor
Manvinder "Mini" Khroad, Adjunct Professor
Marianne Koch, Associate Dean, Ageno School of Business
Mary Jean Koontz, Senior Adjunct Professor
Aisha Leach, Adjunct Professor
Steven Lee, Adjunct Professor
Judith Lee, Associate Professor & Department Chair, Business Innovation & Technology
Christopher Lynch, Adjunct Professor
Roldan Mallorca, Adjunct Professor
Robin Miles, Adjunct Professor
Shari Moore, Adjunct Professor
Marion Moreno, Adjunct Professor
Tommy L. Moreno, Adjunct Professor
Deborah Morton-Padilla, Adjunct Professor
Sharon Mulgrew, Adjunct Professor
Maureen O'Keefe, Adjunct Professor
Ly Huong T. Pham, Adjunct Professor
Gianna Phillips, Senior Adjunct Professor
Nabil Rageh, Professor
Peter Rocha, Adjunct Professor
George Romanko, Adjunct Professor
Alan R. Roper, Senior Adjunct Professor
Marcia Ruben, Chair, Graduate Management Program
Patrick Schmidt, Adjunct Professor
Henry Siegel, Senior Adjunct Professor
Dorothy J. Smith, Senior Adjunct Professor
Yvette L. Smith, Senior Adjunct Professor
Walter Stevenson, Professor
Tom Taylor, Senior Adjunct Professor
Dana Waldman, Adjunct Professor
Bruce M. Wasserman, Senior Adjunct Professor
Jeremy Welland, Adjunct Professor
Constance Williams, Senior Adjunct Professor
Jan Wilson, Senior Adjunct Professor
Harry Wittenberg, Adjunct Professor
Jeffrey D. Yergler, Associate Professor, Management & Department Chair, Management

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Because I enjoyed what I learned in the MBA program so much, I returned for my DBA. As a partner in a law firm, I stay abreast of new development in my field and use the business knowledge and skills I learned in both programs every day.

Wendy GiblinLLP DBA Gold Bennett Cera & Sidener

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