Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Overview
The purpose of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program is to provide a Christ-centered doctoral program for business professionals who wish to enhance their careers as executives, consultants or university professors.
This program equips students to research and teaches a variety of business disciplines, with a unique focus on the integration of faith and ethics into teaching and practice. Students complete a business core, research core, and education core (including a teaching practicum or a consulting practicum available to practitioners). In addition, they choose from three concentrations- Business Analytics, Executive Leadership or Management.
The DBA program is offered in a hybrid or fully asynchronous format that runs year-round. Students choose if they attend the one week residency face to face or through zoom, or they may choose to complete the program completely asynchronously. Students who choose the on-campus residency will attend in Newberg, Oregon to meet in person with their cohort and professors. Residency classes are conducted seminar-style during a four-day session in early August. This format allows students to continue full-time employment while pursuing their doctorate part-time. Coursework can be completed in two and a half years with the dissertation or project portfolio to follow.
Degree Outcomes
Educational/Professional Outcomes
To enable students to:
- Integrate faith, moral character and sound ethical reasoning into practice.
- Be equipped with concepts, theories and methodologies that enable students to develop academic research and scholarship and business research and strategy.
- Prepare students to become academics and business professionals, versed in a variety of business concepts and literature.
- Develop expertise in core subject areas related to business as taught in the core business classes.
Admission Requirements
Applicants seeking admission to the DBA program must have completed both their Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Those without a masters degree may start by applying to our online MBA, which can be completed in 14 months. Applicants must have five years of professional experience, or hold a full-time faculty position. In addition, applicants must submit the following documentation to be considered for admission:
- Doctor of Business Administration online application and application fee
- Resume/CV demonstrating appropriate professional experience
- Completion of 3 short-answer essays
- What goals and objectives do you have that you are hoping the DBA from George Fox will help you fulfill?
- Why are you considering the degree at this time in your life?
- What strengths and unique experiences will you bring to the program?
- Two letters of reference
- A sample of academic writing which demonstrates the applicant’s ability to gather, synthesize, organize, and evaluate research.
- Evidence of completed prerequisites (at least one course in economics, accounting, and finance). If these classes haven’t been completed we will provide equivalency courses to take before starting the program.
- One official transcript from each college/university attended
- Formal Interview
- Additional International Student Requirements (if applicable)
- A TOEFL score of 80 (Internet based) or IELTS 6.5 for non-native English speakers
- Transcript Evaluations for any degrees earned outside the U.S.
- Declaration of Finance and supporting financial documentation
Transfer Credit
Transfer of up to 6 hours of credit from accredited graduate schools beyond the master's degree is allowed toward the DBA program upon matriculation. Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. In addition, only courses taken elsewhere within 10 years of the date of matriculation to the DBA program will be considered for transfer. Potential transfer credit will be evaluated on a class-by-class basis by the program director and registrar's office. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution.
Residence Requirements
Of the 56 hours required for the DBA program, a minimum of 50 hours must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the DBA must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires the approval of the College of Business faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the degree.
Course Requirements
The Doctor of Business Administration program is generally four years in length with 56 semester hours of coursework required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 23 are in core business courses, 21 in doctoral research and dissertation, 6 in education and teaching, and 6 hours in an area of concentration.
Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate with the doctor of business administration degree students must:
- Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 56 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
- Achieve no grade lower than a B- in all courses. If a grade lower than a B- is received in a designated course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).
- Be admitted to candidacy for the degree
- Submit an approved written doctoral dissertation or project portfolio
- Successfully defend the written dissertation
Curriculum Plan
Complete the following:
This course enhances understanding of the relationship between Christian faith, spirituality and the study and teaching of business disciplines. Special focus on the integration of faith and learning, the relationship between religion and spirituality, vocation, and the application of theological and spiritual principles and practices in the workplace and classroom.
This course prepares students to teach and research management and leadership. Participants will survey the historical and theoretical foundations of these related fields and identify emerging trends in management and leadership studies and practice as well as apply the knowledge to their leadership positions.
This course provides students with a foundation in the concepts and theories of marketing and marketing management. Participants will study marketing theory, market analysis, marketing mix strategy, strategic marketing, digital marketing, and measuring market performance.
This course provides a conceptual framework for the study and teaching of economics through a critical review of historical and current research. Analysis of the underlying philosophies that motivate and guide resource allocation decisions in different political and social systems.
This course provides students with a conceptual framework for the study and teaching of finance through a critical review and analysis of historical and current research. Examination of philosophies that underlie profitability and corporate health.
This course focuses on strategy as a process; from market analysis, to strategy formulation, to strategy implementation, and change. Theories, frameworks, models, and tools will be used to understand the foundation of a strategy. Students will use multi-disciplinary methods to study industry trends and global implications to discover how organizations develop and sustain competitive advantage in increasingly dynamic conditions, markets, and expectations.
During this course, we will explore the various uses of Business Analytics. Students will have the opportunity to learn about various tools and techniques used in business environments. Specific focus is given to ways of making decisions and thinking about business decisions utilizing analytics and other forms of research. This class focuses on how we can use business analytics to give organizations a decided advantage.
Complete the following:
This course analyzes and investigates current research in effective teaching in the college and university environment, as well as leading learning or consulting efforts in organizations. This course is designed to enable each student to identify through research, observation and interview, the best practices in teaching and consulting. It will also explore critical issue topics that surface either during the online discussion or through questions posed by the students. Analysis and investigation of current research in effective consulting and teaching methods and current trends in higher education and organizational consulting settings will be applied.
Choose one of the following:
Teaching experience supervised by a faculty member as well as an on-site supervisor. Students will integrate content and skills from the doctoral program into a teaching setting. Possible practicum locations include a college, university, or community college. Practicum can be completed at the student’s work location and taken over more than one semester with Coordinator approval. Graded on a pass fail basis.
Consulting experience supervised by a faculty member as well as an on-site supervisor. Students will integrate content and skills from the doctoral program into a consulting setting. Possible practicum locations include corporations, non-profits, or client-based companies. Practicum can be completed at the student’s work location and taken over more than one semester with Coordinator approval. Graded on a pass/fail basis.
Complete the following:
4 3-credit research courses (12 hours), two dissertation courses (3 hours and 1 hour = 4 hours), and 5 ongoing dissertation credits to finish the dissertation.
This course is designed to orient students to the DBA program and to the basics of research writing for scholarly conferences, articles, studies, and dissertations. Specifically, the course serves as an introduction and anchoring point for the dissertation journey, and core topics will be revisited throughout the doctoral program. Course activities will include exercises in selecting research topics, writing literature reviews, developing hypotheses and propositions, and writing using APA style. This course is conducted fully online.
This course introduces the basic issues of theory and method in qualitative research and provides a structured, supportive environment for learning the essential skills of qualitative research. These skills include negotiating a research relationship with those studied, developing research questions, conducting observations and/or interviews, confronting ethical issues, analyzing data, and communicating the results of research.
This course helps beginning researchers balance the competing demands of formal experimental and survey design principles with the ever-present practical constraints of the real world so that they can conduct quantitative research. Emphasis will be placed on formulating research questions, identifying relevant target populations, selecting respondents for study, and selecting appropriate measures.
Students will take their comprehensive examination and/or start the process of conducting and extended examination of a significant research question in the student’s area of concentration. The dissertation proposal includes an introduction, literature review, and methodology. The Committee Application form must be submitted as well as a Research Outline approved by College of Business faculty.
Prerequisite: All 700 level coursework must be completed (or by Department Permission)
The purpose of the course is to assist students starting the proposal and dissertation writing processes. This course focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of designing the dissertation proposal. Topic examples of the course are: literature review, research questions and basic methodologic design which directly answers the researcher's proposal questions. A final paper which can be given to the prospective chair of the student’s dissertation will be the final deliverable.
An extended examination and analysis of a significant research question in the student's area of concentration. The dissertation includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, discussion, and conclusion with recommendations. College of Business faculty must approve all dissertation proposals. Includes an oral defense before the student's faculty dissertation committee.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of BUSD 801 & BUSD 802
An extended examination and analysis of a significant research question in the student's area of concentration. The dissertation includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, discussion, and conclusion with recommendations. College of Business faculty must approve all dissertation proposals. Includes an oral defense before the student's faculty dissertation committee
An extended examination and analysis of a significant research question in the student's area of concentration. The dissertation includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, discussion, and conclusion with recommendations. College of Business faculty must approve all dissertation proposals. Includes an oral defense before the student's faculty dissertation committee
An extended examination and analysis of a significant research question in the student's area of concentration. The dissertation includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, discussion, and conclusion with recommendations. College of Business faculty must approve all dissertation proposals. Includes an oral defense before the student's faculty dissertation committee
An extended examination and analysis of a significant research question in the student's area of concentration. The dissertation includes an introduction, literature review, methodology, discussion, and conclusion with recommendations. School of Business faculty must approve all dissertation proposals. Includes an oral defense before the student's faculty dissertation committee
Students must maintain continuous enrollment in doctoral dissertation until completion. BUSD 815 is required for students who do not finish their dissertation research within the minimum 8 hours. BUSD 815 is repeatable until the dissertation is finished.
Designed as a continuing course for those who did not complete the doctoral dissertation in BUSD 801-808. Students are required to remain continuously enrolled through the dissertation process and register for a minimum of eight total hours of dissertation credit. Students who fail to complete their dissertations within the eight hours allotted will need to register for additional credit. Registration for this course is necessary to maintain continuous enrollment until the doctoral dissertation is complete.
Concentrations (select one)
Complete the following:
This course surveys major theoretical perspectives required for understanding, researching, and developing organizations. Topics will include classical management theories, and organizational culture studies. Emphasis placed on understanding theories for the purpose of improving the design, culture, and effectiveness of modern organizations. Includes a residency period.
This course focuses on aspects of human resources, human resource management, strategic human resource management, and specifically human resource development. Activities relating to these functions, including training and developing, organizational change, performance management, and organizational learning, will be researched and studied. Further, the implications of human resource development, such as leader/follower dyadic relationships, motivation, and variances in localization and globalization as they relate to high performance organizations, will also be investigated.
Complete the following:
This initial course for the analytics concentration provides students with the opportunity to use various methods of analytics to identify trends, predictions and optimize business and organizational work. Focus of the course is on finding and making sense of data to help drive business decisions.
For this second course of the doctoral analytics concentration, students will turn their attention to how firms and organizations can maximize the usage of data in order to make operational and strategic decisions. Data governance, ethical data usage and other topics are also included in this seminar style course. This course is predicated on BUSD 760 which gives students the opportunity to see various methods used in analytics while this course focuses on how leaders can use the output of these methods.
Complete the following:
Most executive leaders have boundless ideas. Every executive leader is, however, bound by the reality of constrained resources, competing priorities, and the complexity of constant change. These conditions make decision-making very tough. Knowing how to navigate such conditions separate average executives from exceptional ones. This course exposes the current complexity of an executive’s landscape and provides insights, best practices, and tools that the most accomplished executives use to succeed.
Every group of individuals has the potential of high performance. Such performance, however, requires more than wearing the same uniform, patch, logo, or insignia. High performance is a decision made by a group of individuals followed by intense discipline, decision making, follow up, and follow through. This course goes beyond the simple framework of team development to explain the uniqueness and process of high performance and the executive's role in sustaining that performance