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About the Executive DBA Degree

What are executive doctoral degrees?

Executive doctoral degrees are terminal, doctoral degrees that are designed for working professionals. The research approach for an executive doctoral program is the “engaged scholarship” model that focuses on topics at the intersection of theory and contemporary business issues.

Types of executive doctoral degrees could include:

  • Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (EDBA)
  • Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA)
  • Executive Ph.D.
  • Executive Doctorate in Business (EDB)
  • Doctor of Management (DM)
  • Doctor of Professional Studies (DPS)
  • Professional Doctorate in Business Administration
  • Doctor of Organizational Change

Benefits of an Executive Doctoral Degree

Participant benefits include opportunities for:
  • Knowledge update
  • Career differentiation and advancement
  • Career change

Benefits to Firms

  • Addressing business problems
  • Building skills and developing the organization
  • Recruiting, retaining and advancing talent

Executive Doctorate Degrees vs. Traditional PhDs

Executive Doctoral Degree
Candidate Profile
Senior executives who:
  • Hold an MBA or relevant post-baccalaureate degree
  • Work full-time
  • Will use the knowledge acquired to address problems and issues in contemporary business
Structure
Multiple residencies per semester
Curriculum
  • Interdisciplinary with a focus on general management and business issues
  • Apply quantitative or qualitative research methods to contemporary business problems
Objectives
To develop practitioner researchers
Traditional PhD
Candidate Profile
Students with limited work experience who:
  • May or may not hold a post-baccalaureate degree
  • Typically enroll as full-time students
  • Seek to position themselves for careers in academia
Structure
Full-time student
Curriculum
  • Specialized studies, generally within a single, specific discipline
  • Heavy emphasis on research methodology and its application to develop new theories
Objectives
To develop academic researchers