Doctor of Business Administration

DELIVERY MODE: Online | Onsite

REQUIRED CREDITS: 91

Program Details

City University of Seattle’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is designed for professionals to develop advanced skills in organization interventional thinking, agile business practices, leadership, and critical thinking while developing specialized business knowledge in the area of their choice.

This program offers students the flexibility to choose between online and onsite formats. With online coursework, students are supported through Professor Live Chat and a highly interactive teaching model that includes one hour every other week of live interaction with the professor and classmates via Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.

The DBA is flexible and customizable to meet students’ professional and personal development goals. The specialized concentration provides students the opportunity to hone in on their interest area.

Why Students Earn a Doctorate at CityU:

High student satisfaction: 92% of doctoral students surveyed are “satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with their overall student experience.
Regional accreditation: CityU is recognized by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). for its educational performance, integrity and quality.
Time to completion: The estimated time to complete CityU’s DBA is between three and four years. Faculty will be supporting students with Professor Live Chat and a highly interactive learning model to ensure student success.
Program structure: The 91-credit program is offered online and on-site.

Get started today by contacting an advisor.

Program Outcomes

The Doctor of Business Administration will prepare students to:

Analyze business-related information and assess the current state of an organization;
Develop effective business strategies that guide organizations to change and adapt to future challenges;
Evaluate complex organizations and how they can appropriately serve their stakeholders;
Recognize the social and economic value of responsible business strategies as an ethical business leaders of the future;
Utilize project-oriented approaches to lead organizations with innovation and vision;
Conduct data-driven business analyses and interventions founded in accepted research methodologies to improve operational performance; and
Design and conduct significant and unique research projects that contribute to the knowledge of the business administration field.

Pre-Entry Requirements

Business Administration Core

DBA 605

Organizational Development Theories and Trends (6)

This course analyzes the current theories and trends associated with Organizational Development. Students will learn how to assess the current practices of an organization relative to its mission and values and then work with the leaders of that organization to suggest, select, and implement interventions to make the organization perform more efficiently. Some of the theories to be analyzed include organizational ecology, lean operational strategy, organizational frames, and appreciate inquiry. Students will also investigate the impacts of organizational change on key stakeholders and plan for resistance.

DBA 610

Financial Decision-Making (6)

This course expands on the research and knowledge reviewed in prior graduate work and challenges students to make solid business decisions founded in supportable financial or economic data. The course will show students how to obtain reliable data and how to use this to predict likely future financial trends that may have an impact on an organization's environment and future. Students will be shown how to analyze the current financial state of an organization in relation to the economic conditions in which the organization operates and will be asked to make and justify operational and strategic decision that are based on their analyses. Students will also investigate and utilized various approaches to decision modeling and analysis.

DBA 615

Organizational Identity and Culture (6)

This course asks students to examine the human side of an organization to understand its culture and the impact that it has on efficiency. Students will select organizations and investigate how well the cultural factors are helping or hindering the members of the organization as they attempt to meet their stated goals and objectives. Students will also analyze factors that impact customer loyalty, brand perception, and organizational identity and will demonstrate how they are impacted by the human side of the organization. At the end of this course, students will be able to link cultural factors inside the organization to the way the organization is perceived by its key stakeholders with the goal being cultural improvements that lead to organizational efficiency.

DBA 620

Technology Implementation and Change Management (6)

This course addresses the continued and expanding role of technology in sustained organizational success and addresses correct methodologies in designing or selecting technology solutions to optimize business success. Students will utilize project management skills to plan and implement technology solutions that support business goals. Students will also conduct needs analyzes, propose viable solutions to address these needs, justify selections, and create an implementation and testing plan. Students will also assess technology implementations to determine the extent of their success.

DBA 625

Industry Analysis and Market Innovation (6)

This course covers the practice of sustained product innovation and the process of marketing existing and future product capabilities to capture increased market shares. Students will learn how to manage product lines and suggest innovations that align with current and future customer demands. Students will also learn how to market product innovations in order to expand market share through product differentiation and positioning. Students will also examine the factors that lead potential customers to choose or not choose an organization and propose strategies to create value for a wider customer base.

DBA 630

Business Process Analysis and Strategic Management (6)

In this course, students will learn how to conduct business process analyses of the key sections of an organization in order to better inform a responsible long-term strategic plan that will help the organization achieve its current goals and strive for new ones. In this course, students will investigate what it takes for an organization to implement a viable strategy that is also socially and environmentally responsible. The course also addresses the international nature of operations, distribution and strategic planning and prepares students to cross international boundaries as they help organizations grow. Students will be able to design forward-looking organizational strategies that will maximize internal organizational strengths to address external demands and opportunities.

DBA 670

Organizational Development Capstone (6)

Using the material covered in the first four courses of the application block, students will conduct an organizational development analysis and intervention targeting a selected function within an organization. Students will choose an organization, identify key leaders, select a specific functional area within the organization, conduct an analysis of its operational effectiveness and make recommendations intended to make the organization run more efficiently. Students must also identify key performance metrics and implement a plan for tracking the long-term success of the recommended intervention. Prerequisite: Completion of DBA business core.

Research Core

Specialized Study Concentration

Dissertation

Prospectus: Under the supervision of a Doctoral Chair and committee, each student will complete and submit a concept paper, typically 15- 20 pages in length that presents his/her proposed research idea including the statement of the problem, its background and significance, a brief review of the literature and a proposed methodology or research design to address the problem. This stage of the dissertation is complete when the student's committee gives its approval.

Proposal: During this phase of the dissertation process, the student builds on the concept paper and completes the first three chapters of the final dissertation report (Introduction, literature review, and methods). The literature review will be exhaustive containing sufficient references to allow the student to establish expertise relative to the research problem. The methods section, written in future tense, will provide sufficient detail to allow for replication of the proposed research. This stage of the dissertation is complete when the students committee, the CityU DBA Program Director, and the CityU Institutional Review Board have given their approval.

Dissertation: During this final stage, the student will build upon the completed and approved proposal and will gather research data, analyze these data, and begin to draw conclusions based on the findings. The student will also prepare the final sections of the dissertation (Results and Discussion) and make appropriate modifications to the proposal to complete the preparation of the full dissertation report. This stage is complete with the student receives final committee and DBA Program Director approval. Students who do not complete the dissertation at the end of the third dissertation course must enroll in Continuing Dissertation Services until work on the final dissertation report has been completed.

RESR 694A

Dissertation 1 (3)

Each student will complete a prospectus that presents his/her proposed research idea, including the statement of the problem, its background and significance, a brief review of the literature, and a proposed methodology and research design to address the problem. This stage of the dissertation process is complete when the student's chair and committee member give approval.

RESR 694B

Dissertation 2 (3)

Each student will complete a proposal that will become the detailed introduction, literature review, and methodology chapters of the dissertation. This stage of the dissertation process is complete when the student's committee, CityU doctoral dissertation director, and Institutional Review Board give approval.

RESR 694C

Dissertation 3 (3)

Each student will actively conduct research for the applied dissertation in leadership, analyze research findings, and write dissertation chapters on research findings and conclusion and discussion. The student will rework and revise based on committee feedback.

RESR 694D

Dissertation 4 (3)

RESR 694E

Dissertation 5 (3)

RESR 694F

Dissertation 6 (3)

Each student will formally submit and orally defend the applied dissertation in leadership, as well as prepare sections for dissemination. This stage of the dissertation process is complete when the student's dissertation chair, committee member, university research reviewer, and doctoral program director give approval.

RESR 99

Continuing Dissertation Services (0)

Students who do not complete their dissertation within the program's allotted timeframe must register for Continuing Dissertation Services each quarter until they have completed all of the milestones and are ready to take RESR 694F - Defense and Dissemination.

Residencies

Dr. John Elmer

Q&A with Associate Program Director Dr. John Elmer

Q: What is your terminal degree in and where did you get it from?

A: DBA – Argosy University

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: Gardening around the house, or traveling.

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: In the MBA and DBA programs.

Q: Why did you decide to start teaching?

A: It looked like fun – and it is!

Q: Why do you enjoy teaching at CityU?

A: I enjoy the mix of students from so many cultures and the fact that they are eager to learn and apply what they have learned in their careers.

Q: What’s one thing you always tell your students that may or may not relate to your class?

A: If you are not having fun, you are not learning.

Q: What might you tell a student who was thinking of taking one of your classes?

A: The class will be a lot of work, papers to write, discussions to answer, but I do my best to make it interesting and enjoyable.

Q: What is something that you have learned from end-of-course evaluations that you applied later on?

A: Students appreciate comments in the discussion forum. I have learned to check in – and to comment – often each week.

Dr. Paul Gerhardt

Q&A with Dr. Paul Gerhardt, Associate Faculty

Q: What is your terminal degree in and where did you get it from?

A: PhD: Management and Organizational Behaviors with a focus in Leadership from Capella University’s School of Management and Technology

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: Travel, cooking; and family time.

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: DBA 605: Organizational Development Theories and Trends
LDRD 607: Cultural Competence in a Diverse Society
LDRD 609: Leading Organizational Change
LDRD 634: Leading in a Global Environment
LDRD 636: Leading Diverse Teams
LDRD 642: Organizational Design and Culture
LDRD 646: Developing Leaders of the Future

Q: Why did you decide to start teaching?

A: I love sharing what I know with others, while expanding my own mind and skills by working with some of the smartest people of leaders in many industries.

Q: Why do you enjoy teaching at CityU?

A: City University has a wonderfully supportive environment that helps working professionals stretch and grow. Our courses are built to help facilitate the wisdom and experiences of both instructors and the top-quality students who are growth-minded leaders working to be the best they can be. It is truly an honor working with and supporting the amazing students who choose a doctoral program. Our students are the best!

Q: What’s one thing you always tell your students that may or may not relate to your class?

A: We become better leaders by learning from experts. Dig deep into the scholarly literature as much as you can. Stretching is growing. Having an open mind and wanting to see things differently will make you an even better asset to the organizations you work for, especially if you take on the perspective of being open to growth and then being proactive in finding information from the experts and making it your own.

Q: What might you tell a student who was thinking of taking one of your classes?

A: I sincerely care about each student’s success. I teach because I want to help my students grow. If you are willing to work hard and know that anything worth doing is worth doing well, you will leave my classes with a significant “intellectual toolbox” that opens doors for you in your future. I promise!

Q: What is something that you have learned from end-of-course evaluations that you applied later on?

A: Students love my honesty and encouragement. Most students know that I truly care and appreciate the way I stretch them.

Dr. Michael Thomas

Q&A with Dr. Michael Thomas, Associate Faculty Member

Q: What is your terminal degree in and where did you get it from?

A: My education career has been quite varied. I received a BA in Anthropology (Archaeology) from the University of Texas, then a Masters and PhD from Washington State University in Pullman. At the masters level, I specialized in the languages and cultures of Island Southeast Asia. In my doctoral dissertation, I developed a new analytical method for describing languages so that computers could process them more easily. This was the foundation for my professional career in Information Technology.

Q: Where have you worked in the past? What did you do there?

A: I founded a software company that developed Artificial Intelligence programs for government and commercial customers. After selling the company, I worked for the Northrop Grumman Corporation and for Lockheed Martin as a developer of advanced information technology products. My last position was as a chief technologist for the US government in Washington DC.

Q: In what part of the country do you live?

A: I’ve lived all over the United States and in Indonesia. I grew up in Texas and spent many years in New York City and Washington DC. After retiring in 2016 I moved to Seattle, where I now live.

Q: What do you do for fun?

A: I love to sail and hike, which makes Seattle ideal. I am a volunteer at the Seattle Center for Wooden Boats where I teach sailing and help maintain historical boats.

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: In the DBA program I teach Organizational Culture; in the MBA program I teach Technology Management, Business Strategy, Project Management, and Managing a Business; I have also taught Business Strategy at the Undergraduate level.

Q: Why did you decide to start teaching?

A: I have always enjoyed teaching and mentoring young professionals. I feel a sense of accomplishment by passing on the things I have learned throughout my career.

Q: What is one thing you always tell your students?

A: Never be afraid to make a mistake or try something new. You have to get out of your comfort zone to learn anything worthwhile.

Q: What would you tell a student who is thinking of taking one of your classes?

A: At the graduate level, the burden is on you to do more than quote the experts. You have to become the expert. When you leave the class, I expect you to know more than I do about your chosen topic.

Q: What is something you have learned from the students in your classes?

A: Nothing is more important than positive reinforcement for their accomplishments, and that feedback is essential to provide guidance.

Q: What do you think is the benefit of students enrolling in the CityU DBA program?

A: Growth, maturity, and the foundation the student needs to manage a business successfully.

Dr. Laura Williamson

Q&A with Dr. Laura Williamson, Associate Dean

Q: What is your terminal degree in and where did you get it from?
A: EdD from Nova Southeastern University.

Q: What do you do for fun?
A: Stand-up paddleboard, go to movies, love my friends and family.

Q: What classes do you teach?
A: I serve as a dissertation chair. I love supporting doctoral students to create new knowledge, both for themselves and for the greater community.

Q: Why did you decide to start teaching?
A: Teaching is a way of being, not a job. I love to always be learning and in the industry of learning.

Q: Why do you enjoy teaching at CityU?
A: The variety of students and subject matter.

Q: What's one thing you always tell your students that may or may not relate to your class?
A: I always remind them completing their degree is about learning, not just checking off a box. It will require daily engagement and reflection. Completing an MBA is a beginning, not an end.

Q: Any fond CityU memories that you can share?
A: There are so many. I have worked with and talked countless students out of quitting. Life has a way of conspiring to get in the way of our plans. Students enroll in a degree program and are seemingly immediately faced with family, work, time, and/or financial challenges as they try to find a balance among varied demands. The key is to stick with it no matter what. To give it a bit of time each day and be engaged with the process.

Q: What is something you've learned from end-of-course evaluations that you applied later on?
A: Yes. I've learned to never assume just because an assignment is clear to me, it is clear to students.

Programs

Doctor of Business Administration

Doctor of Business Administration

Program Details

Program Outcomes

Dr. John Elmer

Dr. Paul Gerhardt

Dr. Michael Thomas

Dr. Laura Williamson

"The School of Management advances professional development and competencies of ethical leaders."

All CityU Programs

Related Stories from the School of Management

MSHA program student continues his passion as a lifetime learner

CityU hosts meetup with T-Mobile

With 20 years of experience, student earns a master's in project management

Request Info