By Jennifer W. Eisenberg
Is teaching best business practices to the next generation of young professionals is your ultimate goal? Check out these top online doctor of business administration programs. One of them could open a lot of doors on that path. These doctor of business administration programs can be completed mostly online. It’s almost impossible to find top quality online DBA programs without residency requirements. These programs are designed to allow you to meet your personal and professional duties, while earning your degree. All of these programs have limited residency requirements that must be met, due to the rigors of this level of academia. These requirements vary from one to ten weekends per year. We hope our ranking of these 10 Great Deals: Best Online DBA Programs will be useful to in your search for a perfect degree.
Ranking the Best Online DBA Programs
For this ranking we only considered AACSB-accredited online DBA programs. The AACSB accreditation is the highest professional accreditation a business school can achieve. This guarantees the quality of every program included in this ranking.
Because all of the programs are fundamentally high-quality, we simply ranked them in terms of affordability. Cost is a factor for almost everybody these days. So why not go for the most affordable high quality option available? Of course other costs also factor in. But those costs are based on personal circumstances. The cost of travel, for instance. A school’s tuition might be higher than others. But if there is another school closer, the savings on travel costs might more than make up for the higher tuition. Because all programs we’ve included are exceptional in quality, you can feel free to choose the one that fits your needs the best! The tuition costs we have included are the full tuition cost of the entire program. The costs are sourced directly from the university websites.
#1 – Florida International University
Miami, Fl
Website
Tuition: $65,000
Florida International University offers the cheapest AACSB-accredited online DBA program. This is despite the program requiring more credits to complete than many others. This program can be completed in three years. The program is not designed to be another step in a career path. Instead it is designed to equip professionals with the perspective and skills necessary to transform their field of business. As the doctor of business administration is housed in a high-research university, it is highly research focused.
#2 – Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL
Website
Tuition: $80,000
Florida Atlantic University offers an 80-credit Executive Ph.D. in Business Administration. The program is researched focused. Areas of research include accounting, economics, finance, information technology, management, and marketing. The program is designed to impart advanced skills applicable in many contexts. These contexts include business, consulting, and government/think tanks. Five weekend residencies are required each of the first two years. This is on the lower side for schools included in this ranking.
#3 – Pace University
New York, NY
Website
Tuition: $85,200
Pace University requires five residency Fridays per semester throughout the course of the doctor of business administration. It’s one of the most residency-intensive programs in our ranking. There are accommodations made for online students outside the city. They may take 2 of 3 electives at a more geographically convenient AACSB-accredited business school. You will have to take one elective at Pace that meets weekly.
#4 – University of Wisconsin
Whitewater, WI
Website
Tuition: $87,600
This online DBA is a 60-credit program. The online program consists of two years of coursework and one year working on your dissertation. The program requires one weekend on campus every month during the coursework period. These face-to-face sessions are complimented by virtual classes which are also mandatory, requiring real-time attendance. For students located in different time zones it’s important to make sure time differences fit with your schedule.
#5 – University of South Florida
Tampa, FL
Website
Tuition: $90,000
This may be the best choice for more remote students. The University of South Florida’s online DBA requires only two 3-day residency periods. That’s for the whole program. There is an optional graduation residency as well. While online, the program still uses synchronous delivery through Microsoft Teams. These real-time sessions are because of the cohort model. Cohorts are limited to 15 students and will be the same students through the whole program.
#6 – Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View, TX
Website
Tuition: $90,000
Prairie View A&M requires monthly residencies throughout the coursework portion of their program. The time in-between will feature web-enhanced learning methods. You will find courses that span the breadth of business subjects in this program. These include marketing theory and applications, applied statistical analysis, financial theory and applications and more. You will also take courses on research methodologies and research writing.
#7 – University of Dallas
Irving, TX
Website
Tuition: $100,750
The online DBA at the University of Dallas is designed for professionals looking to teach or develop skills to advance in leadership or consulting roles. This differs from many Ph.D. programs which focus on pursuing a career in research in an academic setting. Both degrees involve research. The DBA research is interdisciplinary in focus. The DBA is designed to be completed in three years with a time commitment of 30-40 hours per week.
#8 – Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Website
Tuition: $111,750
Drexel uses a cohort model, so you will be taking your courses with the same students throughout the program. Aside from one other school, this program has the fewest required residency periods. Drexel is an R1 research university and the online DBA program is very research focused. This also means the faculty at Drexel is heavily engaged in ongoing research. This research is done collaboratively with students. This means you can expect to be working on cutting edge business research throughout the degree.
#9 – Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Website
Tuition: $118,800
Temple’s Fox School of Business is highly respected. The doctorate in business administration is designed specifically for executive-level professionals. The program focuses on applied research theories and tools that will help keep you on the cutting edge of business theory. The curriculum is also based on applied theory and extensive data-driven research. This will expose students to methods of advanced critical reasoning which will be used to solve complex, modern business challenges in areas like human resources and more.
#10 – Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
Website
Tuition: $175,000
The online DBA program at Case Western Reserve University is designed to develop practitioner-scholars. A practitioner-scholars in this program think intensely and critically about problems confronting communities, organizations, nations, and the world. This program is designed to create leaders who can change business practices in ways that make sense while improving the world. The curriculum will provide you with the tools and methods you need to conduct rigorous research and practice evidence-based management.
Frequently Asked Questions
These degrees are expensive. How do I fund mine?
Federal financial aid becomes more and more scarce the more advanced your degree. Even then, it mostly comes in the form of student loans. There are also few to no scholarships available to people earning their doctor of business administration, as far as we can tell. Now, it’s important to note that a doctor level business administration degree is targeted at professionals with 10+ years of experience. And that’s experience at the management and executive level. So by the time you are looking to earn the degree, paying out of pocket might be a real possibility. But who wants to do that if it’s not necessary? So aside from paying out of pocket up front there are two main options. First is for your company to pay for part or all of the degree. Many companies offer education benefits as part of their benefit package. This can include tuition reimbursement for advanced degrees. So check your benefits contract and see what might be available to you. The second option is to seek employment at the university you plan to attend. Working as a professor, teaching assistant, or research assistant can result in some steep discounts on the cost of your online doctor of business administration degree. The best choice for you all depends on your personal financial management.
What is the difference between a Ph.D. in Business and a DBA?
The DBA is, at its core, a generalist degree, as are all doctor of business administration degrees. While both are doctoral degrees, their emphasis is quite different. Both the Ph.D. and DBA involve conducting high level research and always requires a master’s degree. But the Ph.D. is a specialist degree, focusing on one narrow aspect of the business world. Both involve critical thinking, applying advanced problem solving to problems facing the business world. The Doctor of Business Administration will cover broad subjects like decision making, non profit management, business management, project management, data analytics. Leadership skills, strategic marketing, communication skills, qualitative research, and business ethics are also important subjects. Most DBA programs require a master’s degree, while many Ph.D. programs do not. Ph.D. programs often require GMAT scores while DBA programs do not. Likely because Doctorate in Business Administration programs are targeted at individuals with a decade or more of experience. Another difference is that more DBA programs are offered part time than Ph.D. programs. Both doctoral degrees require a heavy weekly time commitment, however. A business administration degree will cover most or all of these on some level. It’s interdisciplinary. A Ph.D. with study one or two of these subjects in depth, seeking mastery. So your first step is to determine what your goals are, and which of these doctoral degrees will best suit you. Both of these online doctor degrees are great higher learning options.
What subjects will be covered in an online DBA program?
There are many subjects that will be covered in an online DBA. Some are conceptual, like problem solving and decision making processes. Some are practical, like strategic planning, strategic management, organizational behavior, risk management, supply chain management, human resources, human resource management, marketing research, business intelligence, international business, and social responsibility. They will also focus on specific skills, in some cases. You can also specialize a bit within an online DBA. You can choose to focus on areas like strategic thinking, organizational leadership, strategic leadership, or ethical leadership.
What industries will value somebody with a DBA? What kinds of positions will be available to me?
Those with a DBA can operate in just about any industry, from the news world to health care. Your skills will be useful in settings like international business, healthcare management, public administration. Certainly anywhere in the private sector, but also in the public sector for organizations like homeland security. You might even have the chance to join the ranks of business thought leaders who constantly revolutionize business strategy. You could become one of those chief executive officers that turns a company around or helps it ascend to new heights. Many of those who earn an online DBA become management consultants. Higher education is also an option. You will have many skills that make you quite valuable to companies in the real world. But, perhaps the process of earning your online DBA will spark a desire to help others long their higher education journey. These online programs open up a lot of opportunities. Business management is a vast field, spanning the entire global economy. The business management skills you develop in an online DBA will always be relevant.
Related:
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10 Best Deals: Bachelor’s in Business Administration Degree Online
Updated February 2023