Doctor of Business & Administration (DBA)

The Doctor of Business Administration Program (DBA) programs emphasize discovery of new knowledge that can be applied to enhance successful management of discontinuous change in business firms, government organizations and other non-profit organizations. The doctoral programs prepares students for advanced positions in management or consulting, or entry into teaching and research.

The Business and Management Division at Life University School of Business is committed to excellence in the formulation and delivery of programs in a climate that includes:

Admission Criteria
Candidates wishing to have their application considered for the DBA degree must meet the following criteria:
* A master's degree in business, management, or related field from an educational institution with established and recognized programs in business and management.
* A graduate GPA of at least 3.0
* two letters of recommendation from previous professors or employers commenting on the applicant's ability to do doctoral research work.

Transfer Credit
Applicants who have completed equivalent master and doctoral courses at other regionally accredited universities with a grade of B or higher may, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Business Programs, have those identical course transferred into their programs. Students desiring to transfer credit for coursework completed at another college/university will need to make a formal request which includes:
* A list of the Life University courses for which the student is interested in getting credit
* Official transcript(s) indicating courses that may be equivalent
* Descriptions and syllabi for the course(s)

These materials are submitted to the Dean of School of Business & Management for review. The final approval will rest with the Dean of School of Business & Management.

General Requirements
Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in all coursework. Students failing to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 at the end of any semester will be placed on academic warning and must correct the deficiency by the following semester or be subject to academic dismissal from the doctoral program.

Students who have completed their formal coursework must pass the Final Comprehensive Exam in which candidates demonstrate a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of their respective areas. The examination must be passed prior to the proposal defense. Students who fail the exam may repeat it once at the next time it is offered. Students who fail the examination for the second time are automatically dismissed from the program.

Doctoral Degree Requirements
The Doctor of Business Administration programs are designed to provide a multidisciplinary and global respective for managers and to emphasize the use of both practical and theoritical abilities. The programs encourage the assimilation of ideas from business administration, the humanities and the beahvioral sciences.

The curriculum for the doctoral degree in business consists of the following: core courses (shared with the master's programs); concentration courses (some of which are shared with the master's programs); interdepartmental electives (doctoral level); doctoral research courses; and dissertation courses. As in the master's program, a student will have to complete appropriate prerequisite (survey) courses) if a student's previous academic preparation is deemed to be lacking.

Prerequisites for the Doctoral Degree
A student's academic transcripts will be evaluated and, if any prerequisites are lacking, appropriate foundation courses must be taken. All foundation courses are 4 units each.

The foundation courses are:
BUS 6000 Review of Accounting 4
BUS 6100 Review of Finance 4
BUS 6200 Review of Marketing 4
BUS 6300 Review of Economics 4
BUS 6400 Review of Management 4
BUS 6500 Review of Business Statistics 4

The foundation courses may be waived if completed at the undergraduate level with a grade of C or higher. Also those courses may be waived based on work experience.