A Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) provides a path to personal and professional progress in the dynamic realm of business. This relatively recent degree, initially given at Harvard Business School in the early 1950s, is an alternative for professionals who desire to expand their knowledge of business operations and continue their studies beyond the Master of Business Administration (MBA) level.
While less well-known than the associated MBA and PhD degrees, a DBA may be worth the time if students are interested in practical, hands-on learning and an academic atmosphere where they may investigate research-based business solutions.
What is a Doctorate of Business Administration?
A Doctorate in Business Administration is a professional degree developed for people aiming to broaden or deepen their business knowledge. This degree enables candidates to assess the ideas they inherit from a real-world setting and discover answers to challenges they may meet throughout commercial operations, leading them to inherit roles in senior management. Candidates with a DBA degree have often owned, managed, or operated a business following their in-depth understanding of their relevant field.
According to a report, there will be a 5% increase in career opportunities for business administration students from 2019 to 2029, while all the other career options expect a 4% increase. This means that the demand for educated business administration students will increase significantly, making DBA an unparalleled addition to your candidature!
Most Popular DBA Concentrations
A Doctor of Business Administration course can be accomplished under diverse disciplines. Here is a list of the most popular DBA concentrations you can opt for to obtain an edge in the relevant field.
DBA in Finance
Considering the enormous growth of the finance domain, a DBA program in finance is one of the most prominent choices. The domain enables students to learn the fundamental and advanced concepts of financial management, financing decisions, capital investment decisions, and management for value creation. Finance is a larger umbrella comprising several concentrations you can specialize in to advance your career.
Here are some of the most popular DBA concentrations under finance.
- Corporate Finance – A specialization in the field would enable the candidates to explore financial processes in relation to corporate financial decision-making, as well as near-term and long-term financial choices. Some topics covered under this discipline include capital structure, credit policies, financial operations, capital budgeting, and transaction finance.
- Financial Theory and Applications – Examines modern financial theories and their applications, notably in corporate finance and risk management. The topics covered include portfolio theory, option theory, asset pricing models, agency theory and corporate governance, and behavioral economics.
- International Finance – This course focuses on the Financial Management of companies that do business worldwide. Students will examine international corporate finance and international investments theory and empirical research.
DBA in Logistics and Supply Chain Management
The logistics and supply chain management studies provide candidates with the necessary skills required to efficiently plan and implement a smooth flow of goods and services to meet customer demands. The domain required skilled personnel to work on projects from product development to delivery. Supply chain manager, business manager, commercial manager, logistic coordinator, and other logistics and supply chain management roles will be accessible for students with a DBA degree in the relevant domain.
If you’re interested in pursuing a career in logistics and supply chain management, here are a few concentrations to consider.
- Global Supply Chain Planning, Tactics, and Execution – While aligning global supply chain methodology and competency with a marketing strategy is the first step, ensuring strategic implementation also requires corporate planning. To achieve the learning objectives of this course, case studies, literature, experts, and templates from renowned firms will be employed.
- Competitive ad Global Supply Chain Management Strategies – This course will examine GSCM’s alignment with various competitive strategies to find the best strategy, design, competency, and capacity resources to support them.
- Digital Supply Chain Strategy – This course will use major research references to investigate the development of logistics tactics such as AI and machine learning for executives who will lead the way. Candidates with an inclination towards digitized logistics management can opt for this concentration.
DBA in Business and Data Analytics
Perceiving the data influx and its significance in today’s world, the majority of companies are leveraging their data flow to assess and retrieve valuable insights, further enhancing revenue generation. A DBA in Business and Data Analytics will enable candidates to assist businesses with data-driven reports on better decision-making and improve business planning.
Let’s explore different concentrations in the business and data analytics domain.
- Managing Data as an Asset – In this DBA discipline, you will explore Master Data Management as a collection of methods used by the cooperation of business and IT experts to centrally manage and assess, identify, store, share, and distribute data or information inside a company.
- Operations Performance Management – Business Analytics is a dynamic subset of operational performance management. Practitioners who want to gain a competitive edge by improving organizational performance will gain competence in this course by assessing, mapping, and guiding companies toward their vision and strategic goals.
- Application of AI in Solving Problems – This course offers the fundamental understanding required to deploy AI technologies, data analytics, and tools to increase corporate efficiency, risk reduction, and fraud detection. The learner will receive a solid foundation for dealing with the changes that will occur due to the increasing reliance on computer technology.
DBA in Marketing
The various subsets of DBA in marketing explore marketing methodologies as well as principles of psychology, such as cognition, social psychology, and behavioral decision theory, to guide marketing campaigns toward success. Consumer judgment and decision-making, culture, motivation, individual variations, perception, and social impact are all topics that students study and explore in this domain.
Here are the popular subsets –
- Marketing Management – Covers the entire spectrum of marketing function management ideas, theories, and practices. Students will understand the field’s ideas, including significant seminal literature and recently published research.
- Consumer Behavior – This DBA course emphasizes consumer behavior research. Under this concentration, students will learn about judgment, choice, and decision-making processes, as well as attitude theory and persuasion.
- Digital Marketing and New Media – The rapid expansion of digital platforms have altered marketing. This course addresses a range of subjects in the industry, including online advertising, electronic word-of-mouth, social media, the influence of mobile platforms, and developing consumer behavior, via a thorough assessment of the research literature.
Things to Learn in a DBA Program
Working on a DBA degree will demand learners to leverage current research tools and ideas to comprehend the changing trends in business processes. Here are the main things students will learn in a DBA Program –
Research Principles
One of the fascinating aspects of a DBA degree for many aspirants is studying topics and discovering answers to complex real-life cases. Typically, the curriculum includes beginning classes in research methodologies and experimental design, as well as how to read and interpret scientific journal articles, contributing to better comprehension and research abilities.
Management and Business Theories
Management and business theory lectures cover themes such as the right ways to lead firms in today’s dynamic environemtn, creating and managing teams, implementing and practicing corporate governance and ethics along with analyzing personnel strengths and weaknesses. These courses assist in laying the groundwork for the information students need as they proceed through the curriculum.
Contemporary Concerns
DBA programs usually feature opportunities for students to obtain more knowledge about current issues that today’s business professionals may face in their work. Various DBA concentrations may address subjects such as global warming, finite resource management, and workplace cultural responsiveness.
Career Opportunities with a DBA degree
DBA opens a plethora of lucrative career opportunities, specifically in senior management. A few of them are listed below.
| Job Roles | Average Salaries Per Annum (USA) | Average Salary Per Annum (India) |
| Professor | $73,135 | INR 6,26,400 |
| Business Analyst | $81,503 | INR 7,00,000 |
| Human Resources Director | $82,159 | INR 33,00,000 |
| Economist | $103,135 | INR 14,00,000 |
| Organizational Manager | $129,698 | INR 6,90,000 |
| Chief Financial Officer | $145,016 | INR 34,840,00 |
| Chief Executive Officer | $173,210 | INR 46,000,00 |
| Chief Marketing Officer | $178,426 | INR 19,600,00 |
Conclusion
For most students, the first step towards earning a doctorate degree in Business Administration is first to get a master’s degree; however, possessing significant work experience is equally important. Doctoral business administration (DBA) graduates are qualified for top executive roles in corporate management, finance, and marketing.
To polish their skills, we recommend the Doctor of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University offered by upGrad.
This program is WES recognized and accredited by WASC senior college. It allows students to interact with top university professionals from across the globe. Mainly designed for working professionals, this course enables candidates to upskill and make better career advances by bagging senior management roles.
So, what are you waiting for? Enrol now!
FAQs
- What is the difference between PhD and a doctorate in Business Administration?
A DBA program differs from a PhD program. Here’s how
- The DBA program is intended for professional middle and senior corporate executives. The DBA prepares students to make data-driven, scientifically evidence-based judgments.
- In contrast, a PhD in Business Administration is intended for young education-oriented academics. The PhD program teaches research skills that aid in developing hypotheses or models that add to the current literature.
- What are the best countries for a DBA degree?
Some of the top countries to pursue a DBA course include the USA, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Panama, and France.
- What is the future of DBA?
As working professionals are looking to upskill and obtain higher education for better work opportunities, DBA is emerging as a popular option among candidates. According to the Global DBA survey, the demand for DBA programs saw a sudden increase of about 80% across global universities, implying its dynamic future and demand ahead.
