Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Trevecca’s Doctor of Business Administration equips students to teach, consult or advance in a corporate or academic setting, focusing on one of our distinct study tracks.
Upcoming Start Dates:
- Online:
-
Jan. 15, 2025 -
Apr. 23, 2025
Want More Info?
Students in the DBA program get an advanced education in general business principles, while also gaining focused expertise in one of our tracks of study:
- Higher Education: Designed for those interested in teaching business or serving as a college administrator.
- Consulting and Coaching: Equips graduates to serve as internal or external executive consultants and coaches.
- Enterprise Leading and Managing: Develops enterprise-level leaders who work in complex entrepreneurial settings.
- Healthcare Administration: Prepares graduates for leadership and service in healthcare organizations at middle and senior management levels.
- Interdisciplinary Studies: Allows students to receive up to 12 credit hours for doctoral coursework completed at another institution in any discipline.
- Leadership in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Provides aspiring leaders with the knowledge and skills to navigate the rapidly-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on organizations.
- Organizational Intelligence: Walks leaders through a scaffolded learning experience that empowers them to identify and address the barriers to OQ, create a culture of growth and learning and drive systemic and systematic improvement in their organizations.
- Professional Practice: Teaches the ability to make sense of complex situations and act effectively by embracing both knowledge management and organizational learning in their professional environment.
Program Benefits
- Complete your degree online in 32 months with no residency requirements.
- Continue to work and focus on your other priorities while earning your degree, taking one course at a time with all materials delivered to you.
- Utilize a built-in support system and complete your degree alongside others who are working toward similar goals through Trevecca’s cohort model.
- Get started without testing; no GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is required.
- Benefit from small classes of 19 students or fewer.
- Learn from faculty who possess the highest degrees in their fields and have relevant and valuable real-world experience.
What to Expect
As a student in Trevecca’s Doctor of Business Administration program, you’ll move through curriculum that pairs the latest business theories with practical applications for the workplace. You’ll examine how the global environment impacts business decisions and strategies while learning to use the latest technologies to strengthen training methods and communications. You’ll learn to use research techniques and data analytics for innovative problem solving, and you’ll discover how to cultivate a creative and entrepreneurial culture in your organization.
In addition to choosing your selected degree track, you’ll have the choice of completing either a traditional Dissertation or an Applied Doctoral Project. The traditional Dissertation is a pathway to new knowledge to address real-world business management problems and is the common choice for aspiring academic professionals. The Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) is designed for business practitioners who desire the use of methodology and data to address real-world managerial problems and issues specific to an organization.
Why Choose Trevecca?
Founded in 1901 and a leader in online education for more than two decades, Trevecca helps students discover and pursue an individual calling by providing innovative instruction; cultivating a supportive, Christ-centered community; and establishing relationships that open doors.
Recognized nationally and locally for academic quality, Trevecca has earned a reputation for providing the world with servant leaders, problem solvers and difference makers. Trevecca’s holistic approach to education encompasses intellectual, social, emotional, physical and spiritual growth.
Course Descriptions
Get details on all the courses you’ll complete as you work toward this degree at Trevecca.
Read MoreHere’s a look at the approximate tuition rates you could expect for this program at Trevecca, including the cost per credit hour and the total tuition expense for the full degree program. Please note that rates and fees are subject to change.
Here’s a look at the approximate tuition rates you could expect for this program at Trevecca, including the cost per credit hour and the total tuition expense for the full degree program. Please note that rates and fees are subject to change.
Cost/Credit Hour$699 |
Hours60 |
Tuition Cost*$41,940 |
*$150 Student Resource Fee assessed per course. $150 estimated book cost per course.
- Location/Modes
- Admissions
- Dissertation/ADP
We understand life is busy and you may not have time to attend class on campus. That's why we offer our programs 100 percent online. Whether you are a working adult, a stay-at-home parent, or simply live outside of Nashville, we make it easy to earn your degree while focusing on one class at a time, any time—24/7. Classes are taught online through our learning management system, Blackboard. Additionally, books and materials are delivered to your front door. And when we say the degree is entirely online, we mean it. With the way our program is structured, you never have to step foot on campus--not even once!
With our online degree programs, you can expect the same level of quality and rigor that Trevecca has provided students since 1901. Our online students also benefit from a cohort model, where students begin and complete their degree alongside a group of other online classmates working toward similar goals.
Getting Started
- Complete the online application (it's free!).
Need help applying? Read the step-by-step instructions here! - Fill out FAFSA to be considered for financial aid.
- Request official transcripts from your previous graduate institution.
Admissions Requirements
- Have earned a master's degree from an institution accredited by a CHEA-recognized regional accrediting agency or the Association for Biblical Higher Education. Students who do not meet these degree requirements may be conditionally accepted in accordance with the Conditional Admission Policy.
- A 3.4 cumulative GPA for all prior graduate coursework.
- Official transcript sent directly from graduate institution to Trevecca.
- Submit résumé or curriculum vitae.
- Complete interview with the program director.
- Provide photocopy of government-issued identification (e.g., driver's license, state ID, military ID, passport). This requirement ensures that Trevecca complies with the U.S. Department of Education expectations for student verification.
Degree Requirements
- A graduate degree is required for all applicants seeking admittance into the program.
- 60 semester credits are required for graduation
- For students entering the program without an undergraduate or graduate degree in a business area but with a master’s degree in a non-business area of study, 5 credits of prerequisites are required. These prerequisites (two 6-week MBA courses) can be taken at Trevecca. Prerequisites must be completed before the start of the first DBA course.
These prerequisites include—- BUS 6000 (2 credits) Introduction to Graduate Business Studies
- BUS 6015 (3 credits) Accounting and Finance for Managers
Additional Information
- Applicants outside of the United States are required to submit a TOEFL score of 550 or above to considered for admission.
- A limited number of students may be admitted conditionally outside of the normal admission requirements based on an extensive amount of professional experience.
In addition to completing coursework that coincides with the selected degree track, students will have the choice of completing a traditional dissertation or an Applied Doctoral Project.
Applied Doctoral Project
An Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) is designed for working practitioners who want to use more sophisticated methodology and data to address real-world problems and issues. For example:
- Why are we experiencing employee turnover and how can we reduce it?
- What strategies are most successful in improving cash flows?
- What social media practices are most likely to help in increasing sales?
- How can we improve processes and reduce costs?
ADPs include these chapters:
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Problem or Opportunity
- Solutions or Recommendations
Dissertation
A classic dissertation is a pathway to new knowledge and is the more typical choice of academic faculty and leaders. Here are some examples of topics explored:
- Do diverse teams help to reduce sexual discrimination?
- Do stores in larger populations centers generate higher per store sales?
- Which college majors have the lowest and highest retention at Christian colleges?
Dissertations include these chapters:
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Methodology
- Findings and Recommendations
Career Opportunities
Trevecca’s online Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) degree program is designed for experienced professionals who want to take their education to the next level. The curriculum offers instruction on the latest business theories and methods paired with practical applications for the workplace.
Professionals who’ve obtained a DBA are uniquely prepared to run major corporations, international companies or teach business at a prestigious school. They are strong candidates for careers in research organizations, firms, banks or other enterprises.
Executives who earn a DBA are well-positioned for roles such as these:
- Operations Manager
- Chief Financial Officer
- Senior Managerial Consultant
- Director of Human Resources Management
- Chief Executive Officer
- Dean of Business
- Senior Manager
- Business Faculty
- Executive Coach
Our Faculty
-
James Agee, Ph.D.
Professor
James teaches management and statistics/research in a variety of programs across campus, including the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA). He received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York (Albany) in 2000. Outside of ...
-
Melinda Burch
Associate Professor
After completing her undergraduate education at Trevecca, Mindy started her career as a middle school math teacher in Clarksville, TN and completed her master's degree at Austin Peay State University. After moving back to Nashville, she worked at ...
-
Dean Diehl
Associate Professor
As a senior executive with Sony Music, Dean brings a unique combination of practical experience, formal education and research into the classroom. Whether teaching undergraduate music business and entrepreneurship students or adults in the MBA ...
-
Rick Mann
Professor of Business, Director of MBA Program
Rick has a passion for building strategic leaders and organizations that create remarkable value for their stakeholders. This passion finds expression at the Skinner School of Business where he provides academic oversight of Trevecca's MBA and ...
-
Edmund McFadden, DBA
Associate Professor, Healthcare Administration
Dr. McFadden has over 30 years of healthcare consulting, operations, and information technology experience in multi-site, high-growth healthcare companies. He teaches undergraduate, master's, and doctorate-level courses. He has successfully ...
-
Lawrence Ness
Professor of Business
-
Brandee Norris, Ph.D.
Professor and Director, Healthcare Administration Programs Coordinator for MBA and DBA Healthcare Tracks
Brandee is passionate about coaching and mentoring future healthcare leaders. She embraces faith-based learning and promotes the importance of authentic servant leadership. As a former healthcare administrator, she values integrating practical ...
-
Dawn Olson
Associate Professor, Business
Dawn is originally from Knoxville, Tennessee and teaches undergraduate courses in Trevecca's Skinner School of Business and Technology as well as the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies (SGCS). Dawn is a strategic, organized, and ...
-
Phil Rickard, DBA
Professor of Accounting and Director of the DBA Program
Dr. Phil Rickard is a Certified Public Accountant and has worked in various areas of financial and managerial accounting related to energy industries. He has also served in various student ministry roles in West Virginia, Ohio, and Tennessee. Dr. ...
-
Jana Roberts
Assistant Professor of Leadership & Associate Director of Ed.D. Online
Dr. Jana Roberts, Ed.D., is the Associate Program Director and Dissertation Coordinator for the online Leadership Studies EdD program. She earned her EdD in Leadership and Professional Practice from Trevecca ('21), an Advanced Certificate in ...
Course Descriptions
Get details on all the courses you’ll complete as you work toward this degree at Trevecca.*
Cohort Schedule
View a sample schedule of the courses you will be taking when you enroll.
Introduction to Doctoral Business Studies
BUS 8000
Current Topics in Management and Leadership
BUS 8010
Current Topics in Business Strategy
BUS 8020
Current Topics in Accounting and Finance
BUS 8030
Current Topics in Marketing
BUS 8040
Introduction to Applied Business Research Design
DBA 8050
Applied Business Research Principles and Practices
BUS 8200
Introduction to Applied Business Research Analytics
BUS 8210
Applied Doctoral Project Proposal / Dissertation Project Development
BUS 8220
Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) 1 - Problem and Solution Design
BUS 8300
Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) 2 - Project Execution and Analysis
BUS 8310
Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) 3 - Project Report and Completion
BUS 8320
Applied Doctoral Project (ADP) Continuation
BUS 8330
OR
Dissertation 1 - Proposal Completion
BUS 8350
Dissertation 2 - Data Collection and Analysis
BUS 8360
Dissertation 3 - Dissertation Completion
BUS 8370
Dissertation Continuation
BUS 8380
Choose a Track
- Enterprise Leadership and Management
- Consulting and Coaching
- Healthcare Administration
- Higher Education
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Leadership in the Age of Artificial
- Intelligence
- Organizational Intelligence
- Professional Practice Track
*For a complete list of courses, tracks and other relevant information, view the program's course catalog.
Related Articles
-
Trevecca Named Among Top 10 Accelerated DBA Programs in the Nation
According to EDsmart, Trevecca’s accelerated DBA program is one of the best in the nation.
Read More -
Jones Embarks on Doctoral Program for New Career Opportunities
Michelle Jones had wanted to get a doctorate for over twenty years, but the time was never quite right.
Read More -
Why Pursue a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Degree?
Learn how a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree can elevate your career with advanced leadership and business ...
Read More
Related Programs
-
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Trevecca’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree equips students for an impactful professional career in a variety of industries. This versatile program allows students to choose from a 15-month accelerated option or a 22-month traditional option, and students can tailor the degree by following any of these specialty tracks: data analytics, entrepreneurship and innovation, healthcare administration, human resources, management and leadership, nonprofit leadership and management, or project management.
Learn More -
Organizational Leadership (MOL)
The master’s in organizational leadership (MAOL) equips students to become dynamic leaders by gaining knowledge and experience that is practical, relevant and immediately beneficial in a variety of careers and industries. Students tailor this degree by choosing one of our specialized focus tracks: healthcare administration, project management, management and leadership, human resources, entrepreneurship and innovation or nonprofit leadership and management.
Learn More