Johnson & Wales’ online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program has been ranked by Forbes Advisor as one of the 10 Best Online DBA Programs of 2024.
A trusted source of news, business analysis and personal finance, Forbes scored accredited nonprofit online college DBA programs on 15 data points to determine their rankings. Data points included categories of credibility, affordability, student experience and student outcomes – including overall graduation rate and median earnings 10 years after graduation. Johnson & Wales’ DBA program appears on Forbes’ list at number 7.
Mary J. Meixell, PhD, Dean of the College of Business at Johnson & Wales University, observes, “I am very pleased to see this recognition for the program, and especially for the faculty and students in the program. The faculty are hard-working and wholly dedicated to the success of the students, who come with a sincere desire to learn. The degree of networking among the students in this online program is especially remarkable – you can certainly see it at graduation celebration. It’s a bit of magic when it all comes together like this.”
What is the online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree program?
Letta Taylor Campbell, DM, SPHR, the Program Director of the Doctor of Business Administration program, College of Business, Johnson & Wales University, exclaimed, “It is quite an honor for the Johnson & Wales University Doctor of Business Administration program to be recognized by Forbes as number 7 on the top 10 DBA programs in the U.S. for 2024. The program is rooted in real-world relevance and this honor illustrates the quality of our program. Our faculty, curriculum, dissertation process, and most importantly, our students and their efforts have contributed to the value of this terminal degree program. We will continue to strive for excellence!”
Drs. Meixell and Campbell allude to Johnson & Wales University’s desire to provide students with a practical, relevant education. The university is committed to an experiential approach to online learning from faculty rich in industry expertise, designed to prepare graduates to excel in the real-world workforce.
The online courses in the DBA program are taught by faculty who each hold a terminal degree in their field of study. The JWU DBA degree has regional accreditation by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
Why Earn a DBA degree?
According to the Harvard Business Review (August 2022), “DBAs … stand out because they represent only 2% of all people who hold higher degrees in business. In today’s age of data and information, knowledge has become the most valuable resource. Companies … need people with deep expertise in specific domains who can analyze data and generate unique insights that lead to better business decisions. That’s why Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) holders are becoming increasingly valuable in the modern workplace.”
If you hold an MBA or a master’s degree in another field and have years of experience successfully managing people and projects, earning a DBA degree is the next step to business leadership and lifelong learning. The DBA curriculum at JWU, focused on organizational development, will advance your communication, analytical and critical-thinking skills through the study of business theory, core business functions, applied research, and contemporary strategic and operational business challenges.
The online DBA degree program prepares professionals to become executive-level leaders, industry innovators, consultants, and policymakers, who are able to add value to non- and for-profit organizations in business, healthcare, government, the military and higher education. For those who have or aspire to hold faculty positions in higher education, the DBA is recognized as a terminal degree.
Pragmatic and applied, the DBA program encourages research and creative business solutions and strategies specific to your current workplace and future goals. Past DBA students have remarked that they were immediately able to apply what they were learning in the program to help their organizations make better business decisions and create plans for growth and sustainability.
Dr. Charles Bierbrier, DBA ’23, credits the research he undertook to author his dissertation for helping him develop a niche specialty. He now consults with organizations to help them better understand their Generation Z employees. “The online DBA is very rigorous; the program changed my way of thinking and my attitude. The dissertation I produced unexpectedly changed my direction; I have developed a whole new career path.”
How is the program structured?
Developed and assessed by JWU’s College of Business, the DBA program is delivered through the College of Professional Studies’ online platform. Cindy L. Parker, MBA ’09, Ed.D.,Vice President of Johnson & Wales College of Professional Studies remarked, “Recognition by Forbes speaks to the quality and value of the DBA program in providing a meaningful doctoral level education in business.”
Designed for working professionals, the three-year, 54-credit Doctor of Business Administration degree program is fully online, with no residency requirements. The program is delivered in a cohort, semester system model in which students progress through the program one course at a time, with two eight-week sessions in each of the fall, spring and summer semesters. Asynchronous delivery allows the flexibility to learn on your own time, while the mentored lock-step dissertation courses provide a schedule to make on-time completion manageable.
A benefit is the camaraderie that the cohort model encourages among students, who for three years, advance together through the courses and lock-step dissertation. For example, students in the cohort that graduated during 2023 met weekly on Saturday mornings for Zoom sessions. Sue Gorman, DBA ’23 remarked, “I was pleasantly surprised with the relationships that we were able to build within the same cohort, as we progressed through the program, one course at a time. Those of us who met regularly on Zoom became cheerleaders for each other.”
Suzannah Hicks, Candidate for the DBA ’24,Data Strategist & Scientist at The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) asserts, “The JWU DBA and its extremely knowledgeable faculty have developed my skills in critical strategic thinking, decision making, leadership, organizational transformation, and business development. The DBA program has expanded my skills and level of understanding of business concepts and strategies and has developed in me a greater knowledge of the challenges and risks facing global business in our fast-changing environment. I have gained practical business and organizational knowledge that I put into practice every day.”
Are you are ready to take the next step toward becoming a business industry leader?
The deadline for application to the Fall 2024 cohort is July 15, 2024. Students are encouraged to apply early, as the size of each cohort is limited. For more information about the online DBA program, complete the Request Info form, call 855-JWU-1881, or email [email protected].