Advance Your Career by Earning Your DBA Degree at UM-Flint
The Doctorate of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan-Flint is ideal for mid-level managers or executives who want to grow in leadership roles and those who want to transition to academia.
Accelerate your career with the fully online DBA program. You can achieve your degree in three years at a part-time pace. This flexible format empowers you to earn your graduate degree without disrupting your current career.
Whether you want to upgrade your theoretical understanding or gain experience in applied research, UM-Flint’s DBA degree facilitates skills acquisition and provides high-value, collaborative relationships with peers and world-class faculty that encourage your growth as a leader in business.
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Why Earn Your DBA Degree at UM-Flint?
Craft Innovative Solutions to Real-World Problems
Harness your industrious nature in UM-Flint’s online DBA program, and receive intensive training in evidence-based decision-making, theory application, and research methods. Learn how to address strategic issues with actionable insights and enact position change in organizational performance.
Promote Practical Theory Application
The DBA program curriculum encourages you to put your theoretical knowledge into practice through action-based, hands-on learning. Whether you implement your classroom theory to work in your current place of employment or a new career role, you grow as a global-minded problem solver equipped with transferable skills and effective solutions in an ever-changing workforce.
Research Opportunities
Improve your critical thinking and analytical skills by participating in enterprising research opportunities. Play an active role in resolving problems related to strategic behavior, evaluating issues related to competitive advantage, and addressing a firm’s efficiencies and performance.
Achieve Your Career Goals
Use your DBA degree to advance your career and promotional prospects further. Your DBA degree prepares you to strengthen your position within your industry, as well as broaden your repertoire of theoretical models, frameworks, and methodological techniques that provide a new, research-based perspective.
Outstanding International Accreditation
UM-Flint’s Doctor of Business Administration program is the first and only AACSB International-accredited program in the state of Michigan. Not only does this distinguished recognition set our program apart from other universities, but it also ensures the quality and value of our DBA degree.
Online DBA Curriculum
The online DBA program emphasizes business strategy and research, ensuring you are equipped with the necessary research methodologies, interpersonal and communication skills, and an understanding of the global economy to be an innovator in business.
Because a strong business strategy incorporates expertise from various fields, our DBA degree prioritizes an interdisciplinary approach and draws upon UM-Flint faculty’s diverse wealth of knowledge and experience. Faculty from the School of Management and visiting professors offer varied approaches and perspectives, which provide you with a comprehensive understanding of firm strategy and performance in a global economy. This attention to business strategy is a distinguishing factor of our DBA program and strengthens your business instincts.
Additionally, our curriculum utilizes an applied research model, which means all seminars focus on a theory-to-practice model. The purpose of this model is to train scholars who excel not only in the classroom but also in the real world. As a graduate of the DBA program, you become skillful in putting theoretical knowledge into practice and yielding tangible, high-value results.
Review the DBA program curriculum.
Year 1
(Foundations: Theory & Research Methods)
Fall semester (two 3-credit-hour seminars; one 1-credit-hour introductory seminar)
- MGT 701 – Becoming an Applied Researcher (first five weeks of semester)
- MGT 702 – Applied Research Methods & Design
- MGT 782 – Contemporary Theories of Strategy
Winter semester (two 3-credit-hour seminars)
- SCM 712 – Applied Qualitative Methods (3)
- MGT 783 – Global Strategy (3)
Summer 2 semester (one 3-credit-hour seminar)
- SCM 711 – Applied Quantitative Methods
Year 2
(Applications: Concepts & Contexts)
Summer 3 semester (one 3-credit-hour seminar)
- MKT 738 – Marketing Strategy
Fall semester (two 3-credit-hour seminars)
- ACC 702 – Managerial Accounting & Firm Performance
- SCM 779 – Supply Chain Strategy
Winter semester (two 3-credit-hour seminars)
- MGT 749 – Strategic Leadership & Change Management
- MGT 752 – Nonmarket Strategy
Summer 2 semester (one 3-credit-hour seminar)
- MKT 737 – Big Data & the Firm
Year 3
(Research Project: Dissertation)
Summer 3 semester (one 3-credit-hour seminar)
- MGT 800 – Dissertation Design & Proposal
Fall semester (6-credit-hour dissertation)
- MGT 801 – Dissertation I
Winter semester (6-credit-hour dissertation)
- MGT 802 – Dissertation II & Dissertation Defense
Academic Advising
UM-Flint’s advisors support you as you navigate your doctoral journey. Email or call Anna Swartz, DBA program administrative assistant, at [email protected] or 810-424-5587 to discuss your plan to pursue a DBA degree.
Career Outlook with a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration
Designed for working professionals, such as consultants, analysts, and college lecturers, the DBA online program provides opportunities for you to build upon your rich real-world experience and equip yourself with new skills and strategies.
Whether you are looking to tackle leadership opportunities in your current field or pursue a new career path, earning your doctorate in business administration equips you to work in positions like:
With the strong strategic instincts you develop, you become a competitive candidate in an industry that promises steady employment growth, skill acquisition, and increased earning potential.
Leah C.
Educational Background: Master of Science in Information Systems from Walsh College and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
What are some of the best qualities of your program?
- The Doctorate of Business Administration program can elevate your education and career to new levels.
- The program helps you gain in-depth knowledge of business strategy, allowing you to make significant strides in your professional journey.
- Some of the best qualities of this program include providing a rich online learning environment with a diverse group of peers from across the country, growing your network and perspectives, and the professors are incredibly supportive and dedicated to your success.
- Being a part of the University of Michigan-Flint family there is a continued feeling of growth, lifelong learning, and endless opportunities.
Melodee H.
Educational Background: BS in Organizational Leadership and MBA both from Ashford University.
What are some of the best qualities of your program?
- It challenges what I think I know. It has challenged prior thoughts and forced me to look at study and research through a different lens and I’m happy for it.
- Learning how to be a researcher and fine tune my writing skills.
- Opportunities for job growth at my current employer.
- My instructors have been incredibly patient and supportive. They are always an email away and are available for calls or Zoom meetings if needed. I don’t feel abandoned by the instructors in this program.
- My cohort is amazing. We support each other and those that are strong in a subject freely help those that may need more assistance. It’s definitely a team effort and we help each other along.
- We have a lot of resources in the U-M online library and what isn’t there, we’ve been taught how to find articles on reputable sites.
Admission Requirements
UM-Flint seeks out applicants who meet the following requirements:
- Hold a master’s degree in the arts, sciences, engineering, or business administration from a regionally accredited institution, or have exceptional professional experience (e.g., CEO of a Fortune 1000 company or other such experience)
- Have at least 10 years of progressive business experience with a minimum of five years of executive, mid-level management, consultancy, technical, or college teaching experience.
How to Apply
To apply to our online doctorate in business administration program, please submit the following materials:
- Application for Graduate Admission.
- $55 application fee (nonrefundable).
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. Please read our full transcript policy for more information.
- For any degree completed at a non-US institution, transcripts must be submitted for an internal credential review. Read the following for instructions on how to submit your transcripts for review.
- If English is not your native language, and if you are not from an exempt country, you must demonstrate English proficiency.
- Résumé or curriculum vitae.
- Statement of Purpose: a one-page, typed response detailing interest in the program.
- A minimum of two letters of recommendation (industry and/or academic).
- Students from abroad must submit additional documentation.
Email all other application materials to [email protected] or deliver them to the Office of Graduate Programs.
Because this program is fully online, admitted students are not able to obtain a student (F-1) visa to pursue this degree. However, students outside the US may complete this program online in their home country. Other nonimmigrant visa holders currently in the United States should contact the Center for Global Engagement.
The Director of the DBA program may contact applicants to schedule an interview if deemed necessary.
Application Deadlines
Enrollment in the online DBA program is limited, and the admission process is selective and competitive. UM-Flint gives preference to applicants judged best qualified to succeed.
- Fall semester early deadline: Nov. 1
- Fall semester final deadline: April 1
Applications completed by Nov. 1 are considered for early admission to the fall cohort of the following year and receive one of the three following decisions: 1) Admission, 2) Denial, or 3) Deferral until the April 1 final deadline (this is utilized if you meet admission requirements but are not a competitive applicant for early admittance).
Applications completed by April 1 are considered for regular admission for the fall cohort of the current year.
Once accepted, students must pay a $2,000 nonrefundable enrollment deposit, reserving a seat in a cohort. We then apply the nonrefundable deposit toward tuition for the program’s first semester.
Estimated Tuition and Cost
At UM-Flint, we pride ourselves on an outstanding doctoral degree at a competitive price.
Tuition for the DBA program is approximately $80,000 for 49 credit hours over three years.
Tuition rates are the same for Michigan residents and non-Michigan residents and remain consistent with your cohort, meaning your tuition does not increase during your time in the program. Learn more about our tuition and fees.
Accelerate Your Career With UM-Flint’s Online DBA Program
The online Doctorate of Business Administration program at the University of Michigan-Flint helps unlock your potential by equipping you with in-demand skills, critical research experience, and interdisciplinary business knowledge.
Ready to build your skill set and tackle new challenges in the business world? Request more information, or begin your UM-Flint application today!