Business Administration

An Executive Doctorate of Business Administration is an applied terminal business degree for experienced and aspiring professionals who already have a master’s degree related to business and are looking to boost their careers. Dolan’s Executive DBA program develops students’ understanding and grasp of sophisticated research methodologies and contemporary business issues to solve real-world problems.

• Professionals who want to lead corporate business practices such as consulting, finance, marketing, business intelligence, and employee learning and development, among many others
• Consultants, coaches, and executives who want to distinguish themselves from their peers
• Business professionals who plan to switch careers and teach full-time at a business school

A master's degree is required and 10 years of working experience is preferred.

PhD programs tend to focus on developing students for theoretical discovery and research. This requires students to study full-time for four to seven years. The DBA is an applied doctorate, aiming to equip students with sophisticated methodologies and theoretical understandings to solve today’s business problems. The Dolan program is a low residency, part-time program and can be done in about three years.

The Executive DBA Program focuses on an applied dissertation. It emphasizes applied research, enabling students to directly address real-world business challenges within their dissertations. This focus on practical application distinguishes the Executive DBA from more theory-centric traditional PhD programs.

Dolan’s DBA program is designed to help students succeed and graduate in three years. The low residency model allows students to take synchronous classes that meet online on weekends with two in-person weekends that take place at the beginning and at the end of each semester.

Dolan’s Executive DBA is designed for students to complete their dissertations during the three years it takes to complete the program. Different from most DBA programs, our students complete one chapter of their dissertations during each course. Through this model, students can complete their dissertations during the same time it takes them to complete their coursework. The curriculum is also designed to include the time that students need to prepare for their dissertation defenses.

The most distinguishing characteristic of the Dolan DBA program is that it is designed to graduate students in three years. Another defining factor is that students can customize their study by specializing their dissertation topics in virtually any of the major business areas of interest based on their own industry experiences and career goals. Fairfield University was ranked #14 Best Alumni Network by the Princeton Review, and by pursuing the Executive DBA from Fairfield Dolan, graduates become members of Fairfield’s strong alumni network.