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Program Overview
The Fairfield Dolan Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (Executive DBA) program is ideal for working professionals looking to gain knowledge in sophisticated research methodologies and cutting-edge business issues to lead corporate business practices (e.g., consulting, finance, marketing, business intelligence, employee learning & development), professionals such as consultants, coaches, and executives who want to distinguish themselves in their respective fields, and business professionals who are interested in securing a full-time teaching position in business schools.
Professional and career opportunities for Executive DBA students include the following:
• C-Level Executive Officers
• Managing Directors/Vice Presidents
• Economists
• Experts
• Management & Business Consultants
• Senior Market Researchers
• Higher Ed Administrators
• Professors
The three-year, part-time hybrid program offers a flexible schedule with synchronous classes that meet online on weekends and two, in-person weekends that take place at the beginning and at the end of the fall and spring semesters.
Professionals can pursue the Executive DBA degree in key business areas, such as Finance, Marketing, Business Analytics, Management, and Economics and will benefit from instruction of Fairfield Dolan faculty who are both national scholars and highly regarded in their fields. Coursework integrates the theory and practice of business within the context of current business issues and focuses on the practical application of advanced business analytics and research methods. Through the Dolan Career Development Center, candidates can take advantage of professional development opportunities and gain access to Dolan’s strong alumni network.
International students, who meet the admission criteria, are eligible to apply and enroll in the Executive DBA program. International students can come with travel visas to attend the in-person components of the program while continuing their employment abroad avoiding the expenses of living in the United States. Dolan’s Executive DBA degree qualifies students to pursue career opportunities in the U.S. and beyond. For more information, please contact Leanne De Los Santos, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs.
Ranked in the top 25 for Best Graduate Business Specialty Programs by U.S. News & World Report, Fairfield Dolan aims to develop principled business leaders for a better world and is now accepting applications for the first cohort that will start during the summer 2023 term.
An Executive Doctorate of Business Administration
Contact Us
Leanne De Los Santos
Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs
x3219
Mousumi Bhattacharya
Dolan Rankings
#26
#15
#17
#18
Requirements & Curriculum
| Becoming a Practitioner Researcher |
| Understanding the Firm: Theories and Practices |
| Quantitative Research Methods I |
| Professional Development: DBA and Careers |
| Contemporary Topics in Business |
| Qualitative Research Methods I |
| Research Seminar I: Literature Review - Understanding Theory in the Discipline |
| Quantitative Research Methods II |
| Research Seminar II: Literature Summary |
| Professional Development: University Teaching-Based on Ignatian Pedagogy |
| Qualitative Research Methods II |
| Research Seminar III: Hypothesis & Theory Development |
| Research Seminar IV: Exploring Methodologies |
| Research Seminar V: Methodology for Testing Hypotheses |
| Dissertation Proposal Defense |
| Professional Development: Knowledge Dissemination |
| Research Seminar VI: Empirical Testing & Results |
| Dissertation Defense |
Dolan Admission
Applicants must have an MBA or business-focused master’s degree with more than ten years of post-baccalaureate work experience and at least three years of managerial experience. A $2,000 non-refundable deposit is required following acceptance.
Latest Executive Doctorate of Business Administration (Executive DBA) Program News
Why Choose Dolan’s Executive Doctorate of Business Administration Degree?
Dean Zhan Li, DBA shares how an Executive Doctorate of Business Administration can be the right fit for experienced business professionals and how Fairfield Dolan’s new Executive DBA program is customized to help students succeed.
More About the Executive DBA Program
The Fairfield Dolan Experience
The Fairfield Dolan Experience
Career & Professional Development
Career & Professional Development
Today's graduate student must be prepared with skills to last a lifetime of job searches and career shifts. Dolan’s close partnerships with nationally recognized companies and successful alumni will open the door to top notch learning opportunities and lifelong connections. Whether students are looking to start their career, advance their career within their current organization, or pivot to another career, Dolan will provide graduate business analytics students with the necessary skills and resources needed to succeed.
Professional Co-Op Programs with The Hartford and Synchrony
Fairfield Dolan has partnered with both The Hartford and Synchrony, two Fortune 500 companies, for Co-Op programs for graduate students, particularly those interested in business analytics fields. These opportunities immerse Fairfield graduate students in a real-life work environment, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the employees of the companies on projects. The Programs offer flexible in-person and/or remote positions ranging from 20 to 40 hours per week, 3 to 6 month engagements.
Benefits of these paid Co-Operative Opportunities
- Gain practical work experience in areas that complement student strengths, interests and coursework
- Actively learn and thrive as a responsible team member in the “real world”
- Establish contacts in the workplace for networking and potential employment opportunities
- Develop the marketable skills necessary for success in the workplace
Engaged Alumni Network
Alumni play a significant role in the mentoring and advocacy of current students by helping our students gain industry or company insight through informational interviews, mentorship, and more.
Executive Series and Leadership Opportunities
Executive Series and Leadership Opportunities
Complementing Fairfield Dolan’s traditional pedagogical mission is a series of diverse and distinctive events designed to enrich graduate student coursework including the Dolan Lecture, Dean’s Executive Forums, Fairfield StartUp Showcase, and Professional Development Series Events.
Diversity and Inclusive Excellence
Diversity and Inclusive Excellence
As a Jesuit, Catholic university, Fairfield is dedicated to diversity and inclusion; to radical hospitality in service of racial, social, and economic justice.
Future-Ready Facility
Future-Ready Facility
Fairfield Dolan’s 80,500 square foot, $40 million facility gives Fairfield business students every advantage they need to make them future ready.
Dolan Report
Dolan Report
We invite you to view the Dolan Update, a year in review of Charles F. Dolan School of Business News.
Faculty & Administration
Faculty & Administration
Fairfield University’s Charles F. Dolan School of Business boasts experienced faculty who teach students the fundamentals, ethics, and new developments in business on a local and global scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
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
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 degree, 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.
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 are able to 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.