Accelerated online DBA programs offer several advantages to the students who choose to enroll in them. The online format offers both flexibility and convenience allowing them to do their homework when it is most convenient for them. It is convenient because they have the capability of accessing their studies from almost any location that has a Wi-fi connection. They can even access their studies on mobile devices while they are on the go.
Another advantage of an accelerated online DBA program is that it moves much faster than a traditional degree program. Where a traditional degree program can last two years or longer, an accelerated program can be completed much faster because the lesson plan is consolidated into fewer, more intense assignments. Most accelerated degree programs can be completed in as little as 18 months. Some programs may be longer, depending on whether or not the original degree program was two or four years in length.
Methodology: Ranking the Best Accelerated Online DBA Programs
For students looking for a fast track to a DBA, Great Business Schools editors have focused on accredited, legitimate institutions offering accelerated online DBA programs. Featured programs are ranked according to valuable information such as student satisfaction, cost, and alumni salary, using data from IPEDS and Niche.
1. Creighton University
Topping the list of the best accelerated online DBA programs is the Doctorate in Business Administration from Creighton University. The program focuses on improving analysis and critical thinking skills, as well as on research. Students have a chance to analyze the business questions that have come up throughout their careers. The program helps students advance their careers or gain tenure at a college or university. It also helps improve the students’ consulting skills, leading to increased income from offering consulting services to businesses.
The Graduate School at Creighton University is committed to helping students achieve mastery in their specific area of study in order to advance in their careers and successfully achieve their goals. The school has expert faculty and provides a variety of immersive learning experiences for its students. Faculty members are engaged in research to make our society a better place.
Highlight This is a hybrid program, and most of the coursework can be completed online.
Degree DBA – 3 years
2. California Baptist University
The Doctor of Business Administration from California Baptist University is next on the list of the best accelerated online DBA programs. The program encourages students to embrace change and create innovative solutions for the problems they’ll encounter in today’s global business world. Students develop their leadership skills in order to have an impact on their organizations, whether they are for-profit or not-for-profit. The program is designed to be accessible to working adults and takes three years to complete. The curriculum is intended to meet the needs of today’s busy executives.
California Baptist University is committed to helping students achieve their goals, both personal and professional. CBU helps students acquire up-to-date skills and knowledge in their fields in order to increase their earning power. Students have the chance to network with their peers while gaining knowledge from the experienced faculty and staff.
Highlight This is an online program with eight-week classes.
Degree DBA – 3 years
3. Liberty University
The Doctor of Business Administration from Liberty University is another of the best accelerated online DBA programs. The program takes three years to complete and prepares students for careers at the highest levels of management. Students enrolled in the program receive mentorship from highly respected professionals in the business world who teach them how to advance their careers and increase their influence at work. The program is 100% online, so students can easily manage to advance their education while continuing to work full-time in their careers.
Liberty University was the dream of the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. He dreamed of a place where professionals who loved God could gather together and learn be the best at whatever they chose to do. Liberty University is an evangelical school that is built on a liberal arts foundation. The school has more than 450 programs for students to choose from.
Highlight Students can transfer up to 50% of the total degree.
Degree DBA – Transfer 50%
4. Trevecca Nazarene University
The Doctor of Business Administration from Trevecca Nazarene University is also one of the best accelerated online DBA programs. The program takes business to the next level as students learn to understand business research and even create their own research. Students choose whether to complete a project or a dissertation at the culmination of the program. The classes are online and are limited to 19 students per class so instructors get to know their students and help them reach their career goals. Students learn from faculty members with a wide variety of experience.
Trevecca Nazarene University offers a quality educational experience to students. The school is dedicated to cultivating strong leaders with a heart for service. The school was founded in 1901 and offers programs at all levels from associate to doctoral. Students take one class at a time.
Highlight This accelerated DBA program takes just 32 months to complete.
Degree DBA – 32 months
5. Northcentral University
Students looking for the best accelerated online DBA programs should take a look at the Doctor of Business Administration from Northcentral University. This program offers education and training that prepares students for the highest leadership positions in the business world. Students learn how to apply research to real-world situations in order to create tactics and strategies for solving business problems. They also learn how to ensure that the solutions they come up with are ethical. The professors offer mentorship to help students reach their specific career goals.
Northcentral University is focused on its students’ success. The school offers programs that are designed to fit into working professionals’ busy schedules. NCU offers online programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. The school has weekly start dates, so you can start as soon as you’re ready.
Highlight Through the Change Your Life Scholarship, three students receive full tuition scholarships.
Degree DBA – 32 months
6. Anaheim University
Anaheim University has an accelerated online DBA program that has a concentration in international business. The Online Doctor of Business Administration from Anaheim University is perfect for the working professional who works in a large multi-national company and wants to reach the highest levels of leadership in the corporation. The school provides an intercultural and interactive learning environment. Students can choose a concentration in entrepreneurship, global sustainable management, international management, or management. The program culminates in a dissertation.
All of Anaheim University’s graduate school professors are experienced professionals who hold the terminal degree in their fields. Many are also acclaimed authors. The school offers an interactive online environment that allows students to interact with their instructors both in real time and as it is convenient for the student. Every faculty member has real-life business administration and management experience in addition to academic qualifications.
Highlight The program features webinars with experts from all over the world.
Degree DBA – 3 years
7. Concordia University-Chicago
The Doctorate in Business Administration from Concordia University-Chicago is an accelerated online DBA program that provides the next step in professional business development beyond the MBA. The DBA program allows students to expand their networks, increase their knowledge, and gain a global perspective. The curriculum is innovative, as is the method of delivery. Students begin the dissertation process immediately, choosing their topic in the first term. This program was created for working professionals who seek to focus on real-world problems.
Concordia-Chicago has been preparing students to lead and serve for over 150 years. The school is a Christian university with a liberal arts foundation. Students are grounded in faithfulness, excellence, integrity, and truth. The school’s core values are the Christian faith, the individual, excellence, integrity, and service.
Highlight Each student is matched with a mentor who will help provide support as the student begins writing his or her dissertation.
Degree DBA – 3 years
8. Sacred Heart University
The DBA in Finance from Sacred Heart University is an accelerated online DBA program that has a small residency requirement. The program helps students improve their career opportunities and enhance their critical thinking, management, leadership, and decision-making skills. The curriculum covers advanced risk management, global financial institutions and markets, mathematical modeling, and quantitative methods. Students learn advanced skills and knowledge and complete complex financial projects. The school encourages students to develop a global view of business and the world.
Sacred Heart University offers a character-building culture that helps launch careers. The school has passionate professors who are dedicated to engaging their students and helping them learn. There is a liberal arts foundation, and each program is career-focused, providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed after graduation. Students gain the skills they need to build value in their lives and to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.
Highlight This is a low-residency program that allows students to work full-time while pursuing their degrees.
Degree DBA in Finance – 3 years
9. Franklin University
Another of the best accelerated online DBA programs is the Doctor of Business Administration from Franklin University. This program prepares students to be innovators, educators, and advisors in the world of business. Students learn to navigate the changes that constantly assault the world of business, especially in the areas of technology and accessibility. They learn to take on added responsibility as they pursue higher leadership and management positions within their companies. Students learn the skills they need to take on new roles and achieve a competitive advantage and profitability in their markets.
Franklin University is designed with adult students in mind. The school has been focused on higher education for adults for over 115 years. The school offers convenient online classes to make it easy for busy adults to fit their education around their schedules.
Highlight This program requires 16 hours in research, 20 hours in the major, 12 hours in electives, and 10 hours for the dissertation.
Degree DBA – 3 years
10. Johnson & Wales University
The list of the best accelerated online DBA programs would not be complete without the Doctor of Business Administration from Johnson & Wales University. This program helps students gain a competitive advantage by learning new approaches to evidence-based practice and organizational strategy. Students learn to use advanced critical thinking skills and innovation to solve complex business problems. They are prepared to apply the skills they learn across all business sectors and industries, from healthcare to the government and even the military.
Johnson & Wales University students dream big, and JWU helps them achieve those dreams. Students receive one-on-one attention from their instructors as they work hard to achieve their personal, professional, and educational goals. JWU strives to provide an outstanding education that inspires its students to succeed in business and in life.
Highlight At Johnson & Wales University, advisement for your dissertation begins in the first year of your program.
Degree DBA – 3 years
What Are the Advantages of an Accelerated DBA Program?
An accelerated online DBA program is the perfect choice for someone who is already working their way up the ladder into management. By choosing an accelerated degree program that they can complete online, they are able to fulfill their obligations at work and continue to move forward with their schooling. This puts them on the fast track to new opportunities and more responsibilities for higher pay. Having the option to complete their education while remaining at work is a benefit that many people are taking advantage of. Employers appreciate dedicated employees who are willing to go the extra mile.
Can a Business Doctorate Help My Career?
A business doctorate offers the skills that are required to effectively manage the day to day operations of a small company or large corporation. This can involve having effective negotiation skills, being able to organize data, use human resources wisely, and efficiently manage the company’s financial resources. A doctorate goes above and beyond other degree programs and includes courses on ethics, business strategies, and risk solutions that must be relied upon when problems occur.
A business doctorate also provides you with the credentials you need to become an authority in your field. While experience in the workplace is essential it is also important to have the knowledge that is afforded to you through a quality educational program. When you embark on a DBA career path, you have several options from which to choose. You can continue to move forward in a mid-management role, or you can choose a higher path that involves working at a corporate level.
A business doctorate can be your ticket to success if you choose to move forward. The skills and resources that become available to you at that level are intended to help you build a solid foundation for success throughout your career. As a graduate with a doctorate degree, you will be able to move past many candidates who only have work experience. Being able to combine both a degree as well as hands-on, work experience will make you the most qualified candidate for the job. Taking advantage of the option to pursue a doctorate will make you the most committed.
What Kind of Job Can I Get with a Business Ph.D.?
Earning an online Business Ph.D. will open the door to many different types of positions in the business world. You have the option of working in either the public or private sector. You could run for an elected office or become the CEO of a large non-profit organization. The type of career path you choose is completely up to you. Having a business Ph.D. will open doors and pave the way for you to apply for and get hired into almost any career in upper management that falls into your area of expertise.
If you enjoy working in the business or corporate world, you might like to take on a management position in which you oversee all of the day to day operations of a large company. Choosing to work in the financial sector will open the door to positions like business analyst, marketing strategist, financial advisor, investment analyst, and many other positions in which you work with banks, lending institutions, investment companies, commodity brokers, and other high-profile, detail-oriented companies.
With a business doctorate, you can take your work experience and your education portfolio and build the type of career you can be proud of. Choose the career specialty of your choice and use your skills and abilities to move forward. This will allow you to apply for positions that will not only pay you very well but also earn you the respect of your peers and other professionals. The business doctorate program you choose will allow you to set the tone for the rest of your career. Once you have completed your degree, a world of opportunities will be waiting.
Carrie Morris
Author
Warren Dahl
Editor-in-Chief