JU launching Doctorate in Business Administration, one of handful of accredited programs nationwide

In another move to respond to marketplace needs with its advanced-degree offerings, Jacksonville University will begin a Doctorate in Business Administration in fall 2014, one of only a handful of accredited such programs nationwide.

The degree in the Davis College of Business gives JU its second doctoral program, after the University began its successful Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in fall 2011.

JU expects an initial class of 12 students after accreditors review and OK the planned degree. Most students will be experienced professionals looking to add intense research tools and cutting-edge analytics to their portfolios, program officials said. At full-speed, up to 40 students will be enrolled in different phases of the three-year program.

“The success of the Davis College of Business in our region comes from how directly relevant its offerings are as it fills the needs of the business community,” said JU President Tim Cost. “Our new DBA shows we are creating an even deeper connection and listening closely to what business people and entrepreneurs require to strengthen their careers.”

Modeled after the Executive Doctorate in Business Administration program at Georgia State University, the DBA will be one of just four offered in the Southeast and focuses on leaders looking to go beyond their master’s-level training in business or other fields, said JU Business Dean Don Capener.

“We found there was no other business opportunity beyond a master’s degree in the area,” he said. “For the size of the Jacksonville area, we wanted to give other opportunities to working professionals.”

Forward-leaning opportunities to glean information from “Big Data,” Business Analytics and Globalization will all be offered as part of the program, Capener added. Two new faculty members with expertise in international marketing and business analytics will be brought on staff.

“The need for this type of new training comes from industry demands on leaders to be able to envision change – to be able to use tools that allow you to skate where the puck is going to be,” he said. “Jacksonville is a logistics hub and becoming more cosmopolitan, so it’s incumbent upon its educational institutions to stay ahead and provide leadership with their instruction.”

Dr. Lois Becker, senior vice president for academic affairs at JU, agreed the DBA puts the University in an elite position in the region in its business education offerings, particularly since the DCOB is one of only a small number of business colleges accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

“JU has many powerful partners in the Northeast Florida region,” she said. “This degree program is another way in which the University is supporting them and all business in Jacksonville.”

Rather than concentrating on preparing students for careers in higher education like other Ph.D. in business programs, the DBA program cultivates the “scholarly practitioner” — someone who can apply the theory they learn in the classroom to real-world problems.

JU Professor of Finance Richard J. Cebula, who has been ranked among the top 150 most prolific economic writers in the world, will advise candidates in the new DBA program, Capener added.

“Dr. Cebula is one of America’s truly great economists, and JU is proud to see him prominently on so many lists as a world-renowned thought leader,” Capener said. “He has moved fluidly into finance during his tenure at JU from his ground-breaking work in econometrics while at Emory University in Atlanta.”

Classes in the DBA program will be held Friday afternoons and Saturdays, with the program consisting of 12 classes, written and oral exams and a dissertation. Students will come from a diverse mix of executives working in all types of industry, including banking, manufacturing, sales, accounting, education, technology and more.

Since all have full-time jobs, the students will attend classes on a part-time basis, Capener said. “They can travel a distance to attend the program, as half of their assignments can be researched and completed online.

“It will be a very, very challenging program, but a very rewarding one as well.”

Students have a variety of reasons for pursuing the degree, Capener said. Some seek personal development in their current careers, some want a consulting career, others have always wanted to pursue a doctoral education, and a small minority want to pursue a career in academics. 

Interested applicants should have significant professional experience and expertise in management and have a master’s degree. The application vetting process will include, among other things, an on-site interview, written statement of purpose and other requirements. Completing the GMAT college exam is not required but may enhance an applicant’s chances. 

For information on applying, visit www.ju.edu/dcob and click on the link for the DBA application, or contact AnnaMaria Murphy, Graduate Admissions Counselor, at (904) 256-7426, e-mail amurphy8@ju.edu.