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SACS accredits new JU Doctorate in Business Administration

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) has accredited JU’s new Doctorate in Business Administration, giving it approval without conditions or stipulations to begin offering the degree this fall.

The SACS Commission on Colleges endorsement comes on the heels of recent accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) for the advanced business degree, which is one of only a handful offered in the Southeast.

“We are thrilled to be one of the few AACSB-accredited doctorates in business in the Southeast,” said JU Business Dean Don Capener. “While there are a number of high profile Ph.D. programs in business in Florida, only Jacksonville University and Rollins College have similar programs for executives seeking a terminal degree in business using applied research. Among other things, this SACS approval enables us to offer more financial aid options to students coming from overseas and to provide definitive approval for all academic certifications worldwide.”

Graduates of the JU Executive DBA will be more prepared to tackle business analytics and the related challenges and global business opportunities, and become more substantive thought leaders, Capener added.

JU expects an initial class of 12 students. Geared toward business professionals looking to move up in their careers by adding intense research tools, cutting-edge analytics and hands-on work with “Big Data” to their portfolios, the program at full-speed will educate up to 40 students in different phases of the three-year program.

Classes will be held Friday afternoons and Saturday two times a month on the JU campus. Some doctoral coursework and assignments will be conducted online, adding to the program flexibility. The research approach for the DBA is an “engaged scholarship” model that focuses on business topics at the intersection of theory and contemporary issues facing area businesses, Capener said.

Jacksonville University’s Davis College of Business is already accredited by AACSB, the longest-serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees, and by SACS, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the preeminent source for accreditation worthiness.

Interested applicants for the JU Executive DBA 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.