Looking for a distance doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from a US based brick and mortar university that is regionally accredited AND AACSB accredited?
The only one I know in the US is Kennesaw State University’s Doctor of Business Administration from the KSU Coles School of Business.
I recently ran across the Coles DBA and am impressed with what I’m hearing about it. The program isn’t a 100% online program but I believe it is a viable program for many of you looking for a distance DBA…especially if you are interested in the AACSB accreditation status of this program.
Accreditation
Kennesaw State University is accredited in the US by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and the Coles Business School has been accredited by the The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is considered by many to be the elite accreditation for business programs around the world.
SACS is a recognized body by the US Department of Education and Council on Higher Education. Kennesaw State has been a regionally accredited university since 1968 (not sure what status was prior to that). You can see the CHEA listing of Kennesaw State University’s accredited status here and the SACS accreditation listing here.
Program Delivery and Requirements
The Kennesaw State University Coles Doctor of Business Administration is not a fully online program.
The Coles DBA is a 3 year minimum program requiring campus visits and residency’s throughout the period of the program. According to this page, the program is split into about 29 days of on-campus residency’s per year. These 29 days per year are structures as follows:
The program structure covers three years as follows:
Year 1 Residencies:
- Three 4-day residencies (Thu-Sun)
- Three 3-day residencies (Fri-Sun)
- Four 2-day residencies (Sat-Sun)
Year 2 Residencies:
- Three 4-day residencies (Thu-Sun)
- Three 3-day residencies (Fri-Sun)
- Four 2-day residencies (Sat-Sun)
Year 3 Residencies:
- Two 4-day residencies (Thu-Sun)
- Three 3-day residencies (Fri-Sun)
- Four 2-day residencies (Sat-Sun)
In addition to the on-campus residencies, there are online courses, independent study, virtual collaboration and other interactions with other DBA students and faculty.
The Coles DBA has 6 concentration areas: Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, Business Ethics, and Family Business with each concentration having sub-concentrations.
Tuition / Fees
The Coles doctorate isn’t cheap. According to the Coles DBA website, the cost for the program for students starting in 2011 is $83,475, which is an increase from $79,500 for those who started in 2010. Its my understanding that this is the cost of the entire program, not a ‘per year’ costs.
While expensive, this is the only program in the US for those looking for a US Regionally Accredited Doctor of Business Administration with AACSB accreditation.
Feedback from Current Students / Alumni
I haven’t been able to track any current students or alumni from the Coles program…as soon as I do, I will add their thoughts and feelings about the program here. I am assuming that the reason for not being able to find DBA alumni has to do with the fact that the program was started in 2009 (according to this article) and students are still working through the program
Usefulness of the degree
The Coles DBA looks like a wonderful program for any business person looking for something more than an MBA. I also believe the program could be useful for someone looking to move into the field of academia as it removes the ’100% online’ stigma that other programs that are delivered fully online AND the program / degree has the additional credential of having the prestigious business accreditation from the AACSB.
Final Thoughts
I like this program. A lot.
I like the management concentration of this DBA and, if i weren’t already working on a doctorate in information systems, I might have had to seriously consider this program.
The cost of this program puts it out of reach of most folks. I think that was done on purpose though…if you price this program at a similar level of a Capella doctorate or a Univ of Phoenix doctorate, you’re telling people that the program is similar to those, when in realitiy it isn’t.
This program looks to be about as close to a full-time on-campus DBA as you can get without actually being a full-time program.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Eric,
Is the DBA program of Nova Southeastern University’s in Fort Lauderdale, Florida also sufficiently accredited? thanks.
George
Hello George –
Yes…Nova Southeastern is an accredited program.