Program Requirements
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Admission Requirements
A completed master's degree is a prerequisite for entry.
Open to domestic and online students.
Applications are reviewed on academic record and professional experience.
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Dissertation Onboarding Program
All doctoral students are required to take the DOC 700 (Doctoral Foundations) course within the first two terms of the Program. This course provides students with a solid foundation for understanding the research and dissertation process at WU, helps build momentum toward a topic of study, and provides opportunities for students to connect with their cohort of peers for support.
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Practical Learning Experience Requirements
Westcliff University has integrated Practical Learning Experience (PLE) as a graduation requirement for the Doctor of Business Administration. This graduation requirement can be satisfied by completing at least one credit-bearing internship course that is assessed on a Credit/No Credit basis. Students are encouraged to complete as many PLEs as their schedules permit in pursuit of the completion of their program. To this end, Westcliff University students may require a start date up to 30 days prior to the start of classes to meet the onboarding requirements of the professional workplace where the PLE will be conducted. Students wishing to meet this graduation requirement in this manner must notify the university in advance.
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Doctoral Dissertation or Doctoral Research Project Review
In support and pursuit of candidacy for the Doctor of Business Administration – 48 Credits Degree Program, doctoral students must submit a scholarly written report, with original research and investigation as to its foundation. This report is commonly and collectively referred to as the Dissertation and is indicative of high academic integrity and rigor, congruent with Doctoral level studies. Alternatively, doctoral students can complete an applied Doctoral Research Project that focuses on a real-world problem, situation or phenomenon, adhering to a comparable level of academic integrity as the dissertation. The doctoral dissertation and applied Doctoral Research Project can result in a new theory that is created, or it may be focused on contextual topics or phenomenon. The resulting report must have at a minimum a problem, purpose, research question, methodology, data collection, and an analysis of the results.
The oral defense of the Doctoral Dissertation or presentation of the applied Doctoral Research Project is performed as a final step in conclusion of the program. Following the oral defense or project presentation, the doctoral committee chair confers with committee members and reaches a consensus as to whether the candidate receives a grade of pass, pass with minor content revisions, or fail.
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Graduation Requirements
Students in the Doctor of Business Administration – 48 Credits Program must complete forty-eight (48) prescribed credit hours with a program GPA (PGPA) of 3.0 or higher to graduate. As an option, students can take an additional twelve (12) credit hours to obtain a certificate in one of several areas of concentration. Students must apply for graduation. Upon graduation and fulfillment of all academic requirements, students receive a Doctor of Business Administration degree.
Program Information
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Required Courses
Course Sequence - 48 Credit Hours Over Three Years
Year One: Leadership, Strategy and the Functional Disciplines (18 Credit Hours)
DOC 700 Doctoral Foundations 3 credit hours LDR 700 Leadership & Creative Solutions 3 credit hours MKT 700 Marketing Strategy & Consumer Behavior 3 credit hours MGT 700 Corporate Strategy 3 credit hours ECO 700 Business in a Global Economy 3 credit hours ORG 700 Doctoral Seminar in Sustainable Organizations 3 credit hours Year Two: Research Methods and the Prospectus (18 Credit Hours)
FIN 700 Entrepreneurial Finance 3 credit hours DOC 705 Quantitative Research Methods 3 credit hours DOC 710 Qualitative Research Methods 3 credit hours DOC 715 Prospectus 3 credit hours DOC 720 Literature Review 3 credit hours Elective Research Course (Select one of the following):
DOC 706 Advanced Quantitative Research Methods 3 credit hours DOC 711 Advanced Qualitative Research Methods 3 credit hours DOC 712 Applied Research for Real-World Impact 3 credit hours Year Three: Dissertation or Doctoral Research Project (12 Credit Hours)
DOC 901 Dissertation I 3 credit hours DOC 902 Dissertation II 3 credit hours DOC 903 Dissertation III 3 credit hours DOC 904 Dissertation IV 3 credit hours OR DRP 901 Doctoral Research Project I 3 credit hours DRP 902 Doctoral Research Project II 3 credit hours DRP 903 Doctoral Research Project III 3 credit hours DRP 904 Doctoral Research Project IV 3 credit hours - Course Catalog and Student Handbook
Scholarship Opportunities
- Scholarship Application
As a Westcliff student, you have access to a powerful network of support from staff, faculty, alumni, and many others who take pride in investing in you. Scholarships are made possible by generous benefactors who are passionate about supporting your success.
- Scholarship Application Deadlines
