The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program at Lincoln University is an advanced academic degree program preparing students for teaching and research positions within universities and/or the pursuit of careers in management or consulting at senior levels. The purpose of the program is to educate students in the concepts and techniques needed to understand a range of business disciplines and to conduct research on issues arising in professional business practice.
The program objectives are:
Provide students with the opportunity to learn the latest academic theories, concepts, techniques and applications with emphasis on teaching, research, practice in the field of concentration, and consulting;
Extend the knowledge, expertise and skill of students through the application of research to business problems and issues by including internships, teaching experiences, and special study projects as a part of the curriculum;
Develop the student’s ability to carry out independent research at an advanced level, and enhance their ability to deliver their ideas, research methodology and findings by means of formal presentations with critiques of their analytical, written, oral and media presentation skills in business, professional, and educational environments;
Create opportunities for Lincoln University’s bachelor’s and master’s degree students to continue their business education by undertaking the doctoral degree course of study.
Lincoln University seeks applications from students with undergraduate or master’s degrees in business or research-based fields such as: mathematics, engineering, statistics, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, economics, and computer, health, and social sciences. Students with prior research experience are particularly well suited to pursue a doctoral degree. Students who have an established record of business or professional work experience will also find this DBA program to be of significant value in preparing for academic careers or career advancement in the business sector. Additionally, students currently working or seeking positions in the government sector will find the doctoral curriculum both relevant and supportive of their career objectives.
Students applying to the DBA program will find that the admission criteria require demonstrated knowledge, skills and experience enough to give an expectation of successful completion of this advanced academic degree program. The intent of the high admission standards and careful applicant screening is to ensure a doctoral student population that is well qualified and motivated to achieve a successful outcome in the program. Those admitted are highly likely to complete the DBA program in a manner that provides great pride in their accomplishment for the student and for Lincoln University.
In general, the Lincoln University DBA program is delivered by Lincoln University professors using a face-to-face instructional mode on a semester basis. Some academic coursework including internship, special projects, and dissertations’ supervision may be provided in a special studies format, when the student’s research or study assignment requires them to be away from campus. Selected required core or elective concentration courses may also be offered online or in a special studies format during periods when students are not normally expected to be on campus (e.g. summer or winter breaks) or environmental and health concerns restrict the scheduling of on-campus classes.
Most students accepted into the DBA program are expected to be in full-time attendance and available to take classes as scheduled during the University’s normal operating hours. Students are also expected to be continuously enrolled in DBA program courses throughout their entire program of study unless specific individual exceptions are granted.
Students admitted to the DBA program on a part-time basis should arrange their work schedule so that they could take courses and make progress toward earning the doctoral degree in a timely manner.
The Lincoln University DBA is a structured degree program requiring of a minimum of 93 graduate units of academic credit for graduation, including 54 units of core courses, 20 concentration courses units, 4 internship units, a comprehensive examination, and 15 research seminars and dissertation units.
Students admitted to the DBA program with undergraduate degrees are expected to complete MBA and/or MS degrees while pursuing their doctorate.
DBA concentration and research project (dissertation) courses will be developed and offered on a time-phased basis. The scheduling of these courses will be based on expected student readiness to take them, as evidenced by the completion of most of the core courses.
The matriculation time frame that will apply to DBA students is as follows:
Courses for the first two years (3-4 courses per fall and spring semester)* will be sequenced to enable the student’s completion of the program’s block of core and concentration courses equivalent to an MBA degree completion.
Courses for the third year will be scheduled for the completion of core courses, and preparation for the comprehensive qualifying exam.
Qualifying exams will be administered upon completion of all required core and at least 20 credit units of the concentration coursework. If the exam is successfully passed, it is followed by a committee-approved dissertation topic, and the title of a Doctoral Candidate.
Courses for the fourth year consist special dissertation preparation research seminars and the internship report.
Courses in the fifth year will be sequenced as follows: completion of all required coursework and internship, research seminars, and exams; the written report and successful oral defense of the dissertation, resulting in the award of the DBA degree.
*Some additional foundation courses may be required for students whose previous education was not in the fields of business. See the MBA program description for the details.
The required DBA Core courses (300 M1 and M2 levels, 3 units each) consist of 54 credit hours: 51 credits courses and a 3 credits seminar devoted to Higher Education, which will require students’ preparation of individual oral presentation as teaching practice.
DBA Concentration courses (400 M2R level, 4 units each) consist of 24 credit hours of lecture and a faculty-supervised practicum components. The lecture component consists of 45 hours of a lecture contact and is classroom-based. The practicum component is based on an instructor-approved independent study project that should be research-based and consists of 45 hours of out-of-classroom work (in some cases the courses can be offered as 30 lecture and 90 research hours’ format). Student study projects must be submitted to and approved by the course instructor at the beginning of the course, and, under normal circumstances, be completed by the end of the current semester. Supervision of the study project by the instructor will include continuous monitoring of the student’s progress in terms of their study project’s stated objectives, evaluation of the student’s final written project report, and its oral presentation. This will give students consulting experience. Graduate Internship and Report (BA 491, 492 and BA 494) courses are focused on a student internship (3 units equal at least 135 hours of work) in the field of study and a written analytical report covering the student’s internship experience (1 unit), with total supervised work of at least 180 hours. The course is finalized by an oral presentation in front of a DBA committee member and the faculty advisor.
Doctoral Research seminars (BA 501, BA 502, or BA 504, DA level, 3 units each) are designed to build student scholarly research skills in the concentration fields. Course lectures include the identification of productive areas for research and discussions of the research process. Class activities are focused on providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to pursue assigned individual projects. Students are required to make a formal presentation to the class covering their research methodology, data gathering process, research results and conclusions. The presentations will be discussed and critiqued by fellow students and the instructor in order to improve research skills and ability to support and defend their conclusions based on the information developed through their research.
DBA Dissertation courses I, II, III (BA 597, BA 598, and BA 599, upper 500 DA level, 4 units each) require a total of at least 12 credit hours and include student meetings with faculty dissertation advisors as well as the time students invest in the selection of their research topic, data gathering, data analysis and interpretation, dissertation preparation and defense. These are 4 credit hours courses, which correspond to at least 180 hours of research work for each course.
Some required units might be satisfied through transfer of graduate course credits or working experience. The granting of transfer credits toward the degree will be based on a review of the student’s transcripts and resume then detailed comparison of completed courses and/or experience to the content of each applicable DBA course. Students may need to support their transfer credit request with course syllabi from the institution awarding credit. A maximum of 30 master level (300 and 400 courses) units from a different educational institution with a grade of “B” or better may be accepted as transfer for the DBA degree. The transferred credits cannot be earned more than 10 years before the transfer.
The estimated time for the degree completion (ETDC) is influenced by the transferred credit units and is determined by the formula: ETDC (in semesters) = 11 – (the number of transferred credits)/9. Transferred credit units also influence SAP by redefining the required minimum credits earned (course completion percentage) at each point of evaluation and should be added to that column numbers in the chart
It is suggested that a student discusses his/her schedule with the Provost before attending classes.
I. Required Core Courses * | ||||
BA | 301 | Managerial Economics | 3 | |
BA | 302 | Principles of Management | 3 | |
BA | 303 | Finance Management | 3 | |
BA | 304 | Marketing Management | 3 | |
BA | 305 | Project Management | 3 | |
BA | 307 | Operations Management | 3 | |
BA | 308 | Human Resources Management | 3 | |
BA | 309 | Ethics of Business Management | 3 | |
BA | 310 | International Economics | 3 | |
BA | 312 | Business Research Methodology | 3 | |
BA | 320 | Organization Behavior and Administration | 3 | |
BA | 330 | Entrepreneurship | 3 | |
BA | 340 | Managerial Accounting and Financial Control | 3 | |
BA | 350 | Management Information Systems | 3 | |
BA | 360 | Quantitative Methods for Business and FM | 3 | |
BA | 370 | Communications in Leadership and Negotiations | 3 | |
BA | 388 | Seminar on Higher Education | 3 | |
BA | 390 | Business Strategy and Decision-Making | 3 | |
Total DBA Core Courses: | 54 | Units |
* A sequence of core courses in the DBA program is required for prerequisite reasons only. One or two of these courses may be substituted by the Dean to satisfy a specific academic interest of a student.
Students should choose a concentration to complete the requirements for the DBA degree. Currently Lincoln University offers three concentrations: International Business, Finance and Investments and Human Resources Management. A personal concentration may be created for a student with the recommendation of the advisor and the permission of the Provost.
A.International Business
The International Business (IB) concentration emphasizes various aspects and enables students to gain in-depth understanding of the complexities and functions of international management professionals in a globally competitive business environment. Stress is placed to address major managerial, economic, and strategic planning issues facing multinational firms such as product development and competitive strategies, foreign direct investment risks, and managing globally diverse businesses and organizations. The coursework draws heavily on actual business firms’ international practices and experience and the distinctive differences between operating a purely domestic versus a global or international business. This concentration prepares students to assume positions, which require an understanding of effective leadership and vision to successfully guide the development of a complex network of global operations. It results in the program concentration objectives as follows:
Teaching opportunities obtained as a result of increased knowledge of the world of international business coupled with an understanding of international risk management;
Ability to perform significant and relevant research studies based on fundamentals from the core structure in the Doctor of Business Administration program with direct application and relevance to the world of international business;
Foundation for consulting in the field of International Business stems from the theoretical study in the subject, complemented by the hands-on practical application from the internship setting.
Choose 5 (20 units) of the following 400-level courses: | ||||
BA | 413 | International Marketing | 4 | |
BA | 414 | International Finance | 4 | |
BA | 415 | International Business and Investment Strategy | 4 | |
BA | 416 | International Management | 4 | |
BA | 417 | Political and Legal Aspects of International Business | 4 | |
BA | 418 | Import-Export Management | 4 | |
BA | 443 | International Banking | 4 | |
BA | 444 | International Securities and Foreign Exchange | 4 | |
BA | 480 | Special Topics in Graduate Business Studies (IB) | 4 | |
and take the required: | ||||
BA | 481 | Graduate Internship and Report in IB | 4 | |
Total DBA IB Concentration courses: | 24 | Units |
B. Finance and Investments
The Finance and Investments (FI) concentration emphasizes various aspects of American and international finances. Stress is placed on the use of finance as a management tool. Theoretical foundations in the concentration of Finance and Investments, supplemented by practical application from the Internship requirement, result in the program concentration objectives as follows:
Teaching opportunities result from the increased knowledge and applications from the world of international finance and banking, to the theoretical structures of financial engineering and investment science, coupled with an understanding and integration of credit risk management, benefiting clients from the world of business;
Ability to perform significant and relevant research studies is based on fundamentals from the core structure in the Doctor of Business Administration program with direct application and relevance to the world of finance and investments;
Foundation for consulting in the field of Finance and Investments stems from the theoretical study in the subject, complemented by the hands-on practical application from the internship setting.
Choose 5 (20 units) of the following 400-level courses: | ||||
BA | 414 | International Finance | 4 | |
BA | 415 | International Business and Investment Strategy | 4 | |
BA | 443 | International Banking | 4 | |
BA | 444 | International Securities and Foreign Exchange | 4 | |
BA | 445 | Commercial Banking and Lending | 4 | |
BA | 463 | Investment Science | 4 | |
BA | 464 | Investments (Real Estate) | 4 | |
BA | 465 | Investments (The Stock Market) | 4 | |
BA | 466 | Econometrics | 4 | |
BA | 467 | Credit Risk Management | 4 | |
BA | 480 | Special Topics in Graduate Business Studies (FI) | 4 | |
and take the required: | ||||
BA | 482 | Graduate Internship and Report in FM | 4 | |
Total DBA FI Concentration courses: | 24 | Units |
C. Human Resources Management
The Human Resources Management (HRM) concentration provides courses in human, social, legal, and psychological aspects, important for the future HR managers. The concentration arms graduates with the tools to understand and apply the dynamics of the personal element in the field of study, tempered by the practical experience acquired with the applied Internship. This has direct application to the program objectives relative to: teaching, research, practical application in the field, and consulting, as follows:
Teaching opportunities exist in the field of both National and International Management, with an appreciation and understanding of the social elements applied to Business Administration;
Theoretical and applied research options are tempered and supplemented with an understanding of the political, legal, sociological, and psychological aspects of dynamics within the field of study;
Consulting opportunities in the subject of Business Administration, requiring recognition of the significance of human elements in the social environment, are acquired through the study of both theory and practice, providing a unique blend of skills and competencies applicable to systems of management and administration.
Choose 5 (20 units) of the following 400-level courses: | ||||
BA | 416 | International Management | 4 | |
BA | 417 | Political and Legal Aspects of International Business | 4 | |
BA | 423 | Organizational Development | 4 | |
BA | 424 | Leadership Development | 4 | |
BA | 431 | Social Environment of Business | 4 | |
BA | 436 | Human Factors in Small Businesses | 4 | |
BA | 437 | Personnel Law | 4 | |
BA | 480 | Special Topics in Graduate Business Studies (HRM) | 4 | |
and take the required: | ||||
BA | 484 | Graduate Internship and Report in HRM | 4 | |
Total DBA HRM Concentration courses: | 24 | Units |
The DBA qualifying examination is to demonstrate students’ knowledge acquired through the program as well as their ability of independent thinking and delivering the information to a business community or to their students in the future. Qualifying exams are required for all DBA students who have completed all of their core coursework, at least 12 units of concentration courses, and are ready to begin the dissertation research and seminars. Students passing the exam are elevated to a candidacy status in the doctoral program and fulfill all degree requirements upon the completion and successful defense of their dissertation. The examination may be arranged twice every semester during the first week and the week of finals.
Students in the research / dissertation stage of matriculation for the DBA degree must maintain satisfactory status with the University and are required to enroll in the sequence of 500 level courses needed for the development, writing, and completion of the dissertation required for each DBA candidate. Upon completion of the dissertation, DBA candidates must obtain their advisor’s approval to present and defend their work to the Doctoral Committee. The Doctoral Committee is composed of Lincoln University faculty members familiar with the candidate’s field of study and may include appropriately qualified faculty from other institutions. Students should complete the dissertation, taking courses BA 501, BA 502, or BA 504 and BA 597-599 during at least 3 semesters. Grades for these courses are CR or NC only.
After passing the required DBA qualifying exam, doctoral students begin the process of exploring a range of potential research topics by enrolling in the research seminars – courses BA 501, BA 502, or BA 504. These courses focus on the exploration of research topics that are within the student’s area of concentration and offer opportunities to develop new knowledge in their field of interest as well as having the potential to develop into an acceptable dissertation research proposal.
Registration for BA 597 (Dissertation I) requires the completion of BA 501, 502, or BA 504 as prerequisites. The course requirement of BA 597 is the development of a research topic proposal that, by the end of the semester, is recommended by the student’s academic advisor for presentation for approval by the Doctoral Committee. The dissertation topic must be related to the student’s area of concentration and be approved by the committee. Continuous communications between the students and their advisors are essential in order to fulfill the requirements of the course. If a student is unable to complete his/her dissertation proposal and receive the advisor’s approval for presentation by the end of that term, he/she may register for BA 597 in the next term. A student failing to complete, present, and receive the Doctoral Committee approval for his/her dissertation topic by the end of the second registration for BA 597 will not be permitted to continue in the DBA program. The student may appeal the result of the course and, if the appeal is successful, retake BA 597 with a new advisor.
Students, who are successful in having their dissertation topic approved by the end of their BA 597 course, are allowed to move on to BA 598 (Dissertation II). The requirements of BA 598 relate to measuring the students’ progress in the data collection and its analysis identified in their approved dissertation proposal. At this level, students are to work closely with their academic advisors making any required updates to their dissertation by collecting and analyzing the data needed to support their research and test their hypotheses. At the end of the term, the student’s faculty advisor must document the student’s progress toward completion of their dissertation on the required DBA Progress report form. The objective of BA 598 is to bring the students close to completing a first draft of their dissertation. If necessary, the course can be extended for one additional term if recommended by the student’s advisor on the progress report form and approved by the Provost and Registrar.
Students demonstrating satisfactory progress on their BA 598 DBA Progress Report Form are allowed to register for BA 599 (Dissertation III). They are expected to complete all chapters of their dissertation and by the end of the term, gain their advisor’s recommendation to present and defend the completed dissertation in its final form for the Doctoral Committee’s review and approval. This course can be extended for one or in special cases two additional terms based on the recommendation of the student’s advisor provided that extension does not exceed the maximum degree completion time. Upon completion of the dissertation, DBA candidates must obtain their advisor’s approval to present and defend their work to the Doctoral Committee. A student may request his/her dissertation defense with no adviser. The completed dissertation in published form and an oral defense of the student’s research study is presented to a Doctoral Committee including a member from another appropriately accredited institution within the subject area. The DBA degree is awarded after the student presents and defends their completed dissertation to the Doctoral Committee and receives their acceptance of the finished dissertation.
The DBA Program 500 level course sequence is designed to prepare and assist doctoral students to determine their proposed dissertation research topic and then after its Doctoral Committee approval to engage in the development and completion of their dissertation. The courses are:
BA | 501 | DBA Research Seminar in International Business | 3 | OR |
BA | 502 | DBA Research Seminar in Finance Management | 3 | OR |
BA | 504 | DBA Research Seminar in Human Resources Management | 3 | |
BA | 597 | DBA Dissertation I (advisor / topic selection, data collection) | 4 | |
BA | 598 | DBA Dissertation II (data analysis and interpretation) | 4 | |
BA | 599 | DBA Dissertation III (dissertation preparation and defense) | 4 | |
Total Required for the DBA 500 Courses and Dissertation: | 15 | Units | ||
Total (minimum) Required for the DBA Degree : | 93 | Units |
The dissertation candidate must demonstrate critical judgment, intellectual synthesis, creativity and skills in written and oral communications. It is expected that research at the doctoral level will make a material contribution to knowledge in the student’s discipline and that it will demonstrate the student’s ability to develop and carry out independent research. The doctoral committee administers the dissertation preparation and defense. The committee is arranged by the Dean and approved by the Provost or President. It consists of at least five members including the Chairman, commonly the Dean or appointed by the Dean for areas different from own expertise, at least two LU senior faculty members, and one member from another academic institution. By a request of the dissertation candidate, the committee can be extended by an additional member of his/her choice in the field of the research and/or related to the content field. At least 80% quorum is required for any committee vote.
A dissertation proposal must be submitted to the doctoral committee, which will ascertain that the subject of the dissertation is business related, of doctoral quality, and that completion of the dissertation is feasible. The dissertation proposal must be presented in the form of a written document and provided to the members of the committee at least 30 days before its oral presentation. If the doctoral committee approves the proposal, the student can move to the second stage of the main dissertation preparation and writing.
A good DBA dissertation should contain the following elements:
Five hard copies and a soft copy (for the plagiarism check) must be submitted to proposed committee members at least 30 days before the defense. The candidate should verify, by contacting each member of the doctoral committee, that the dissertation is acceptable otherwise respond to questions or remarks in writing. The committee may request additional independent review, and/or some work corrections before passing the dissertation to the defense status. Failure to comply with this procedure may result in a delay of the defense. Based on the information from the committee members, the President or the Committee Chair will schedule the defense. The Registrar must be notified 14 days in advance of the defense by the committee chair.
The committee members constituting 80% quorum should be present for the full duration of the defense. The defense is partitioned into two components:
First component is open to everyone. This component includes the dissertation presentation of approximately 30 – 40 minutes, followed by the questions and an open discussion. The candidate may be questioned on the subject of the dissertation and additional topics related to the field of study or candidate’s ability to organize and conduct research. The committee members may ask questions directly and the audience should first ask permission to do so from the Chairperson who can stop or interrupt questions if they are irrelevant or take too much time. The Chairperson can allow open discussion after questions but all potential speakers should inform him/her before the discussion starts.
Second component is open only to members of the committee and the dissertation advisor(s). The committee will formulate the final decision of the dissertation status. The work passes if at least 75% of all present voting committee members support it. The committee may request additional independent anonymous review, and/or some work corrections before the passing grade (CR or NC) is given.
After the dissertation corrections and/or additions (if required) two copies of the approved final text should be provided to the Registrar’s Office. One of these copies, an additional title page, and the abstract will be submitted for the publication in “American Doctoral Dissertations.”
Completion of a minimum of 93 units of graduate coursework, including core requirements, specific area of concentration requirements, and successful dissertation defense with the cumulative GPA 3.2 or higher. Grades B- or better are required in all courses to fulfill degree requirements for the DBA program.
Students enrolled in the DBA program are expected to maintain their grades corresponding to the policy of satisfactory progress and the following chart. The chart specifies the criteria for achieving satisfactory academic progress for full-time students (no transfers) in the University DBA degree program based on the allowable maximum number of semester credit hours attempted.
Program |
Maximum Units Can Be Attempted* |
EvaluationPoint |
Minimum Credit Units Earned |
Minimum Cumulative GPA |
DBA Degree |
36 |
End of 1st Academic Year |
12 |
3.0 |
72 |
End of 3rd Semester |
24 |
3.0 |
|
108 |
End of 3rd Academic Year |
36 |
3.1 |
|
140 |
End of 7th Semester |
48 |
3.1 |
|
140 |
End of 5th Academic Year |
60 |
3.2 |
|
140 |
End of 6th Academic Year |
74, qualifying exam passed |
3.2 |
|
140 |
End of 7th Academic Year |
86 |
3.2 |
|
140 |
100% of MTDC (7.5 years) |
93 |
3.2 |
* Units attempted means courses’ units for which the students have incurred a financial obligation.
Part-time students are evaluated proportionally to the taken part of a program; foundation courses are not included in SAP; students who changed their program will be evaluated on all courses taken.
Core Courses: 54 units. | Grade | Grade | |
BA 301 | BA 312 | ||
BA 302 | BA 320 | ||
BA 303 | BA 330 | ||
BA 304 | BA 340 | ||
BA 305 | BA 350 | ||
BA 307 | BA 360 | ||
BA 308 | BA 370 | ||
BA 309 | BA 380 | ||
BA 310 | BA 390 |
Concentration Courses (4 units each): 24 units. Choose 5 courses (400 level) of your concentration. | |||
1. | 4. | ||
2. | 5. | ||
3. | BA 481, or BA 482, or BA 484 – Graduate Internship and Report |
DBA Qualifying Examination – upon completion of all required core and 12 units of concentration courses.
DBA Research Project (Seminar and Dissertation Courses, 3 units each): 15 units. | |||
BA 501, BA 502 or BA 504 – Doctoral Research Seminar | BA 597 – DBA Dissertation I | ||
BA 598 – DBA Dissertation | |||
BA 599 – DBA Dissertation III |
A time limitation for receiving the DBA degree at Lincoln University is established to ensure that the degree represents mastery of current knowledge in the field of study. Time is counted from the beginning of student enrollment into the program. Academic credit received twelve (12) years or more before the program completion will be deemed “no longer applicable”. Petition for exception to the policy may be directed to the President or the Provost for consideration and determination. If the petition is approved, the student may have options of repeating academic credit affected by the policy or elect an alternative that requires the student to establish competency with course objectives and learning outcomes the coursework affected. The candidate has the following options:
A student completed the program by exhausting MTDC of 7.5 years or 140 maximum units attended but not defended his/her dissertation or failed to defend with the first attempt may once apply for the defense or re-defense during 10 years from the beginning of the program. He/she will not need to register and pay any fee. Students who could not pass the qualification examination or to defend the dissertation will receive a post-graduate study completion certificate and related transcripts.
Students must successfully complete 93 graduate units of required coursework to complete the DBA degree program. The estimated time for degree completion (ETDC) for DBA program is 5.5 (five and a half) years. The estimated tuition and fees for completion of DBA degree program is listed below:
Tuition & Fees | Charges |
---|---|
Tuition* | $4,905 |
Registration Fee | $250 |
Total Charges Each Term* | $5,155 |
Estimated Total Charges for Entire Educational Program | $55,130 |
*NOTE: For a full-time graduate student taking 9 units per semester. The tuition and fees posted above are estimates based on current approved amount and are subject to change. Thus, the final amount may differ from the amounts shown above.