Missouri’s first and only AACSB-accredited DBA program offering research concentrations in all areas of business administration.
The UMSL Doctor of Business Administration program gives senior managers the knowledge and applied research tools to solve high-level business problems in their companies or industries. The DBA program helps candidates gain expertise in applied research by improving their methodological and analytical skills, through practical application of academic theory.
The UMSL Doctor of Business Administration program is a three-year, cohort-based program that offers a flexible format, with limited visits to campus. Over the course of the program, participants make only two weekend trips to campus per term.
UMSL DBA students move through the program in a cohort and meet face-to-face two weekends each semester, then engage and collaborate with faculty and students in the online learning platform for discussions. The first two years cover an array of cutting-edge business and management topics and the third year is spent focusing on the candidate’s dissertation research.
The UMSL DBA is designed to train engaged management scholars in a learning community supported by select internationally renowned faculty with close ties to business and recognized for their research impact and expertise in graduate education.
The UMSL DBA is a member of the Executive DBA Council, an international organization of executive-format doctoral degrees. Dr. Ekin Pellegrini, Founding Director of UMSL DBA, serves as President of the EDBAC Board.
The Doctor of Business Administration program provides participants with the skills needed to conduct rigorous research with the objective of applying the findings to real-world decision-making in industry and government. DBA graduates will be equipped for high-level positions in higher education, consulting, or career advancement in their industry.
| DBA Doctor of Business Administration |
Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Candidate Profile |
Senior executives who:
10-20 years of management experience. |
Students with limited work experience who:
Average age 25-30 years old. 5-10 years of work experience. |
|
Motivation |
Contribution to practice. Research topics come from issues faced in practice and lead to new practice/policy. |
Contribution to theory and/or applied research. Research topics come from unanswered questions in the discipline and lead to advancements in the body of knowledge. |
|
Objective |
To develop practitioner researchers |
To develop academic researchers for positions in academia, industry or government |
|
Program Structure |
Multiple residencies per semester |
Mostly full-time students, but some part-time students accepted |
|
Curriculum |
|
|
|
Time horizon |
Set at outset. Time to completion is crucial and predetermined. |
Students with a master's degree should finish in 4 – 5 years. Part-time students take longer. |
|
Staffing |
Faculty |
Faculty |
|
Funding |
Company- and student-funded. |
Stipend for graduate assistantship, plus tuition waiver for full-time students. |
|
Accreditation |
SA (Scholarly Academic) and PA (Practice Academic) qualified faculty status per AACSB standards. |
Focus on SA (Scholarly Academic) faculty status qualification. |
Interested in learning more about the UMSL DBA program application process?
Download a free copy of our eligibility and requirements PDF guide.
|
April 1, 2025
Application deadline for early decision
|
August 15, 2025 Application deadline for domestic applicants |
International applicants: Please contact dba@umsl.edu
UMSL is the only public university in the region to carry dual AACSB accreditation for its business and accounting programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
