Executive Doctorate in Business Administration

What is an Executive DBA Degree?

Engaging in our STEM-designated Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) is an act of intense exploration that will challenge you to take your thinking and performance to a new level by not just learning about business in a book but by creating new knowledge to transform the business environment.

Through an integrative framework of empirical exploration and evidence-based decision-making, executives develop successful data-driven strategies and solutions that can be applied to their respective organizations or fields. Students become recognized experts and contributors to the most important business challenges through research and advanced problem solving, which distinguishes them as they move toward or beyond C-suite leadership.

The Executive DBA degree is a part-time executive doctoral program designed to equip executives and senior managers (with 10+ years of industry and/or leadership experience who already hold a master’s degree in a related field of study) with the methods to address complex industry and organizational challenges.

Pursuing a DBA at an R1 Research University

Among the many reasons students have chosen Drexel LeBow, one of the strongest is our continued designation as an R1 research university. Our faculty are not simply here to teach; they bring their expertise to ongoing research projects, publications, and more, working side by side with students who are ready to excel and be part of industry-leading research.

DBA Completion Time

This lockstep program is designed to be completed in as little as 2.5 years (10 consecutive quarters), compared to the typical six semester programs taking three full years. Our part-time program’s targeted residency structure is designed to fit into students’ busy work and family schedule, not disrupt it.

Designed expressly for high-performing executives and senior-level leaders, the Drexel LeBow DBA course curriculum leverages a hybrid structure and incorporates campus and remote studies, reading, and prep time into your DBA schedule.

Learn more about the DBA format and delivery

DBA Curriculum

Courses are offered across disciplines, teaching candidates to integrate knowledge from business and non-business disciplines to generate new ideas, strategies and practical approaches to address issues facing senior leadership.

The DBA plan of study is broken down into three types of courses throughout the integrated curriculum: seminar courses, methodology courses, and dissertation courses.

The dissertation is an integral part of the Executive DBA program and serves as a demonstration of academic excellence in applying the science of business with all its expected rigor to an important problem of interest to the industry, as well as providing insight based on theory and supported by appropriate methodological and statistical rigor.

Executive Global Immersion Residency

The Executive Global Immersion Residency provides an opportunity for DBA students to expand their network and enhance their understanding of the global economy, social impact, and the opportunities and challenges facing companies around the world. This option is available to students after completion of their first year in the program.

View a sample plan of study
Learn more about the dissertation

Executive DBA Faculty

Experts in their respective fields, our research-active faculty go beyond theory. Through their industry-recognized research and publications, they continue Drexel’s rich history in applied, hands-on learning to tackle complex real-world problems in fields as wide-ranging as:

• Accounting
• Behavioral sciences
• Biomedical engineering
• Design
• Economics
• Finance
• Management
• Management Information Systems
• Marketing

Each candidate will benefit from the mentored model led by a dissertation chair, who will guide the student through the process starting in year one, and committee who will evaluate the proposal and the completed research.

View the DBA faculty directory

Networking

Joining a like-minded group of 18 to 25 executive doctoral students on a guided pathway of coursework provides candidates an extra level of support and opportunity to learn from other top professionals in various industries. Plus, you will be part of the Dragon Network, an active collective of tens of thousands of Drexel and LeBow alumni around the world.

DBA Experiential Learning

While other programs devote much of their time to theory alone, Drexel LeBow’s history of uniting academia and industry-leading companies allows DBA candidates to put theory to test in real-world applications. Many dissertation topics have related directly to issues seen in candidates’ current organizations.

Accreditation and Memberships

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Accreditation

Drexel’s LeBow College of Business is among the elite 20 percent of business schools to be accredited by AACSB International.

Learn more about the AACSB

Executive DBA Council

The mission of the Executive DBA Council is to foster excellence and innovation in executive doctoral degree programs worldwide through engaged scholarship, collaboration and networking.

Learn more about the Executive DBA Council

Campus and Facilities

Our 12-story, 177,500-square-foot home, Gerri C. LeBow Hall, is located at the heart of Drexel’s University City campus — at the intersection of Woodland Walk and Market Street — where it forms a gateway to Drexel and serves as a backdrop to the historic statue of A.J. Drexel.

Drexel’s University City campus is located in Philadelphia’s vibrant technology and research corridor, and is just steps to hotels, museums, world-renowned restaurants, and more you would expect from the city where our nation literally began (not to mention a UNESCO-designated World Heritage City, one of only two in the United States).

Learn more about the LeBow campus and community

* Please note: The Executive DBA Program is part-time and not eligible for an F-1 student visa sponsorship. However, we welcome applicants who already have appropriate visas or existing status in the United States that may allow them to study in part-time programs. Plan early, do your research, and seek advice from a trusted immigration attorney to ensure that your immigration status does not prevent you from fully benefiting from your student experience at Drexel. This infographic can help you determine if your current immigration status allows you to study in the U.S.