DBA vs PhD in Business: Which is right for you?

Recently, I’ve had several consultations with people who started out saying they wanted to earn a PhD in business, thinking the degree would help them advance in their careers or gain more credibility in their fields. Some had been working for years after completing their bachelor’s degrees; others had earned an MBA but didn’t feel it had yet helped them reach their goal. And still others were interested in teaching and wanted to share what they had learned on the job while also conducting specific research into problems they’d encountered there.

The DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) and the PhD in Business are both terminal degrees, and although they share many similarities, they differ significantly in structure, purpose, and, especially, career outcomes. In this article, I will discuss both degrees and their purpose.

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)?

The DBA is a professional degree for business leaders who want to conduct research into the issues they face in their jobs. The goal of the DBA is to integrate theory into business practice to solve real-world problems. The degree bridges the gap between research and practice by examining complex business issues. With the business world’s ever-increasing use of AI and other technologies, the problems and issues surrounding the technology have created many areas for research.

Most DBA candidates are mid- to senior-level professionals seeking both strategic expertise and credibility in their field. These executives generally attend part-time or remote DBA programs because this allows them to continue working while pursuing the degree. We will highlight schools that offer a DBA program later in this post. Candidates will likely be required to take the GMAT or GRE, though some schools will consider work experience in lieu of a test.

DBA curriculum and research requirements

The curriculum for a DBA program focuses largely on strategy, leadership, organizational behavior, and management practices and uses case studies, projects, and lectures from practitioners. Once candidates complete the required courses, they are expected to produce a doctoral project or dissertation.

The dissertation or final project must concern a specific business problem that the candidate has outlined in their application or discovered during the program. Candidates must state in their DBA application what issue they want to investigate, how they plan to obtain data, and what their hypothesis is, in addition to referencing published studies on their subject. Perhaps you have access to a database at your job or your target university with relevant information you can dissect and analyze, or you could conduct interviews with business professionals to scrutinize differing perspectives that might lead you to a working hypothesis. Of course, you can also refer to articles in business journals to evaluate what has already been written on your subject. You don’t want to do a lot of work on a problem that has already been solved!

DBA programs last three to four years and are often offered on a part-time basis to cater to the working professional’s work schedule. The post-graduation career path is usually a higher leadership position than the one the applicant entered with. Pursuing the degree might put you on the path of an entrepreneurial venture or even lead you to specialize in corporate training and development. You might also teach in a university with a DBA, but this is not a tenure-track degree.

Top accredited DBA programs in the U.S.

Harvard offered the first DBA in 1953, and the degree was widely adopted by other universities. However, in the 1990s, the Harvard degree gradually morphed into the PhD in business, as it did at many other universities as well. The DBA is not commonly offered in the U.S., but a few U.S. universities still offer an accredited DBA:

• Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management
• Drexel University, LeBow College of Business
• Florida International University, Chapman Graduate School of Business
• Golden Gate University
• Marshall University, Lewis College of Business
• Southern Wesleyan University
• The University of Dallas, Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business

While DBA options in the U.S. are more limited, there are a number of options for students considering programs abroad.

International DBA programs to consider

Many DBA programs are available in Europe, some of which are taught in English. Some of these programs are hybrids, combining online and in-person classes, and most are part-time:

• Audencia Business School, France
• Grenoble Ecole de Management, France
• International School of Management, France
• Montpellier Business School, France
• Paris School of Management, France
• Berlin School of Business and Innovation, Germany
• SDA Bocconi School of Management, Italy
• IE Business School, Spain
• Universidad Pontificia Comillas, Spain
• EU Business School, Switzerland
• International Institute in Geneva, Switzerland
• Swiss School of Business and Management, Switzerland
• Edinburgh Business School, United Kingdom
• University of Gloucestershire / Robert Kennedy College, United Kingdom
• University of Liverpool Management School, United Kingdom
• University of Warwick, United Kingdom

You might see other schools come up in a Google search, but beware! Before proceeding, make sure the school is a member of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

(AACSB), European Foundation for Management Development (EQUIS), or Association of MBAs (AMBA). Accreditation indicates a recognized program with a structured curriculum and strict admissions procedures.

The PhD in Business

The PhD, as most people know, is a longer-term degree that lasts anywhere from 4 to 8 years, depending on how long it takes the candidate to complete their dissertation research. Most accredited PhD programs require a dissertation, which prepares the candidate to become an academic scholar who will contribute new theories or expand existing research through rigorous academic research and publications.

PhD candidates in business often already possess a master’s degree in a business functional field or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and have decided which functional area they want to specialize in (e.g., finance, marketing, operations). The PhD program is primarily a residential, full-time program, and candidates are expected to teach undergraduate classes and assist faculty members with research to be published in specialized, often peer-reviewed, academic journals. As a result, PhD candidates often have a full-tuition scholarship for the program as well as a small monthly stipend. As a PhD applicant, you will likely be required to take either the GRE or the GMAT exam and to submit articles you’ve had published.

Career paths for PhD graduates

The career path for PhD graduates is often a tenure-track university faculty position, a strictly academic research position, or a think-tank or high-level policy position. For this reason, the PhD application requires much more than a simple statement of purpose. You will be expected to discuss how you became interested in the problem you wish to research, what literature currently exists on the subject, where you see a gap in the knowledge, how you plan to formulate your hypotheses, and how you will gather material that supports (or disproves) your hypothesis – as well as which professors you hope to work with on your research. You will need to present your research at conferences throughout your time in the program, and it will be evaluated and questioned by experts in the field from an academic standpoint, which will lead to more focused, critical research.

Choosing an accredited PhD program

Any so-called research university will have many differing PhD programs, though not always in business. So, before going this route, do your research on the top MBA programs to learn whether you can earn your PhD at the same school or if you will have to start your PhD studies at another school.

Secondly, make sure your target PhD program is accredited by a recognized accreditation agency (e.g., AASCB, EDHEC, EQUIS), not just the governing body of a state or county. You are going to put a lot of work into the degree you decide to pursue, and you want that degree to be recognized as one from a quality program, not a program that simply takes your money in exchange for a worthless piece of paper.

Key takeaways

In the end, the choice between a DBA and a PhD in business comes down to your long-term goals. If you are a business professional seeking to solve real-world challenges, advance into executive leadership, enhance your credibility, or apply research directly to practice, a DBA may be the ideal path. If your passion lies in developing new theories, conducting rigorous academic research, publishing scholarly work, and pursuing a career in higher education or policy, a PhD is likely the better fit.

Both degrees represent the highest level of achievement in business education, but they serve different purposes. By carefully evaluating your career aspirations, preferred learning environment, and research interests, you can choose the doctoral program that will provide the greatest return on your investment of time, effort, and resources.