Dean Zhan Li, DBA shares how an Executive Doctorate of Business Administration can be the right fit for experienced business professionals and how Fairfield Dolan’s new Executive DBA program is customized to help students succeed.

Dean Li, can you explain what an Executive Doctorate of Business Administration degree is?

An Executive Doctorate of Business Administration is an applied terminal business degree for experienced and aspiring professionals who already have a master’s degree related to business and are looking to boost their careers. Dolan’s Executive DBA program develops students’ understanding and grasp of sophisticated research methodologies and contemporary business issues to solve real-world problems.

What types of professionals would be a good fit for the Executive DBA program?

There are several groups of working professionals who would benefit tremendously from Dolan’s Executive DBA:

• Professionals who want to lead corporate business practices such as consulting, finance, marketing, business intelligence, and employee learning and development, among many others
• Consultants, coaches, and executives who want to distinguish themselves from their peers
• Business professionals who plan to switch careers and teach full-time at a business school

Why would someone choose a DBA over a PhD?

PhD programs tend to focus on developing students for theoretical discovery and research. This requires students to study full-time for four to seven years. The DBA is an applied doctorate degree, aiming to equip students with sophisticated methodologies and theoretical understandings to solve today’s business problems. Our program is a low residency, part-time program and can be done in about three years.

Seasoned professionals often have demanding work schedules. How does the Dolan Executive DBA program accommodate students’ busy lives?

Our DBA program is designed to help our students succeed. We’ve intentionally set up the part-time program in a way so that working professionals can graduate in three years. The low residency model allows students to take synchronous classes that meet online on weekends with two in-person weekends that take place at the beginning and at the end of each semester.

Writing a dissertation is a significant commitment. How is Dolan’s Executive DBA program designed to guide students through the process?

Writing the dissertation is indeed the most difficult task for Executive DBA students who are full-time working professionals trying to balance their work and personal lives. Dolan’s Executive DBA is designed for students to complete their dissertations during the three years it takes to complete the program. Different from most DBA programs, our students complete one chapter of their dissertations during each course. Through this model, students are able to complete their dissertations during the same time it takes them to complete their coursework. We have also designed the curriculum to include the time that students need to prepare for their dissertation defenses.

What sets Dolan’s Executive DBA program apart from other DBA programs?

The most distinguishing characteristic of our Executive DBA program is that it is designed to graduate students in three years. That is our overarching goal and principle in designing our program. Another defining factor is that students can really customize their study by specializing their dissertation topics in virtually any of the major business areas of interest based on their own industry experiences and career goals. Fairfield University was ranked #14 Best Alumni Network by the Princeton Review, and by pursuing the Executive DBA from Fairfield Dolan, graduates become members of our strong alumni network.