Doctor of Business Administration is the highest honor bestowed on business aspirants. It is the perfect choice for those who have a keen interest in business practice rather than business theory. Gone are the days when a bachelor’s degree plus professional experience were considered the standards for landing a high-paying job. In today’s competitive market, top companies are looking for skilled professionals for senior management roles who have shown their business acumen through advanced degrees. DBA is one of them!
Although a DBA degree is still considered quite rare compared to an MBA or a PhD, it is definitely worthwhile following the innumerable benefits it brings to the table. In fact, according to a global DBA survey, 80% of programs worldwide witnessed an increase in the demand for DBA, reflecting the rise in demand for DBA graduates.
Let’s explore how a DBA degree can draw diverse benefits for your academic and professional career!
Importance of DBA
In today’s age of digitization, knowledge has become one of the most valuable resources. Companies are constantly looking for candidates with deep expertise in specific domains who can generate valuable insights to drive the profitability of a business. In order to survive the dynamically competitive business environment, you need more than an MBA; this is where DBA comes into play.
Doctor of Business Administration or DBA is a postgraduate degree that usually takes 2-3 years to complete. It is specifically designed for working professionals with substantial experience in professional working space within their relevant domains.
A DBA program trains learners in advanced scientific techniques for analyzing data, which can later be used for decision-making. It primarily focuses on powerful techniques such as using sampling data to reduce biases or designing innovative experiments that help to achieve certainty over the causal relationship between variables.
Furthermore, earning a DBA degree lets you combine your acquired business knowledge with analytical skills, which can be utilized to design and create original research studies.
For all these reasons, a DBA degree is considered highly advantageous, especially while applying for senior management positions within any organization. While extending so many benefits, this program is not suitable for everyone. It has a very niche target base and is usually the right choice for mid to senior-level executives with significant work experience.
Advantages of Pursuing a Doctor Of Business Administration
Working professionals juggling a full-time job might find it difficult to pursue a full-time DBA course simultaneously. For this very reason, various leading universities across the globe, such as Golden Gate University, are extending full-time and part-time online DBA programs, which enables learners to balance upskilling and professional life effectively.
Apart from these, DBA can offer several other benefits to candidates. The same has been discussed in the list below.
Stand Out From The Crowd
Getting an advanced professional degree has become necessary in today’s dynamic environment. A mere MBA degree no longer fits the standards, and candidates with PhD in business management are very rare. So why not use this to your advantage, and get a DBA degree instead? A DBA degree is bound to set you apart from the crowd and help you bag exceptional opportunities.
Better Career Opportunities
Yet another big advantage of gaining a doctorate in business administration is that it opens doors for many career opportunities. Here are a few of them!
Information Systems Manager
According to a report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Information Systems manager job role is expected to grow by 11% by 2028, implying the growth in work opportunities for industry professionals and handsome offered packages. The current average annual salary of an information systems manager is $159,010.
Executive Roles
With corporate organizations estimating the growth of 6% among opportunities for top executives’ positions by 2028, it is essential that you prepare yourself for the future and kickstart upskilling at the earliest. A DBA degree prepares individuals with the necessary leadership skills, which are very crucial in a corporate environment.
Following their intense training and an in-depth understanding of a particular discipline, DBA graduates are prominently aligned with the experience and knowledge required to take over senior management roles. Therefore, DBA graduates can easily secure work profiles such as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Technology Officer, or Chief Operating Officer.
Financial Manager
DBA graduates with an inclination toward finance management can seek out work opportunities under the role of a financial manager. As the demand for skilled professionals in the role of a financial manager is set to witness a rise of 16% by 2028, DBA graduates can reap exceptional benefits by leveraging this opportunity at the right time. The current average salary of a financial manager is estimated to be $103,520 per year, making it a financially solid chance as well!
Apart from these three, various other roles can be pursued, such as professors, economists, and logisticians.
Setting Up Businesses/Entrepreneurship
A DBA degree is the right choice for individuals who wish to set up their own businesses. It provides all the necessary tools and skills required to set up or develop an entrepreneurial spirit through a company or a start-up. Some of the most common topics usually covered in a DBA curriculum are innovation management, contemporary challenges in business, and entrepreneurial finance, among others. It is a culmination of theory and practical strategies that are drawn from real-world situations, enabling candidates setting up businesses to hone a greater level of understanding of their business vertical.
Furthermore, a DBA course is also the perfect way to create great networking opportunities. It allows aspirants to interact with other fellow candidates and experts in various fields of business management, which is one of the best ways to improve your entrepreneurial endeavors.
Become A Specialist
Subject specialization enables professionals to exhibit their expansive knowledge in relevant disciplines and obtain the role of specialists. A DBA degree allows aspirants to select any one subject from different fields. Some of the top specializations offered by the DBA program might include marketing, global supply chain management, leadership, entrepreneurship, and international business.
Develop Essential Management Skills
Lastly, another classic advantage of pursuing a DBA degree is the in-depth training it offers across all the necessary management domains with relevant methodologies and tools to fuel a company’s success. These include communication skills, people management skills, and leadership skills, among others. Candidates not only get to acquire academic credentials but are also provided with a suitable environment consisting of high-quality resources and experts to develop these skill sets that others lack.
Other Advantages of Pursuing a DBA
Apart from the advantages mentioned above, there are also a few other benefits that candidates can acquire from a DBA program. Those include
- Adding a DBA degree to your CV is a great way to make it more attractive to recruiters.
- A DBA program allows you to develop a deep sense of fulfillment at work.
- Negotiating for higher wages becomes much easier for a DBA graduate.
- Candidates get to boost their own growth and contribute significantly to ongoing problems in the business world.
- Aspirants are trained in high-level research skills and advanced tools, which are essential for strategic planning and decision-making.
Conclusion
To sum up, DBA is indeed a rigorous but intellectually stimulating program. Reports suggest that only 2% of the population hold higher degrees in business. Therefore, the scope is huge, and so is its demand. This program is meant to channel your deep intellectual interests and passion toward business knowledge. While MBA programs are designed to meet the standards of 20th-century businesses, a DBA program helps to meet the current as well the future needs of an organization.
If you wish to apply for a DBA program, choosing a well-reputed institution that adds credibility to your background is paramount. Golden Gate University’s Doctor of Business Administration is a course created to strengthen working professionals in their fields of interest by empowering them with an advanced degree in business.
With 120+ years of experience, Golden Gate University (GGU) has successfully made its position among the top 10% of US universities in terms of education and student welfare. Its 36 months duration DBA program encompasses a variety of benefits ranging from global case study discussions and 24*7 student support to live and interactive faculty and industry-specific sessions.
Enroll now to kickstart your journey toward success with GGU!
FAQs
Q1: Is DBA a good choice?
Yes! DBA is the right choice, especially for candidates with an MBA degree. Having said that, many universities offer DBA programs that do not require candidates to have an MBA degree as long as they have relevant work experience. DBA can be a fruitful decision for aspirants who wish to stick to the corporate world instead of transitioning to academia.
Q2: Can someone with DBA be called Doctor?
Yes, as with all other earned doctorates, candidates who have successfully completed their DBA programs are awarded the title of Doctor, most commonly represented by the English honorific, Dr.
Q3: What are the job opportunities after DBA?
Job roles after DBA typically include market research analyst, management analyst, economist, professor, and C-level executives. Almost all of them come with high compensation packages and lucrative benefits essential to boost one’s career growth. Furthermore, DBA graduates are also favored more in job interviews, as this degree is considered very valuable by the top companies in the world.
