Business Administration, D.B.A. < West Virginia University

Degree Offered

Doctor of Business Administration

Nature of the Program

The Doctorate of Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting (DBA-A) is comprised of 3 foundational aspects; a core set of research methods courses that remain the same for each DBA-A cohort, a collection of cohort/department specific content courses, and a research/dissertation component. The Accounting DBA Departmental Subcommittee will coordinate mentorship, annual progress requirements, subject matter expertise, and any other non-course curricular requirements for students admitted into the DBA-A.

Pursuing the DBA-A is a serious commitment that generally requires three full years of study. The DBA-A is split into three foundational areas: (1) (Research) Methods Courses (2) Cohort/Department Specific Content Courses, including meeting annual research progress requirements and (3) the Dissertation.

Completion of courses in a timely manner as outlined in the plan of study is expected. Further, students are required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale). Two course grades of C, or a single grade of D or F, will result in termination from the program. A grade of "incomplete" in a course is rare and only given in exceptional circumstances.

Admissions

Admission to the DBA-A is highly competitive; meeting the minimum standards for admission does not guarantee admission. A holistic admissions process considers minimum requirements as well as professional accomplishments and certifications. The program is delivered in a cohort-based online asynchronous format and begins in the fall semester. Success in the program requires significant commitment and time. The cohort design does not permit for students to take courses outside of the prescribed sequence. Consideration for admission is only given to those applicants that have a complete application package on file with the WVU College of Business and Economics.

To be eligible for consideration for the DBA-A program applicants must:

Have a minimum of 5 years of work experience.
Have a Master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university. For students who do not possess a Master’s degree, an accelerated Master’s to DBA-A program is available.

Once qualified to proceed with the application to the DBA-A, applicants will be required to submit additional documents, including:

Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and/or universities
Current resume
Statement of purpose
Two letters of recommendation from employers, faculty or professional associates
A minimum TOEFL-ibt of 100, 7.0 on the IELTS.

The integrity of the admissions process is of paramount importance. All grade and/or score reports received are subject to verification.

Degree Requirements

A program GPA of 3.0 is required by the Chambers College.
Research Methods Coursework
BADM 700	Statistics Bootcamp	2
BADM 701	Research Methods 1	3
BADM 702	Research Methods 2	3
BADM 703	Research Methods 3	3
BADM 704	Research Methods 4	3
BADM 705	Research Methods 5	3
Disciplinary Content Coursework
BADM 714	Accounting Information Systems Research Seminar	3
BADM 706	Scholarly Ethics, Diversity & Inclusion	2
BADM 715	Archival Accounting Research Seminar	3
BADM 711	Behavioral Accounting Research Seminar	3
BADM 707	Business Pedagogy	2
BADM 713	Forensic Accounting Research Seminar	3
Research		20
BADM 797	Research
Total Hours		53

Additional Requirements

Beyond timely completion of courses listed in the plan of study, maintaining course grades, and overall GPA requirements, admitted students are expected to demonstrate progress towards the completion of high-quality research likely publishable in a high-quality academic journal. The expectations are as follows:

Maintain a Portfolio of Research Ideas

At the completion of each research seminar (course), admitted students are expected to create and maintain a portfolio of research ideas that may be completed in the future. Research ideas represent “gaps” that exists in previously published research. Identifying research opportunities (“gaps”) in published manuscripts will occur during the coursework phase of the program and be reflected in the Portfolio. After the completion of each course, admitted students are expected to meet with their Department Mentor to review the ideas outlined in the Portfolio and discuss next steps towards converting select ideas into high-quality, publishable research manuscripts.

Year 1 – Research Proposal

By the end of the first summer in the program (the completion of the first year), admitted students are expected to have converted at least one research idea into a research proposal. The research proposal will consist of an abstract, introduction, discussion of prior research / theory / hypotheses and methods sections of a journal manuscript. The proposal should be approximately 15 pages of text, excluding the title page, references, figures, and appendices.

Admitted students should work with their mentor and draw on material from their Portfolio of Research Ideas. Only ideas (proposals) that have a perceived probability of publication in a high-quality journal (e.g., included on the Department of Accounting’s Journal Listing) will be considered. The research topic must be approved by the student’s Department Mentor, should relate to the student’s expertise and should also be grounded in theory and methods as discussed in completed research seminars and other coursework.

For year 1, successful completion will be judged by the student’s Department Mentor based on an assessment of (a) the quality of the written proposal and (b) perceived probability that the proposal can be successfully converted into completed research with eventual publication in a high-quality academic journal.

Year 2 – Research Manuscript

By the end of the second summer in the program (the completion of the second year), admitted students are expected to have converted the research proposal developed in year 1 (or an alternative research proposal approved, in advance, by the admitted student’s Department Mentor) into a high-quality research manuscript (a completed research project).

At a minimum, the research manuscript should be of such quality that it can be submitted to and accepted for presentation at an academic research meeting and should be close to being ready for submission to a high-quality academic journal.

Year 3 – Dissertation

The Dissertation will consist of two completed research manuscripts, the research manuscript completed in Years 1 and 2 of the program (discussed above) and a second solo-authored research manuscript. The purpose of the dissertation is for the DBA-A student to engage in a research study, leveraging the student’s expertise, that makes a contribution to the academic literature.

Undertaking the DBA-A Dissertation is a serious commitment of both time and mental energy. The second research manuscript of the DBA-A Dissertation is a solo effort, conducted individually by the student under the tutelage of the Student’s Department Mentor and Dissertation Committee. The Dissertation will include an oral defense, possible necessary revisions, and a final formal defense.

Major Learning Outcomes