Doctor of Business Administration is a professional degree with a time duration of 2-5 years, specially designed for individuals who have a managerial and leadership experience and want to deepen their expertise in the same.
For mid to senior level executives, DBA Degree is a perfect one to catch an upper hand in a company or an institution. Unlike MBA or PhD which either focus on business skills or researching skills, DBA Degree focuses on theoretical as well as real world application and implementation of the same. DBA helps an individuals in equipping with complex business challenges, an intensive research and developing strategies that create a larger impact in businesses.
In the recent years, with an advancement in the technology, many universities and institutions have started providing online and part-time courses to individuals to help them cope specifically with their work life. With the implementation of this, many individuals can now pursue various degrees in order to gain a higher position in their workspace.
In this article, we will explore about DBA degree, its similarities and differences with MBA, course structure, specializations, syllabus and the job prospects.
Table of Contents
DBA Degree Overview
| Course Name | Doctor of Business Administration (DBA Degree) |
| Course Level | Doctorate |
| Duration | 2-5 years |
| Eligibility |
Master’s degree in the related field from a recognized university. OR Bachelor’s degree in the related field from a recognized university with a working experience of 5 years. |
| Course Fee | INR 7,00,000 – INR 10,00,000 |
| Job Profile | Executive leadership roles including CEO or CFO, Management Consulting, Professors, Researchers and much more. |
| Job Recruiters | McKinsey, Amazon, Flipkart, TCS, HCL, Bain, EY, etc. |
| Average Salary | INR 20.3 – INR 47.8 LPA |
What is DBA?
The full form of DBA is Doctor of Business Administration. DBA is a professional doctorate degree of 2-5 years especially designed for experienced business professionals who are seeking higher opportunities, and expertise in leadership, management, and strategic decision making.
DBA Degree admissions for online/ part-time programs are held throughout the year. An individual after pursuing bachelor’s degree in related fields of business and administration, completes and undergoes a degree like MBA and gain some working experience, and is willing to pursue DBA to increase his expertise and skillset to reach higher positions.
Like all the other doctoral degrees, this one too focuses on an extensive research but it is more likely based on the practicality and the real application of their research work in a firm or an industry as a whole.
DBA vs PhD: Similarities and Differences
| Specifications | DBA Degree | PhD Degree |
| Definitions | DBA Degree is an applied research which is used in the real world business problems. | PhD is more like a research based degree which usually contributes theoretically. |
| Suitable For | Mid-to-senior level working professionals who already has an ample amount of experience. | Academics, Postgraduates and Researchers who want to work in academic related fields. |
| Outcome | Practical solutions, strategies in Business context | Theories, Research and Published Works, and Models. |
| Duration | 2-5 years | 2-5 years |
| End Goal | Career advancement, leadership roles or consultancy. | Academic career, post-doctoral researcher or specialized expertise. |
Why is DBA Degree Ideal for Working Professionals?
The demand for DBA Degree is growing since the last few years, especially amongst the Mid-to-Senior level employees seeking to advance their careers without leaving their jobs. This is where DBA and it’s benefits barge in. Following are the reasons as to why is DBA degree ideal for working professionals:
- Gain Expertise and Knowlege: DBA Degree helps a professional in gaining expertise over the real world problems with the help of their research work which moves across the span of 2-5 years. An individual solves, analyzes, checks, builds to gain that knowledge.
- Standing Out in Job Market: With a degree like DBA, one actually stands out in the crowd with an expertise and more advanced educational qualifications. While grappling with job opportunities, an individual with their DBA qualification stand at the edge and always has an advantage.
- Higher Earning Potential: It has been observed that an individual with a DBA Degree earns at least 30% more than the individuals who have done master’s. It, thereby, adds a prestige and honor in whatever workspace they choose.
- Specialization in Any Area of Your Interest: DBA Degree allows an individual to specialize in one field which they closely resonate with. With the specialized degree either be it on business, marketing, etc., an individual stands at a much higher chance of gaining a job based on their specific skillset.
Online DBA vs On-Campus DBA
| Online DBA Degree | On-Campus DBA Degree |
|---|---|
| Learning is flexible and self-paced. | Learning works according to the time table in a timely manner. |
| It helps in work and academics balance making an individual excel in both. | It is difficult to manage work with studies with an on-campus DBA. |
| Lesson Plan is available online for the individuals and classes are held in an online mode too. | Interaction with the faculty can only happen face-to-face. Even the classes are scheduled on the campus. |
| Highly pursued by working professionals. | Highly pursued by students who want to enhance their knowledge and are interested in research. |
DBA Degree Specializations
| DBA Degree Specialization | Description |
| DBA in Leadership | DBA in Leadership is perfect for the individuals who are interested in research and management of business and marketing. It focuses on developing leadership roles and strategic thinking. |
| DBA in International Business | DBA in Business Management focuses on advanced business management and leadership roles within a global context. |
| DBA in Human Resource Management | DBA with a specialization in HR Management is designed for individuals who want to enhance their HR management, leadership and strategic decision making process in a firm. |
| DBA in Finance | DBA in Finance focuses on advanced research and practical application of financial theories and strategies within the real world. |
DBA Degree: Job Prospects and Salary
| Job Position | Salary |
| Organizational Development Manager | INR 8.3 LPA |
| Business Consultant | INR 9.2 LPA |
| Project Manager | INR 12.5 LPA |
| Human Resource Director | INR 28 LPA |
| Professor | INR 10.4 LPA |
Conclusion
DBA Program is most suitable for individuals who are interested in leadership and managerial roles within a company or an organization. With the newer advancements and an open mind, DBA for working professionals is now easier with online and part-time degree mode. An individual can work alongside pursuing one of the most reputable degree.
Choosing a degree is based on what your career affiliation are. It depends on where you want to be. DBA Degree offers an individual with research work along with solving real world business problems. It enhances itself more with individuals who are interested in an applied research.
PhD degree, on the other hand, follows a rigorous research work and focuses on giving birth to new theories and developments. It focuses more on the course work and figuring out the research gap, hence, finding its position within the theoretical framework.
The time duration spans between 2-5 years for both online and on-campus DBA degree programs, with the online programs giving a way to a flexible timing for the enrolled individuals.
Yes, DBA degree can help an individual in reaching a higher job opportunity sector while also being beneficial. With a doctoral degree, an individual stands at a much higher chance of being recruited than an individual with a master’s degree with no or less work experience.
The eligibility criteria for a DBA degree is a Master’s degree from any recognized university or a bachelor’s degree from any recognized university with 3-5 years of working experience, depending on the university.
Specializations including DBA in Management, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain Management, Project Management, and Generative Artificial Intelligence are some of the available options. There can be more, depending on the university you are getting enrolled in.
