Frequently Asked Questions

New students can begin the program in the fall or spring semester of each academic year.

Is it possible to be in the program if I don’t live in the Jacksonville area?

Yes, many students are not local to Jacksonville. Classes are held once per month on Friday and Saturday. Students are encouraged to travel to our beautiful campus for the weekend to interact with faculty and their cohort in person, but you can stream classes synchronously online if you can’t make it to campus. For the occasional work conflict when students can’t join in person or online, classes are recorded, so you can catch up. Asynchronous attendance should be an exception, not the norm.

Why the Davis College of Business & Technology?

The JU Davis College of Business & Technology is the only AACSB accredited private business school in all of North Florida and South Georgia. This region encompasses the most dynamic and economically diverse industries in the Southeast United States. Major international ports, logistics and transportation companies, global financial services companies, consumer goods and services organizations​, information technology, and world-class healthcare organizations operate within this area and provide rich opportunities for internships and careers.

Jacksonville University and Davis are well-recognized partners in the growth of all these industry sectors and part of the cultural and social character of the community. JU Davis has a proud tradition of training top C-level executives in a number of industries and is rooted into the large network of alumni and corporate partnerships. Our reputation is one we have earned through high quality, extremely relevant and engaging programs.

How can earning a JU DBA position me for future success?

The combination of the DBA degree and your professional experience will provide you with valuable tools of knowledge and experience for assuming higher and expanded positions and responsibilities. This will also open the door for possible teaching at colleges and universities, if desired.

The ideal candidate has 7 or more years of high level leadership experience.

Please refer to the DBA Application Process.

Is a Master's degree required?

A Master's level degree is not required for admission, although students accepted into the DBA program without a Master's degree must complete a concentration as part of the program.  

Is the GMAT or GRE required?

The GMAT/GRE is not required for DBA application. However, the candidates without Master's level degrees are encouraged to take and to submit the GMAT/GRE scores to demonstrate their business acumen to support their application for admission.

​A new cohort begins each fall and/or Spring semester. Admission for this cohort will be granted on an ongoing basis; that is, we will fully consider your application upon submission. Thus, you are encouraged to submit the full application packet as early as possible.  The admissions process may close once the cohort becomes full.

The academic requirements are similar for international students. However, the international students must meet the immigration and Department of States eligibility for student visa and permission to travel to U.S. All international students must meet the University’s current English language requirements.

The financial aid office will process all the applications and inquiries regarding the financial aid applications. For more information, please email finaid@ju.edu.

There are limited research assistantships that provide a tuition reduction for one year. These assistantships must be applied for each year.  Scholarships are also available.   

The DBA with no concentration is $31,500 per year ($15,750 per semester).  The DBA with a concentration is $33,000 per year ($16,500 per semester). The JU DBA is a three year DBA program with optional concentrations available in Management, Marketing, and Accounting/Finance.  Academic and Professional tracks have different benefits, and textbooks are provided for all students.  

Is it possible my employer will help me fund this educational investment?

Yes, we encourage students to obtain employer funding, when available.

You can pursue a general DBA, or you can concentrate on Accounting, Management, Healthcare Leadership, or customize your own Professional Concentration.  It is possible to obtain enough credits in any business discipline to teach.

The JU DBA is designed for professionals working to advance their career and professionals looking to transition to academia.  Students can choose between an academic track or professional track depending on your career goals. 

The DBA program consists of 63 - 75 credit hours.

The first two fall and spring semesters three or more courses will be taken each semester. There will be courses taken in each of the first two summer terms. ​The third year will be spent working on your dissertation.

The program is designed to be completed in three years. However, the completion of the dissertation could extend the length of the program, but not beyond seven years. Dissertation extension classes are an additional cost.  

Cohorts will generally be between 10 and 20 students.

Does the DBA require me to study abroad?

No international trip is required, however, students may be offered the opportunity to participate in a study abroad course for an additional expense.

How can I best prepare for the program?

You must make sure to allocate several hours each week to prepare for the coursework and the expected assignments. Communicating with professors and your cohort members is beneficial and essential.

Most DBA courses are experiential, applied and case oriented. Conducting research projects would be the norm.

In the first two years, the classes will be offered one weekend each month for all day Friday and Saturday. The third year will be spent working on the dissertation.​

After the first two years are completed, the remaining credit hours are used for the dissertation. There are no “elective” courses in the core DBA courses, as this is a cohort based program.  However, students can choose an optional concentration that requires additional credits in Accounting, Management, Healthcare Leadership, or customize your own Professional Concentration. 

Assignments will be mostly individual, but each individual instructor is allowed to teach his/her course as they please.

Each student works with their dissertation chair to determine the dissertation requirement that is best for them.  Students choose between a traditional dissertation, a series of research papers, or can complete a major research project for your or another organization.  In each case, you will be conducting research, analyzing and writing your findings. At this stage of the program, you will be working at your own pace. However, the candidates will meet with their dissertation chair and committee on a frequent basis to make sure everything is in order, as well as when they need mentoring and advice.

 What happens if I don’t finish my dissertation in the third year?

It is possible that the dissertation will not be completed by the end of the third year. By rule, the maximum time allowed for any doctorate candidate to finish any doctorate program is seven years. However, students are encouraged to finish as close to the three years as possible. If a student takes longer than three years, they must remain enrolled at the university by enrolling in the six credit hour dissertation extension each subsequent semester until the dissertation is complete.  Dissertation extension classes are an additional cost.

Causes for this could be the nature of the research question pursued, employment opportunity, or because deciding on the dissertation subject takes varying times, or for various other reasons.

Once you are in the DBA program and exposed to various courses and topics, you may find some topics of interest for your research. A faculty mentor is assigned after the first year to assist in developing research skills and providing helpful advice as to how to complete the dissertation requirement. 

In these cases, the typical way is to divide a dissertation into some sub-topics first. You may submit these for review and publication to different academic publication venues. If accepted, they’ll publish your submissions. However, there is no guarantee that your research will be published.

While not necessary, it is anticipated that many students will choose a dissertation topic that can be directly applied to their current job.