See Courses & Program Info
View a complete list of courses, program-specific requirements, residency requirements, and more.
This program requires a total of 48 credits. Take the following courses in the order listed:
Prerequisite Course
- (3 Credits, DBA 600)
Please note: This is an 11-week prerequisite course for admission to the program. A completed application for admission, including all documents described in the program admission requirements section, must be submitted by the application deadline in order to be considered for this course.
Core Courses
- (6 Credits, DBA 800)
- (6 Credits, DBA 810)
- (6 Credits, DBA 820)
- (6 Credits, DBA 830)
- (6 Credits, DBA 840)
- (6 Credits, DBA 850)
Dissertation Courses
- (4 Credits, DBA 860)
- (4 Credits, DBA 870)
- (4 Credits, DBA 880)
- You may only take one course per term.
- You must complete each non-dissertation course with a grade of B or higher to advance to the next course.
- You must complete each dissertation course with a grade of S or higher to advance to the next course.
- The grade of C is not available for these courses.
- The courses in this program must be successfully completed within a maximum of seven years.
- Your course syllabus will explain options for and consequences of requesting a grade of Incomplete.
Admission to the DBA program is competitive and based on a combination of all requirements. Meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee admission to the program.
You must submit a completed application along with all of your supplemental documentation by the appropriate application deadline to be considered for the prerequisite course. If you pass the prerequisite course with a grade of B or higher, you will be admitted to the program.
Submit Application Materials
You must submit the following materials to be considered for admission:
UMGC online application for admission
Official transcript indicating successful completion of a master's degree or higher from a regionally accredited university or college (equivalent degrees from other accredited institutions may be considered on a case-by-case basis; if you were educated abroad, you may need to meet additional requirements)
- Up-to-date resume (outlining professional leadership and supervisory management experience)
- Contact information for two professional references, including name, job title, organization, email address, and phone number
- 700-word personal statement outlining your career goals, including how the DBA degree will fit into your future
- Optional writing sample: This can be an article or paper you have authored, thesis, blog post, or any published material
Please note: GMAT or GRE scores are not required for the application.
Complete Interview (If Necessary)
UMGC may require a phone interview to gather additional information from an applicant. The need for an interview will be determined by the details you include in your application materials, such as the resume or CV. We would request an interview to assess your appropriate leadership-level experience. The interview, if required, would take place at the end of the process, before you are authorized to enroll in the prerequisite course.
Send Your Documentation
If mailing your supplemental documentation by U.S. Postal Mail/UPS/FedEx/DHL, please use the following address:
UMGC Student Records
3501 University Blvd. East
Adelphi, MD 20783
You can e-mail your resume, personal statement, and writing samples to admissions@umgc.edu. Contact information for two professional references can be included at the bottom of your resume. If your previous institution needs to send transcripts electronically, please follow our guidance on submitting transcripts.
Monitor Application Deadlines
All materials are due by the doctoral program application deadline for the term. Documents sent by mail must be postmarked on or before the deadline for the term.
- Fall: September 1
- Winter: November 30
- Spring: March 15
- Summer: June 15
Space permitting, late applications may be considered. Decision letters regarding eligibility for the prerequisite course are emailed to the applicant 30 days after the application closing date.
You must pass the prerequisite course, (3 Credits, DBA 600), with a grade of B or higher to be admitted into the program. The course details are as follows:
- 11-week course
- Does not count toward the 48-credit total for the DBA program
- Does not qualify for federal financial aid because it is a prerequisite course to the program
- Does not include a residency
- Consideration for enrollment in this course requires a completed application package by the designated deadline
- Course cannot be waived
One residency is held each term and is mandatory for all students enrolled in the program. Residencies consist of two full days of instruction, which include instructor-led lectures, guest lectures, cohort discussions, presentations of class assignments, and more. Residencies provide an excellent forum for discussion, peer support, networking, and scholarship.
- Students enrolled in core courses (numbered 800–850): The residencies are held in-person in Maryland.
- Students enrolled in dissertation courses (numbered 860–880): The residencies are held online.
- Students enrolled in the prerequisite course (DBA 600): There is no residency.
These residencies are scheduled on Fridays and Saturdays, usually in the fifth week of the term. On Fridays, the residency is held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturdays, residency is held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Residency attendance is mandatory for the full two-day period each term. If a student is unable to attend residency for the full two days, they must defer enrollment until the next available term. Students are responsible for their own travel arrangements and residency expenses.
Residencies for upcoming terms will take place at our Dorsey Station location in Maryland on the following dates, with the exception of Winter 2025, which will be held virtually:
- Spring 2024: Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11, 2024
- Fall 2024: Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2, 2024
- Winter 2025 (Virtual): Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8, 2025
- Spring 2025: Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10, 2025
- Fall 2025: Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25, 2025
To succeed in this online doctorate program, you are expected to have
- Executive-level experience in a management or business field
- Familiarity with scholarly writing and graduate-level writing skills
- Motivation to do applied research
- Intellectual curiosity to engage in scholarly discourse
This information is for students who enroll in the 2023–2024 academic year. For prior year requirements for this program or to review UMGC's complete program requirements for a specific academic year, visit our program catalog archive.
Gain Valuable Knowledge & Grow Your Network
The online DBA degree program at UMGC is designed to help professionals acquire high-level knowledge and skills in management theory, strategic thinking, organizational leadership, research methods, and innovation. Through our challenging curriculum, you may be able to gain the knowledge you need to succeed as a leader in today's fast-paced business environments. Plus, collaborative, research-oriented projects will help you grow your network and build lasting relationships with a diverse group of professionals.
Our faculty members are experts in their fields and possess a wide range of professional experience. They're committed to helping you achieve the following learning goals:
Study in an IACBE-Accredited Online DBA Program
UMGC's School of Business has received specialized accreditation for its business programs through the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) located at 11960 Quivira Road in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. Please view our IACBE member status page and Public Disclosure of Student Achievement.
IACBE's accreditation process examines if a program is functioning effectively, accomplishing its mission, and teaching students what they are intended to learn. This requires that its member institutions follow a process of continuous quality improvement that builds student competencies and prepares them to succeed professionally.
Explore UMGC Insights
Gain insight from our experienced faculty and staff and delve deeper into complex topics, including the doctorate program, the MBA, accreditation, and leadership.
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FAQs
Get answers to questions that others are asking about program admission, cost, outcomes, and more.
The online degree program is a doctorate designed for working professionals that can help prepare you for senior-level management positions. Featuring an interactive and supportive cohort structure, this 48-credit doctorate program covers topics like data analytics, management theory, organizational leadership, sustainability, and analysis of real-world management issues.
UMGC's online Doctor of Business Administration degree is a 48-credit program. Only the prerequisite course (DBA 600) is offered in the summer. The rest of the courses are offered each fall, winter, and spring. Depending on how many terms you register for each year, if you take a full-time course load, and when you complete your dissertation, you can expect to graduate in as little as three years.
UMGC is committed to keeping our tuition and fees as affordable as possible. The online Doctor of Business Administration follows the doctoral program tuition rate, which appears at the top of this webpage. We also offer scholarships for eligible students, an interest-free monthly payment plan, and no-cost digital materials in place of most textbooks to help make your education more affordable.
You don't need to have majored in a specific area to be successful in this UMGC doctoral degree. You are expected to have supervisory management experience and demonstrated leadership ability. And you must meet significant program admission requirements before being admitted to the prerequisite course. Follow this step-by-step process to send in your doctoral application:
- Submit your application
- Complete an interview (if necessary)
- Send in your supplemental documentation
Complete and pass (with a B or higher) a prerequisite course called Foundations of Doctoral Studies to be admitted to the program.
Please note: GMAT or GRE scores are not required for the application.
A PhD is a discipline-oriented research degree with a narrow focus designed to train you for a role as a researcher or faculty member in a specific academic area. The DBA is for practitioners who will learn to acquire, appraise, analyze, apply, and assess information for complex decision-making in professional settings. The traditional career path for a PhD graduate is in the academic world, while the traditional career path for a DBA graduate is a management practitioner in specialties associated with a broad range of professions.
If you earn a DBA, you may be qualified to teach at the community college or university level. However, this program is not designed for students who aspire to obtain tenure-track positions at research universities.
Yes. UMGC is regionally accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, UMGC is a public state university in the University System of Maryland.
In addition, the DBA program (as well as the MBA) is accredited by the IACBE.
Upon acceptance into the doctoral degree program, DBA students are expected to make progress through each course in a common group called a cohort. As they progress through the program together, they build helpful working relationships with one another and support one another’s development. Beyond their cohort, students in the doctoral program are also members of the broader practitioner-scholar learning community that includes other doctoral students, UMGC faculty, and doctoral alumni.
Only the prerequisite course (DBA 600) is offered in the summer term. All other content courses and dissertation courses required for the Doctor of Business Administration are offered three times per year: fall, winter, and spring. Selected online summer workshops are offered periodically between July and September.
To find previously published doctoral research, visit the UMGC Library’s curated section for doctoral students.
No. DBA courses are not available for enrollment until successful completion of the pre-admission course, (3 Credits, DBA 600). This is the only doctoral-level course that can be taken prior to official admission to the doctoral program. A complete application for admission, including the documents outlined above in the Program Admission Requirements section, must be submitted by the application deadline in order to be considered for this course (application deadlines shown above).
No. Applicants to the DBA program and prospective students do not have access to the UMGC Library. Please visit this guide to peer-reviewed articles and the UMGC Library guide for more information about finding scholarly articles.
You may contact the Department of Business Administration in the School of Business at busadmindept@umgc.edu for additional information about the prerequisite course—(3 Credits, DBA 600)—and the DBA program.
