See Courses & Program Info
View a complete list of courses, program-specific requirements, residency requirements, and more.
Admission to the DBA program is competitive. Meeting or exceeding the eligibility standards does not guarantee admission. You cannot enroll in any DBA program course in the program until your application has been reviewed and accepted by the department. All application packages are reviewed by DBA program faculty and staff.
You must submit the following documentation to admissions@umgc.edu along with your completed UMGC online application for admission before the posted deadlines:
- Official transcripts indicating the completion of a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from a UMGC-approved, accredited college or university*
- An up-to-date résumé or curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation from academic or professional references
- A 500–700-word statement of interest highlighting your goals, motivations, and desired area of specialization (finance; healthcare administration and management; human resource management; or marketing)
- No GMAT/GRE required (but accepted as optional material)
- A virtual interview may be required
*Please note: If your master’s degree was in a business or business-related field (such as business administration, accounting, finance, human resources, or marketing), you may be able to earn credit for the two introductory courses in the program, BMGT 600 and BMGT 601. If your master’s degree was in a non-business field, you will have to take those courses. For the purposes of this application process, UMGC references the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) definition of business and business-related programs.
This program requires a total of 51 credits.
Introductory Courses
- (3 Credits, BMGT 600)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 601)
Please note: If you have a master’s degree in a business discipline, you may be awarded credit for BMGT 600 and BMGT 601.
Core Courses
- (3 Credits, BMGT 610)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 800)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 805)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 830)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 810)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 815)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 835)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 840)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 845)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 801)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 820) or (3 Credits, BMGT 825)
Workshop Course
- (1 Credit, BMGT 900)
Please note: You will need to take this 1-credit course three times throughout the program, for a total of 3 credits. Within the workshop, your focus will align with the specialization you outlined in your admissions essay: finance; healthcare administration and management; human resource management; or marketing.
Applied Research/Dissertation Courses
- (3 Credits, BMGT 870)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 880)
- (3 Credits, BMGT 895)
You must follow the course progression requirements below to advance in the program.
- Take (3 Credits, BMGT 600) and (3 Credits, BMGT 601) as the first courses in the program (if those two courses are required for you based on the master’s degree requirement for admission).
- Take (3 Credits, BMGT 610) and (3 Credits, BMGT 800) before attempting other core courses.
- For the remaining core courses, please pay attention to all course prerequisites.
- Complete all introductory courses (if applicable), core courses, and workshop courses before attempting the applied research project/dissertation courses.
- Complete each core course with a grade of B or better before enrolling in the first applied research project/dissertation course.
- Complete each applied research project/dissertation course with a grade of S to advance to the next course.
The DBA program includes intensive, interactive online workshops on current business topics, enriching the curriculum with real-world relevance, and providing you with practical learning experiences in the latter stages of your program. You’ll need to take the 1-credit course, DMGT 900, three times throughout the program for a total of 3 credits.
You may have the opportunity to attend a workshop on-site throughout the program, so you can meet and deepen your network of cohort members, faculty, and staff. However, the workshops are primarily online and in-person attendance is not required.
This information is for students who enroll in the 2026–2027 academic year. As this is the first year this program is offered, there will be no differing UMGC program requirements for previous years. To review information about related educational programs, visit our program catalog archive.
Gain Valuable Knowledge & Grow Your Network
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 can 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:
Our faculty members are experts in their fields and possess a wide range of professional experience. They are committed to helping you achieve the following:
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.
View Potential Course Project Examples
Identify a performance gap and design an evidence- and discipline-based intervention to address it. Deliver a formal report and concise executive presentation that defines the problem, presents data, proposes a solution, and documents its impact.
Create a set of practical tools business leaders can use—such as decision frameworks, organizational policies, checklists, templates, or playbooks—built from your discipline and/or industry-based research findings.
Create an interdisciplinary scholarly manuscript for a practitioner journal or professional conference. Frame a real-world organizational problem; explain the research, analytical methodology, and results; and highlight how the solution is replicable.
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.
This 51-credit online degree program is a doctorate designed for senior-level professionals that can help prepare you for leadership, management, and decision-making responsibilities. The DBA’s “skills-forward” approach is designed to help graduates navigate strategy sessions, executive coaching, board-level discussions, and special projects where organizational stakes and priorities are higher.
UMGC's online Doctor of Business Administration degree is a 51-credit program. Courses are offered each fall and spring. Depending on how many terms you register for each year, if you take a full-time course load, 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 must meet significant program admission requirements before being admitted to the program. If you’ve earned a master’s degree in a business-related area, you may be able to earn credits to give you a head start in the program.
The ACBSP definition for business or business-related programs includes business administration, accounting, finance, human resources, information management, international business, management, marketing, and more.
While not required for admission, the following professional experiences can help prepare you to succeed in UMGC’s online DBA program:
- Supervisory experience (teams, departments, projects), drawing on real management challenges and organizational dynamics
- Involvement in change initiatives, performance management, or talent, technology, or process development, where you had to influence behavior and outcomes
- Cross-functional projects, strategy work, or major implementations (e.g., new systems, market entries, restructuring) that required big-picture thinking
- Responsibility for setting goals, managing budgets or KPIs, and reporting results to senior leadership or clients
- Experience using data to make organizational decisions—building reports, interpreting metrics, or working with analysts.
- Professional writing (reports, proposals, policy documents, or presentations)
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.
The DBA program (as well as the MBA) is accredited by the IACBE. In addition, UMGC is also a member of the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).
To find previously published doctoral research, visit the UMGC Library’s curated section for doctoral students.
To find previous years’ DBA requirements, please refer to the catalog from the year you began your studies at UMGC.
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student, log in to your MyUMGC account and use your Academic Advisement Report to track your progress toward your degree and ensure you satisfy all requirements for graduation.
You may contact the Department of Business Administration in the School of Business at busadmindept@umgc.edu with any additional questions.
You may contact the Department of Business Administration in the School of Business at busadmindept@umgc.edu for additional information about the DBA program.