Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Course Descriptions
Required Core Courses, Elective Courses, and Seminar Descriptions (45 Credits)
ADM 8000 – Doctoral Level Success 1.5 Credits
To be successful in the online, doctoral level degree programs at Apollos University, students need to possess a core set of skills. This course provides new students with an overview of these core skills, focusing on 4 specific items: navigating the Apollos systems and expectations; Apollos policies and procedures; student services and university resources; and the LIRN Library Database.
ADM 8001 – Mid Program Qualifying Examination 1 CREDIT
This examination is taken after the student has successfully completed the equivalent of one year of full-time enrollment in the DBA program. The examination will be taken online and consist of two sections, a multiple choice section that measures knowledge of the material covered in the basic degree program courses and a written part that measures the student’s qualifications to continue and successfully complete the program.
ADM 8002 – Comprehensive Examination 1 CREDIT
This examination is taken after the student has successfully completed all core courses. The examination is a comprehensive review of the course material taken during the DBA program and is designed to demonstrate the student’s academic and professional proficiency and mastery of the material. The examination will be taken online and consist of two sections, a multiple-choice section that measures knowledge of the material and the written part that measures application of the material.
BUS 5310 - Survey of Business Topics 3 Credits (Is a prerequisite course for students who hold a non-business master’s degree. This course does not count toward DBA degree credit requirements)
This course is designed for the student that does not hold a master’s degree in business. It explores the various disciplines of today’s business environment and provides the student with a detailed overview of the field of business management and how each one is related to the other. The disciplines that are surveyed include management, finance, accounting, economics, marketing, business law, procurement/contracts, human resources, and international business. The course is required for students that did not major in business in their applicable undergraduate or graduate programs.
BUS 5324 - Business Statistics and Decision Making 3 Credits (Prerequisite course for students who have not passed a statistics course with t minimum grade of a B and does not count toward DBA degree credit requirements)
The course familiarizes the student with the use of business statistical procedures for the purpose of generating decision-making information. Understanding the conceptual basis of the methods will be emphasized, which enables students to identify and apply the appropriate statistical procedure to the decision problem.
BUS 8300 – Corporate Managerial Finance and Accounting 3 Credits
This course addresses financial and accounting concepts and their applications to the management of an organization and presents a framework for financial decisions the organization. The student will analyze and evaluate the various managerial aspects of accounting and finance using an academic approach. The three key components of the course include an overview of accounting, an overview of the fundamental concepts of financial management, and the theories and applications that are closely tied to managerial accounting and finance. The student will then use the course assignments to gain practical exposure to such theories as capital structure, market efficiency, investments, risk/mitigation management, corporate restructuring, and corporate governance.
BUS 8310 – Survey of Global Business Opportunities and Issues 3 Credits
This course surveys and analyzes the major themes that are found within today’s international business environment. The student will be immersed into the four major subject areas of global business issues and strategies which are management, economics, political science, and strategy. The coursework encourages student to think critically about international issues through a combination of real-world case studies and group discussion of theoretical frameworks. The course provides the student with a global perspective that can be utilized as either a practitioner or as a scholar.
BUS 8320 – Survey of Business and Its Leaders 3 Credits
This course provides with business professional with a survey of the historical aspects of American business, its leaders, and the events of the world environment that helped mold the business world of the United States. The course places an emphasis on the historical aspects of the forces, both internal and external to the United States, create these opportunities and threats in which the businesses operated.
BUS 8330 – Ethical Leadership 3 Credits
This course examines business ethics and leadership from both theoretical and applied perspectives. The student uses fundamental ethical theory to analyze, discuss, and draw conclusions concerning contemporary business phenomena and current events. The course allows the student to examine differing ethical approaches to business issues such as corporate responsibility, corporate accountability, human resources, and international business through a variety of lenses. The focus throughout the course is on developing a baseline for ethical leadership.
BUS 8340 – Corporate Strategic Planning 3 Credits
This course focuses on creating the value proposition as a driver of sustainable competitive advantage. Topics include translating key emerging trends into business opportunities; strategic challenges of global expansion; opportunities and constraints posed by regulatory change; competitor intelligence; scenario planning/planning for multiple futures; maximizing core business value; differentiating the value proposition; distribution channel development and integration; tailoring the value chain; building successful strategic alliances; and off-shoring models and approaches. The course utilizes cases studies which affords the student the opportunity to simulate real world experience in the development and implementation of corporate strategy.
BUS 8350 – Supply Chain Management Design and Operations 3 Credits
This class provides the doctoral student with an in-depth survey of the engineering design and supplier integration strategies that are necessary in the design and development of the supply chain for purchasing, materials, and logistics systems. Course case studies include analyzing and critiquing the strategies used by various companies in the development of their supply chain system. Course topics included: engineering design & supplier strategies, supply chain design and cost management implications, supply chain management design & strategies, sustainability issues, supply chain analysis project, systems approach, global supply chain issues, and trends in supply chain design.
BUS 8360 – Marketing Strategy and Practice 3 Credits
This course addresses the key components of marketing strategy and tactics which are identification, analysis, and selection of target markets and planning, implementing, and evaluating a marketing strategy. The student will examine the major forces impacting marketing strategy, such as electronic marketing and multi-media marketing, face-to-face marketing, consumer trends, and competition. The Course Research Project for this class helps the student obtain practical marketing experience by performing research on a specific company or industry and then developing a marketing plan which incorporates the research as well as the student’s knowledge of marketing.
BUS 8371 – Leadership: Concepts and Theories 3 Credits
This course provides the student with an in-depth overview of the theories and concepts of leadership through behavior theory and business practice learning. The balancing of people and task-related skills necessary for influencing others to get their job done efficiently and effectively will be explored. Students will identify and hone their personal leadership skills, creativity, charisma, and other leadership skills that are necessary to be an effective leader.
BUS 8381 – International Financial Management 3 Credits
The course provides the student with a comprehensive survey of how international corporate financial markets work and how Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) tap international markets for raising capital, hedging risks and defining their investment decisions.
BUS 8390 – Project Management 3 Credits
This course surveys the field of project management and prepares the student to work in and lead a project team. The course surveys the tools to plan, monitor and control project schedules, manage resources, budgets and specifications. The assignments provide the opportunity for the student to learn to develop effective plans that first identify the need for a project and second identify the project scope, constraints, stakeholders, and risks/risk mitigation plans.
BUS 9300 – Topics of Human Resource Management 3 Credits
This course analyzes various aspects of human development and behavior such as human capital acquisition, development, and retention from theoretical, best practices, and business results perspectives. Through the use of the class discussions, case studies, and academic research, the student will gain an appreciation of the managerial aspects of personnel planning and job analysis, personnel selection, performance appraisal, and training and development from the vantage point of the manager. The Course Research Project offers the student with the opportunity to explore and synthesize such topics as establishing high performance cultures, systems dynamics models, innovative compensation and reward strategies, and return-on-investment metrics.
BUS 9310 – Organizational and Group Dynamics 3 Credits
This course examines the dimensions and culture of an organization and the group dynamics that help shape it. The leader’s role in developing, maintaining, or changing the culture is explored and the student will use case studies and journal articles to apply the tools that are discussed within the course. These tools provide the student with the ability to measure the dimensions of an organization’s culture. The overall theme of the course is to provide an opportunity for the students to analyze their own leadership attributes and to further develop their ability to lead the organization. The Course Research Project affords the student the opportunity to analyze and further develop their leadership attributes within their current or future professional environment.
CIS 9300 – Computers and Internet Applications Management 3 Credits
This course focuses on the organizational issues and applications that are related to developing IT strategy and managing IT staff and functions. It examines the research topics such as IT strategy formulation and business alignment; IT organization, structure, and governance; implementation and change management; organizational learning, knowledge and management; and an evaluation of the impact of IT on the organization.
DOC 8001 – Doctoral Research Seminar I APA Workshop 1.5 Credits
This is the first of four online seminars designed to provide the student with the knowledge and skills to perform sound research and document their findings in APA Style formats. Learning to write well is important and students can make great strides in stylistic improvement if they are constantly concerned with proper format. Therefore, this seminar is designed to provide the student with the skills needed to understand and master the stylistic requirements of the APA format.
DOC 8002 – Doctoral Research Seminar II 1.5 Credits
It provides the student with an in-depth overview of the doctoral research methodology. The seminar covers the following areas: research study methods; development of problem statements, research questions and hypotheses; testing methods; populations and samples; as well as the value of the research to the study on the student’s profession and society. The student will come away from the seminar with an outline and methodology plan that will evolve into the student’s doctoral dissertation project. (Prerequisite RES 9311)
DOC 8003 – Doctoral Research Seminar III 1.5 Credits
This seminar is designed to provide the doctoral student with an overview of the process and requirements for writing and submitting the dissertation proposal. The key focus in this seminar is the design of the sections of the dissertation with emphasis on the proposal requirements in Chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the Apollos dissertation format. The student will utilize the plan that was developed in DOC 8002 and work on expanding the outline of the first three chapters. (Prerequisite DOC 8002)
DOC 8004 – Doctoral Research Seminar IV (1.5 Credits)
This seminar is designed to facilitate the student’s understanding of the process and requirements needed to finalize the dissertation project. The student will receive an in-depth overview of the requirements for Chapters 4 and 5. The required content and format are reviewed and practiced. The student will develop a template for the final two chapters of their dissertation. (Prerequisite DOC 8003)
RES 9311 – Fundamentals of Business Research 3 Credits
This course surveys the fundamental data skills and analytical capabilities needed for graduate-level research. The focus is on reviewing published research using basic statistical techniques and determining the appropriate techniques for a given situation. It covers data mining and analysis, sampling, t-tests, analysis of variance, correlation and regression, and selected nonparametric tests. The student will obtain practical business research experience while completing the Course Research Project for the course.
RES 9312 – Advanced Study in Research Methods 3 Credits
This course presents an overview of the general approaches to research methodology for doctoral-level research. Learners investigate the quantitative, qualitative and mixed methodology approaches to rigorous scholarly inquiry in their field. Emphasis is placed on reliability, validity, dependability and ethical considerations for developing dissertation designs. The student analyzes the relevance and appropriateness of specific research methodologies for use in their dissertation. The Course Research Project for this course will build upon the project that was started in RES 9311 and affords the student the opportunity to apply the theories they are learning. (Prerequisite: RES 9311)
RES 9350 – Doctoral Dissertation Project I 3 Credits
This course is the first of three courses that are facilitated by the doctoral student’s chair. It is taken after the doctoral student has completed all required core courses including DOC seminars I, II, III, and IV and passed the DBA program comprehensive exam. The purpose of this course is to support the doctoral student in developing the proposal for the dissertation project. The student will be advised by the chair and potentially by the dissertation committee throughout this course. Primary emphasis of the course is placed on Chapter 2 of the proposal. The planned outcome of the course is to have an agreement by the student’s chair on a draft of Chapter 2 along with the outline of Chapters 1 and 3 of the student’s proposal. Prerequisites: ADM 8002 and DOC 8004. (This class can be retaken as needed.)
RES 9360 – Doctoral Dissertation Project II 3 Credits
This course is a directed study course and is intended for the student’s that have completed the draft of their dissertation proposal and received an agreement to proceed by the student’s chair. The areas of focus of this course will be the items that are needed in order to finalize the dissertation proposal. The course will provide the opportunity and information for the student to prepare and submit the Institutional Review Board Process (IRB) application and to complete the dissertation proposal. Prerequisite: RES 9350. (The course can be retaken as needed)
RES 9370 – Doctoral Dissertation Project III 3 Credits
This final project writing course is a directed study course and is intended for the doctoral student that has passed the dissertation proposal conference and completed the planned research for the dissertation. During this course the student will receive the support that is needed in order to revise, if needed, the proposal chapters 1, 2, and 3. The student will then complete chapters 4 and 5 and submit the draft of the dissertation project to the entire committee for review and approval. Prerequisites: RES 9360. (The course can be retaken as needed)
RES 9371 – Oral Presentation 0.5 Credits
The final step in the dissertation project is the successful completion of the Dissertation Committee Conference (Oral Defense). Once the dissertation is approved by the committee, the chair and committee format specialist will work with the student to ensure the dissertation manuscript will be ready to submit to the Apollos University for publication. Each member of the candidate’s committee will participate in the presentation and a final decision will be made by the majority of the committee as to approve the dissertation project or not. Prerequisites: RES 9370. (The course can be retaken as needed)