5 Reasons to Earn a DBA in Business Intelligence
Updated on October 15, 2024.
The business landscape is evolving and increasingly unpredictable. Digital acceleration, remote work, geopolitical uncertainty, a volatile financial market and other factors leave us wondering what’s next. Despite these fluctuating circumstances, there’s one guarantee for the future of business — organizations need leaders with business intelligence (BI) skills who can make data-informed decisions.
An online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Business Intelligence prepares you to meet today’s challenges with ethical leadership skills, actionable research and highly personalized coursework related to your specific career goals. The benefits of a DBA can get you ready for success in today’s business environment and prepare you for the future of an evolving business landscape.
What Is Business Intelligence?
Business intelligence is a discipline made up of many components. Organizations use BI and analytics to create a holistic view of business data and use this dashboard to communicate between teams, identify and eliminate operational inefficiencies, develop products and services faster and drive organizational change.
Professionals working in the field of BI perform several essential tasks that provide their companies with actionable insights, including the following:
- Business analytics
- Data mining
- Data visualization
- Data tools and infrastructure
- Best practices for data-driven decision making
Business Intelligence and the Future of Business
Technology is always evolving, and BI’s role in the workspace will continue to grow as a result of this evolution. The increasing prevalence of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) is providing organizations with increasingly large amounts of data. Additionally, the evolution of BI tools will allow BI to integrate even more smoothly into a company’s business strategies and make it more customizable. BI will be increasingly critical to an organization’s ability to maintain a competitive advantage.
Those equipped with a DBA in business intelligence will be able to rely on the knowledge and skills earned in their degree programs to adapt to these changes with their own business intelligence strategies.
What Is a DBA Degree?
Many professionals interested in business analytics pursue a DBA degree. A DBA degree is a postgraduate doctoral program designed for business professionals with experience in their industry. It’s often the next step for those with a master’s degree in a business-related program. A DBA in Business Analytics exists at the intersection of technology and business; it produces ethical business leaders with hard skills related to data analytics, cloud computing, AI and other relevant skills related to the latest technologies and methodologies.
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What Is the Difference Between a DBA and a PhD?
A DBA and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business are the highest credentials in business education. Both grant students doctoral degrees that allow them to engage in advanced study, examinations and research projects surrounding business administration. However, a comparison of a DBA vs. PhD in Business reveals different academic and career goals targeted.
A DBA is a professional degree that teaches students how to transfer theoretical knowledge to a real-world business setting. Students enrolled in a DBA intend to:
- Enhance their ability to solve business-related problems in their role
- Contribute to their management skills
- Gain critical skills through research methods
- Become a thought leader in their industry
- Network to build international connections
A PhD in Business is a theoretical research degree that allows students to develop original research related to business theory and models. Students enrolled in a PhD in Business intend to:
- Further their research abilities
- Pursue journal publications
- Learn business theory and academic applications
- Gain the certification necessary to teach in academic institutions
- Teach their knowledge to future business students
5 Reasons to Earn a DBA in Business Intelligence
There are numerous benefits of a DBA, including increased career options and the financial rewards of a DBA degree. Perhaps most important, DBA graduates can transform into ethical, conscious and influential leaders with practical skills to create a better world.
Whether a graduate improves health care outcomes, measures climate change efforts or becomes a key decision-maker in local government, a DBA in Business Intelligence opens a wealth of opportunities for them.
We identified five ways a DBA is worth it for business professionals to build skills, enhance career opportunities and make an impact on the future of business.
1. Develop Cutting-Edge Skills Related to Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
The world is changing, and the job market requires new skills in response. In the United States, there’s a high demand for professionals with skills in business intelligence and data analytics. Over the past few years, business intelligence has matured enough to make leaders with solid BI skills an important commodity. Because the C-suite has been slow to adapt to these skills, those who develop these competencies can stand out as forward-thinking business leaders. In addition to AI, data science and machine language skills, students enrolled in a DBA in Business Intelligence learn the following business intelligence processes:
- Data Mining: Using raw data sets, statistics and machine learning to locate trends in large databases
- Reporting: Communicating data analytics and results to executives, teams and stakeholders to build a strategy and make decisions
- Performance Metrics and Benchmarking: Comparing present business performance data to historical trends and tracking goals using dashboards
- Descriptive Analytics: Identifying what happened in the past based on preliminary data analysis
- Statistical Analysis: Exploring population data and other statistical information using descriptive analytics
- Data Visualization: Designing visual representations to make data easier to understand, including charts, graphs, imagery and histograms
- Visual Analysis: Examining data through graphic storytelling to make the findings, hypothesis and patterns clearer
- Data Preparation: Organizing and compiling data sources, determining measurements and cleaning and preparing data for data analysis
2. Make Strategic Data-Informed Decisions
Data-driven decision-making is the fuel that runs successful and efficient organizations. As a result, companies are doubling down on data analytics and increasingly investing in business intelligence. This trend shows no signs of stopping: The global market for big data and analytics (BDA) had a valuation of $225.3 billion in 2023 and is expected to hit $665.7 billion by 2033. The same sources show that the banking, manufacturing and professional services industries are making the most significant investments in BDA solutions.
Students enrolled in a DBA in Business Intelligence use BI tools to solve problems and direct organizational decisions. The practical coursework teaches DBA graduates how to:
- Use statistical methods to increase an organization’s operational efficiency
- Employ microeconomic and macroeconomic approaches to solve business problems from a global perspective
- Build cutting-edge platforms and dashboards to enable data-driven insights
- Communicate findings to key decision-makers
- Ensure that data collection is ethical, transparent and compliant with privacy regulations
3. Increase Job Opportunities and Career Mobility
One of the most immediate benefits of a DBA is access to advanced career opportunities. Mid- to senior-level business professionals working full time may pursue a DBA degree to progress into C-suite leadership roles. An online DBA prepares students for leadership roles across many favored industries, including professional, scientific and technical services; government; manufacturing; and health care and social assistance.
According to Indeed, some of the career paths DBA holders pursue include the following:
- CEO
- Business consultant
- Organizational development manager
- Business analyst
4. Earn a DBA Degree Salary and Increase Your Lifetime Earning Potential
The most tangible return on investment (ROI) for DBA students is increased earning potential. DBA graduates may advance in their careers and work as CEOs, senior business analysts and other top leadership roles. As of May 2023, the median annual wage for top executives in the United States was $206,680. In addition to C-suite roles, a DBA can lead to other well-paying jobs that allow individuals to use their BI knowledge and leadership skills to make an impact on business. The following common career paths for DBA graduates demonstrate the possible DBA degree salary range:
- Chief executive: $206,680
- Management consultant: $99,410
- Organizational development director: $125,040
- Senior business analyst: $108,450
5. Inspire Change as an Ethical Business Leader
Business leaders with experience and skills related to business intelligence can redefine their organizational strategy to prepare for the “What’s Next Economy.” Leaders with BI knowledge can inspire organizational change by determining key performance indicators (KPIs) for success, enhancing cross-team collaboration, better managing risk and compliance, launching impactful marketing campaigns and forecasting trends. These actions deliver a more profitable, efficient and intelligent business model.
In addition to enhancing operational efficiency, business leaders with BI skills are more conscious and ethical leaders. In an era of digital technology and regulation, ethics in data are top of mind. Organizations are under pressure to comply with new regulations and protect data. A DBA in BI helps leaders to:
- Define data standards and values
- Align the organizational mission to daily actions
- Determine data ownership and mitigate risk
- Use data to improve company culture and hire talent
- Build a data ethics dashboard
- Track impact and success over time
Case Study: A Business Intelligence Specialist Helps Hospitals During the Pandemic
There are numerous benefits of a DBA in Business Intelligence, including increased career options and the financial payoff.
Leaders used business intelligence and analytics during the COVID-19 pandemic as health care teams scrambled to forecast and contain the spread of the virus, improve patient outcomes and inform decisions. Sri Vijay is a business intelligence specialist on the Analytics and Decision Support team at North York General Hospital (NYGH) in Toronto, Canada. Vijay has used data and analytics to enable the hospital’s clinical staff and senior leadership to deliver better patient care.
“People across the organization reach out to me with problems, and I bring solutions to them through data and visualizations,” he says. Vijay provided lifesaving information to help hospitals prepare their staff during the pandemic. His team rapidly built and deployed a real-time COVID-19 dashboard using IBM Cognos Analytics and IBM PureData System for Analytics. The cutting-edge technologies and BI methodologies provided critical information that ultimately saved lives.
Lead the Data-Driven Future of Business With a DBA in Business Intelligence
Are you a highly motivated and passionate business leader interested in data, actionable insights and decision-making? Do you enjoy applying statistics and historical records to real-world challenges? Do you aspire to become an influential thought leader in your industry?
If so, consider the online DBA in Business Intelligence program at Marymount University. Business intelligence will position you as a leader in the modern marketplace. Our program teaches you to identify and act on opportunities to leverage data to inform decisions. In a personalized curriculum, you’ll engage in actionable research, developing strategies to navigate the changing economy and make decisions based on relevant data. In less than three years, you can graduate from our 100% online program. When you do, you’ll graduate fully equipped to lead at the intersection of business and technology, whatever comes next.
Prepare to lead and set digital strategy with a DBA in Business Intelligence.
Why Marymount University
Our interdisciplinary DBA program is highly personalized, allowing you to conduct original applied research directly related to your career goals. There are no residencies required, so you can advance your career without putting it on hold in our fully online and part-time format.
Marymount’s online DBA in Business Intelligence is:
- Cost-Effective: This part-time program costs $1,340 per credit hour, for a total tuition investment of $48,240.
- Accelerated: With intakes in the fall and spring, it’s possible to complete 36 credit hours needed to graduate in just under three years (eight terms).
Connected: Build connections with diverse, accomplished and supportive faculty based in the nation’s capital, home to the most educated workforce in the country.