6 Reasons to Pursue a DBA Online

A group of business leaders
A group of business leaders

From increased salary potential and more job opportunities to cultivating leadership skills and learning to design and execute data-driven strategies, there are many reasons to pursue a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Online. An online DBA program is a strong asset for seasoned professionals who want to continue their education and broaden their career horizons. 

As a professional degree, a Doctor of Business Administration prepares students to transfer theoretical knowledge to real-world business decisions in the marketplace. In contrast to a Ph.D. in business, which emphasizes academic research, DBA coursework builds skills like management, problem solving and the critical thinking skills necessary to become an industry thought leader. 

DBA programs are built for mid- to senior-level professionals who have substantial experience in business management. These individuals want to apply their research and classroom learnings to their current and future jobs. They are likely interested in areas like business intelligence, data-driven decision making and innovation. Rather than pursuing careers in the classroom or academic research settings, DBA graduates put their knowledge into practice in organizations and corporations.

Consider six reasons to pursue an online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Business Intelligence so that you can bring positive change to your career, workplace and the business world.

 

Raise the Bar: DBA Graduates are in High Demand and Earn Higher Salaries

For professionals who have been working in their industries or positions for 10 to 15 years, earning a DBA online can be the catalyst for accessing senior-level roles. With a doctoral business administration degree, business professionals can prepare for C-suite leadership roles in various industries. DBA graduates are also well prepared for entrepreneurial career paths, business analysis and management consulting. 

The salaries for these high-level positions tend to represent a significant increase for professionals who earn promotions or new job opportunities upon earning a DBA. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, reports that the median annual wage for chief executives was $179,520 as of May 2021. 

While not all DBA graduates will earn a salary that high, the estimated salaries for many positions available to DBA graduates rise far above that of the average, full-time, salaried American worker, whose weekly earnings as of July 2022 were $1,041 (or $54,132 annually):

When it comes to job outlook, the future is bright for DBA degree holders. The standard rate of job growth between 2020 and 2030 is eight percent across all occupations according to the BLS. During the same period, professions available to DBA graduates should grow according to the following rates:

Whether DBA graduates are especially interested in positions like these or trying something else, the opportunities for doctoral degree holders in today’s marketplace are substantial. AACSB found that 97 percent of doctoral graduates who reported seeking employment received and accepted a full-time job offer within six months of graduation.


Build the Future: DBA Students Become Experts in Research-Driven Business Innovation

Modern business problems require cutting-edge solutions. An online DBA in Business Intelligence equips working professionals with a solid understanding of key areas like data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning so that they can stand at the forefront of creating and implementing those needed solutions. 

With courses constructed intentionally to make direct connections to the workplace, an online DBA incorporates up-to-date research to empower today’s business professionals to become tomorrow’s marketplace leaders. Graduates of an online DBA program will be prepared to perform essential leadership tasks in modern business, such as:

  • Developing ethical solutions to complex business and technology problems, including the emergence of artificial intelligence
  • Building an implementation plan for business intelligence in an organization
  • Assessing effective leadership practices needed for innovation and data-driven decision making

Since the DBA is designed to be highly practical, students complete final research projects that can be transferred into a workplace setting. The final project topic is up to the student based on his or her career path, interests and professional goals. By the time the project is complete, the student will have performed the type of research that business innovation requires, including scientific thinking, ethical considerations and integration of statistics.

 

Broaden the Scope: DBA Students Develop Strong Relationships with Colleagues and Faculty

One of the unique benefits of earning a DBA online is the opportunity it provides for students to meet professionals who live in other parts of the world and bring different perspectives to their work and studies. Additionally, students have the privilege of connecting with and learning from expert faculty with decades of experience and wisdom to share. 

In addition to hard skills like business intelligence and research, an online DBA program helps professionals further grow their soft skills like communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills. By developing relationships with faculty and colleagues across a range of industries, locations and career goals, DBA students increase their ability to collaborate and have productive discussions with others for the sake of business growth. 

 

Learn to Lead: DBA Online Students Develop Key Leadership Skills 

One of the key components of an online DBA program is the cultivation of leadership skills that can inspire organizational change. By gaining Business Intelligence knowledge, DBA students discover how to initiate and sustain positive growth and development in the organizations they lead. Not only do they learn how to do so by making data-driven decisions, but they discover how to take an ethical approach to leadership that leverages data to encourage strong collaboration, minimize and manage risk, and meet the needs of customers and consumers. 

For example, a DBA course on ethical leadership may include a curriculum that covers:

  • Examining ethical theories and concepts applied to leadership in real-world situations
  • Considering the implications of quality leadership in business and government settings
  • Understanding ethical leadership for social and organizational change
  • Discussing the leader’s role as a moral agent
  • Discovering the role of an organization as a moral agent in society

Through a DBA online program, professionals learn how to live as leaders who take an ethical, intelligent approach to every business decision.

 

Design Your Days: DBA Online Students Study When it Works for Them

One of the greatest benefits of an online DBA program is its entirely digital, flexible coursework. Just as many working professionals today want to have agency in their working location and hours — perhaps choosing to work in the office some days and at home for others, or opting for entirely remote positions — the same can be said for the desire to study when and where it’s best for the student. 

As the digital world continues to grow as a home for much of the work, innovation and growth that takes place in today’s marketplace, it only follows that opportunities for developing as a professional, like pursuing a business administration degree, would do the same. A fully-online, part-time degree that accommodates the personal and professional demands on a student’s life also fits well with the interdisciplinary, integrated approach taken in a DBA program. 

Rather than extracting students from their workplaces and having them focus solely on academics for years, the online model empowers students to integrate the leadership, business intelligence and innovation skills they are gaining through their coursework directly into their present positions and lives. The online model enables working professionals to advance their professional opportunities and develop as well-rounded business leaders without putting their careers on hold. 

 

Create Smarter Solutions: Discover How to Develop and Apply Business Intelligence Frameworks in the Marketplace

Are you ready to prepare for what’s next in the economy, an organization or corporation, and your career? Do you want to become an effective business leader who knows how to leverage business intelligence for the sake of organizational success? 

The online Doctorate of Business Administration in Business Intelligence from Marymount University Online was created for working professionals like you. Featuring an innovative curriculum, expert-level faculty members and a strong emphasis on students connecting and collaborating, the online DBA in BI from Marymount will equip you to lead intelligently and ethically. 

A 100 percent online program with no residencies required, the DBA in Business Intelligence offers intakes in both fall and spring. It can be completed in just under three years and is a cost-effective program. The curriculum includes content focused on key, high-demand skills like data visualization and data strategy through courses such as:

  • Maximizing Digital Transformation: Students develop strategies to best harness the strategic business value of digital technologies by examining the principles behind the design of business models for product and service delivery via digital platforms.
  • Artificial Intelligence Applications: Students examine the role of AI applications in business transformation and business intelligence, working with existing machine learning models and implementing tools to support business intelligence using available data. 

Become a BI expert with a DBA in BI from Marymount University Online.