UNC Charlotte pioneers first Doctorate in Business Administration in the Carolinas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Aug. 4, 2016 – UNC Charlotte and the Belk College of Business will pioneer the first Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program in the Carolinas. Led by Professor and Addison H. and Gertrude C. Reese Endowed Chair Franz Kellermanns, the DBA program is a professional doctoral degree taught in an executive format.

The Belk College program will enroll its first class in the fall of 2017 and will be exclusively attended by 20 doctoral candidates all with a master’s degree and more than five years of business experience. The Doctorate in Business Administration is a unique program in the UNC system and the only program of its type in the region, created for professionals who want to become professors, enhance their expertise, elevate their consulting credentials, or become corporate changes agents in their industries.

“The doctorate in business administration complements the wealth of graduate programs in the Belk College, including our nationally-ranked MBA, mathematical finance, accounting and economics programs. UNC Charlotte’s doctorate in business administration will foster a concentrated network of powerful business professionals, creating an elite group at the forefront of business. Our inaugural class will pioneer the first program of its kind in the Carolinas,” said Steven Ott, Dean of the Belk College of Business

UNC Charlotte is the region’s only urban research university, and the Belk College of Business has long been a driving force and partner in the economic growth of the greater Charlotte region, serving as a research partner and helping to address major business challenges by developing top-tier talent through our academic programs.

“There are currently very few options for business executive education beyond the master’s degree level in today’s business world. The explosion of data, complex technology, and the increasing complexities of operating in a rapidly changing global environment requires abilities that exceed the MBA or executive MBA level. Our Doctorate in Business Administration program curriculum is informed by corporate leaders in the Charlotte business community and their business problems and complexities,” says Jennifer Troyer, associate dean for graduate programs in the Belk College of Business.

The Belk College of Business developed the DBA in partnership with the business community to address this unmet need in the Carolinas and create a premier business-applicable degree taught in an executive format.

The DBA is a three-year (six-semester) program taught over one weekend per month to accommodate the needs of busy executives to allow them to continue to lead their organizations toward growth while advancing their education. Graduates of the program will gain an advanced level of knowledge in marketing, management, operations management and information systems.

As a cohort-based model, the program is designed to be highly personalized, and allow students to work closely with Belk College faculty and fellow leaders in business. Students will study independently and meet once a month for their residency at the state-of-the art UNC Charlotte Center City located in the heart of Uptown Charlotte.

UNC Charlotte’s national reputation and connection to the second largest financial center in the U.S. has attracted top professors from around the world. Students in the DBA program will have the advantage of working one-on-one with faculty who are making significant applied research contributions to their fields and top business organizations.

So far, the program has attracted motivated executives and professionals across a variety of disciplines, including banking, energy, defense, healthcare, manufacturing and education. “We have seen great interest from CEO’s, CFO’s, managing and senior directors, chief investment officers, senior economists and academics,” Troyer said. “We look forward to an exceptional first class next fall.”

For more information about the UNC Charlotte Belk College of Business Doctorate in Business Administration program, visit dba.uncc.edu.