Curriculum & Course Descriptions
Classes begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Some class days will include optional after-hours study sessions and networking events.
Program Design
This six-semester program is designed to teach students to be better problem-solvers, by learning and applying rigorous research methods, and more effective business leaders through active networking and coursework.
To produce better problem-solvers, in the first semester students engage in coursework focusing on the philosophy of research, qualitative research methods, and an online refresher course in statistics, to prepare students for their quantitative method course. In the second semester, students begin their first quantitative research methods course, finalize their instruction in qualitative research methods, and begin a group research project consisting of two to three persons under the supervision of a senior researcher. The research topic for this project is determined by the group and their advisor and may address any contemporary business issue. In the third semester, students finish their quantitative research methods instruction and complete their group research project with the objective of publishing the results. During the fourth, fifth and sixth semesters, each student produces and defends a doctoral thesis, also with the objective of publication.
To create more effective business leaders, throughout the six semesters students participate in courses on leadership, decision-making, managing organizations, digital transformation, business topics & theory, and evidence-based management. Networking opportunities are also created through social gatherings, lunch and learn sessions, and helpful workshops on various topics.
Dissertation
Students will develop a proposal to investigate cross-functional business problems that are of strategic importance to their firms. They will be required to apply relevant interdisciplinary theories to inform their investigation and to apply a suitable mix of quantitative and qualitative methods for their research design, data collection and analysis. Based on their research, each student is expected to make a significant contribution to the understanding of practice at the senior management level.
The student will prepare a written proposal for the dissertation, which will be evaluated by their dissertation advisor in terms of significance of the problem being investigated, suitability of theories being applied, research design and data analysis. Based on the research conducted and feedback obtained during the research process, the student will prepare the final dissertation and submit it for review. In addition, the student will present the dissertation in an oral defense.
To complete the requirements of the DBA degree, students must pass an oral defense and obtain approval of the final written dissertation by their committee. By the end of the final, sixth semester of the program, if a student has not completed their dissertation or successfully defended, they have an addition two years to complete and defend. During these additional semesters, students are not enrolled in coursework, but instead solely focus on finishing their dissertation. Additional tuition is required for the additional semesters.
Semester 1
3 courses | 9 hours
Semester 1 | 3 hours
Leadership is critical for creating and sustaining value in organizations. The academic investigation of leadership focuses on: 1) What is leadership? 2) What are human values? 3) What is the relation between leadership and human values? The course examines these questions to help students untangle concepts of leadership, authority, and status; understand the competing human values in leadership theories; identify the boundary conditions that pertain to leadership theories; and, strike an appropriate balance between learning about leadership and learning to lead. The course favors the practical over the theoretical and focuses on theories supported by evidence, including adaptive leadership, transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and competing values leadership.
Semester 1 | 3 hours
This course explores the different forms of engaged scholarship. It focuses on the research process that can enable students to generate both scholarly contributions and practical knowledge, which is at the core of Robinson’s Executive Doctorate program. The course is designed to enable students to develop a research focus and understand the research process. It examines the roles of theory and models in the research process and the differences between variance and process models. Students learn how to formulate a problem, motivate a research question, synthesize relevant literatures, draw on relevant theoretical perspectives, and develop variance and process models.
Semester 1 | 3 hours
This course introduces the student to qualitative research approaches, including action research, case study research, ethnographic research, and grounded theory. Relative strengths and weaknesses are discussed along with examples of how each approach has been used in practice. The course introduces several data collection techniques that are widely used in qualitative research, namely interviews, participant observation, fieldwork, and using documents. Research design issues associated with qualitative or small sample studies are discussed. Issues such as reliability and validity are explored. The differences between positivist, interpretivist, and critical perspectives are discussed. In addition, students are introduced to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) Process.
Semester 3
3 courses | 9 hours
Semester 3 | 3 hours
This course examines the theory and practice of managing organizations. The focus is on achieving coordination and cooperation among autonomous and self-interested, yet interdependent parties in constantly changing environments. Dominant management and organization theories are examined and applied to real-world issues within different industrial contexts. The course introduces the students to a select variety of theoretical frameworks, it investigates the possible roles of such frameworks in designing engaged scholarship research, and it engages all students in exploring specific management and organization theories that are relevant for their research interests.
Semester 3 | 3 hours
This course introduces students to quantitative methods such as experiments, field studies, and use of secondary data. It strengthens student’s ability to design and execute quantitative research with an emphasis on construct measurement (i.e., development of measurement scales associated with key variables of interest) and topics such as theoretical modeling, framing research questions, developing hypotheses, model refinement, reliability, scientific validity, and statistical conclusion validity. The course reinforces the knowledge base first developed in Quantitative Research I (EDB 9080) with focus on univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistics (t-test, the ANOVA family, correlations, factor analysis, and OLS regression), nonparametric statistics, and structural equation modeling.
Semester 3 | 3 hours
This course is a workshop-oriented forum in which students will meet with their peers and the faculty to discuss obstacles encountered in their research as well as solutions for how to overcome them.
Semester 5
3 courses | 9 hours
Semester 5 | 3 hours
Although executives make decisions continually, many are unaware of the cognitive and organizational processes that influence the outcome. This course examines human factors that guide executive decision making. It also explores organizational influences on executive decisions, including structural, social and political forces. It investigates the actions executives can take to address their shortcomings as well as organizational limitations that affect executive performance.
Semesters 4,5 & 6 | 3 hours
During the last three semesters students will register for a total of 12 hours of independent dissertation work aimed at addressing a contemporary business problem. During this period, students will be expected to develop and defend a proposal, organize an independent research project, and write and defend a coherent dissertation. This course may be taken multiple times for credit.
Semesters 4,5 & 6 | 3 hours
During the last three semesters students will register for a total of 12 hours of independent dissertation work aimed at addressing a contemporary business problem. During this period, students will be expected to develop and defend a proposal, organize an independent research project, and write and defend a coherent dissertation. This course may be taken multiple times for credit.
Semester 2
3 courses | 9 hours
Semester 2 | 3 hours
This course provides concepts and tools for qualitative data analysis. The course exposes students to a variety of approaches, including hermeneutics, semiotics, narrative analysis, and content analysis, with particular emphasis on grounded theory and case study research. Students are introduced to grounded theory coding, memo writing, theoretical sampling, saturation, sorting, and use of qualitative data analysis software. Various techniques for analyzing case study evidence are explored including pattern matching, explanation building, and within-case and cross-case analysis. Perspectives on what it means to draw conclusions and build theory from qualitative data are explored. The course concludes with guidance on how to write and publish qualitative research.
Semester 2 | 3 hours
This course provides students with a command of the core concepts and tools needed to design quantitative studies and to collect, evaluate and analyze quantitative data. The course covers empirical data collection methods, such as surveys. It also covers sampling techniques, various types of data and appropriate analytical techniques. These include an introduction to univariate and bivariate statistics (i.e., chi-square, t- and z- tests, the ANOVA family, correlation, and regression). In addition, the course helps students gain proficiency in using SPSS software to analyze and interpret empirical results.
Semester 2 | 3 hours
This course is a workshop-oriented forum in which students will meet with their peers and the faculty to discuss obstacles encountered in their research as well as solutions for how to overcome them.
Semester 4
3 courses | 9 hours
Semester 4 | 3 hours
This course is structured to understand how and why firms can transform themselves to leverage the paradigm shifts brought about by the digital technology disruptive trends to succeed in the twenty-first century. This entails putting the customers at the organization's center, rethinking traditional communication and delivery channels, and cultivating an organization structure and culture that appreciates data, technology, and business process innovations. The understanding of industry developments will be complemented with research developments in the field. The overarching goal is to get a balanced perspective of the practical and research aspects of major topics related to digital transformation.
Semester 4 | 3 hours
This course teaches students 1) how to identify a business topic in the academic literature as basis for engaged scholarship research into a contemporary, practical business problem and 2) how to apply systematic methods to sample and review relevant literature about that business topic as basis for positioning the engaged scholarship research for contribution to the literature. The course builds on state-of-the-art methods for designing and presenting literature reviews and it provides exemplar literature review publications from different business disciplines. The course is organized through joint seminars and individual projects in which students develop a review of a select business topic and related theory as basis for their dissertation research.
Semesters 4,5 & 6 | 3 hours
During the last three semesters students will register for a total of 12 hours of independent dissertation work aimed at addressing a contemporary business problem. During this period, students will be expected to develop and defend a proposal, organize an independent research project, and write and defend a coherent dissertation. This course may be taken multiple times for credit.
Semester 6
3 courses | 9 hours
Semester 6 | 3 hours
This course develops the students knowledge and skills related to the role of scientific and organizational evidence in management thinking and decision making. Students will learn to recognize management practices based on habit, fads, convention and unrealistic levels of confidence and how to improve these practices with principles based on relevant scientific findings and unbiased organizational facts. Students will learn how to: identify, access, and use an organizations data challenges; create decision-making information from organizational facts; and find, appraise, interpret and apply scientific evidence as managers.
Semester 6 | 3 hours
This course develops an understanding of the role of executive doctorates in the creation and dissemination of new knowledge. Among the topics to be covered are how to develop a program of research to create knowledge within particular domains of theory and practice; approaches to present, discuss, and defend the results of rigorous engaged scholarship; methods of knowledge dissemination including publication in internal (e.g. white papers) and external (e.g. practitioner or academic publications) outlets; and the process of crafting engaged scholarship research for dissemination through these various outlets.
Semesters 4,5 & 6 | 3 hours
During the last three semesters students will register for a total of 12 hours of independent dissertation work aimed at addressing a contemporary business problem. During this period, students will be expected to develop and defend a proposal, organize an independent research project, and write and defend a coherent dissertation. This course may be taken multiple times for credit.
Contacts
Stephanie Urbas
assistant director
[email protected]