KSU Coles College of Business - DBA Frequently Asked Questions



	Frequently Asked Questions

DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION



	Frequently Asked Questions We've concluded our information sessions for this year. You may learn more about our program by creating a Graduate Interest Page. The application period for the 2012 cohort is closed. We will begin accepting applications for the 2013 cohort in May 2012. Information Session dates for the 2013 cohort will be posted in spring 2012. We hope these questions and answers are helpful. If we've missed your question, please email dba@kennesaw.edu, and we will add it to this page. Questions Accreditation Is the KSU DBA program accredited? Application & Admission Process When does the application process start for May 2012? What is the cost to begin the application process? What is the admission process? What are the admission factors? What is the application deadline? Is the GMAT or GRE required? Is a writing sample required? Do you accept applicants from outside of Georgia? Is there a tuition difference? Do you accept applications from international applicants? Do you need transcripts from all schools or just my graduating institution? I do not have an MBA. Will this eliminate me from the program? How much experience is required? KSU DBA vs. PhD or Executive Doctorate Programs What is the difference between a DBA and a PhD? What is the difference between the KSU DBA and an executive doctorate degree? Does a DBA demand the same respect as a PhD? General Questions Please send me information about your program. Can you participate in the program even if you live far from campus? Will classes be recorded for downloads in the event individuals must travel for business reasons and not able to make a class? Global Scholars Network What is the Global Scholars Network? Graduate Interest (VIP) Page What is a Graduate Interest (VIP) Page and why should I complete it? Graduate Student Resources Do you have resources for Graduate Students? Information Sessions When are the information sessions, and how do I RSVP? Where are the information sessions held? Program Structure & Concentrations Is the program full-time or part-time? How is the program structured? What are the concentrations? Is there a choice of classes to enroll in each semester or is there a preset curriculum? Can the KSU DBA be earned on line? Is any part of your DBA program offered on-line? Is there any international student exchange, international residency, and/or international independent study? Do you accept any transfer credits from an MBA? Do you accept transfer credit from another doctoral program? Will the format be similar to an EMBA (Executive MBA) or traditional MBA? Student Profiles Do you have a profile of your DBA students? Technology Will I need a computer for the program? Tuition and Other Costs The tuition cost for the program in 2012 will be approximately $90,000. How is tuition paid? For what additional costs should I plan and budget? Are there stipends, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships? Are there fellowships or grants available? Is financial aid available? Answers Accreditation Is the KSU DBA program accredited? Yes. AACSB International - (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) the highest business education accrediting body in the world, has recognized our commitment to excellence. Application & Admission Process When does the application process start for May 2012? The application process for the May 2012 cohort begins in May 2011 with the first information session. Please create a Graduate Interest Page and RSVP to an information session. What is the cost to begin the admission process? The initial non-refundable application fee is $100. There is an additional non-refundable $100 fee for applicants invited to attend a research workshop (Step 3). What is the admission process? There is a five-step admission process, and we recommend you review the steps in detail on the Admission Process page. You would submit specific documents electronically at each step, and you are notified by email after a review of your documents whether you need to submit materials for the next step. Please DO NOT submit documents out of the step process, and DO NOT mail documents. We accept electronic submissions only. What are the admission factors? Admission is based on a number of factors including Academic record and professional experience Career objectives and research interests Commitment to an intellectually demanding program of study Letters of recommendation Overall standing compared to other applicants Quality and depth of your statement of research interest Number of vacancies in the program for a given year Back to top Admission decisions for each step are made only after receipt of required documents for that step. These documents, which are submitted electronically at the appropriate step, include the following: Resume Cover letter Official transcripts Statement of interest Two letters of recommendation Research Interest Overview (Step 3) Back to top What is the application deadline? Step 1 and Step 2 of the application process must be complete by November 1. Is the GMAT or GRE Required? No. Our admission decisions are based on the admission factors above. Is a writing sample required? We do not require, nor will we consider, writing samples Do you accept applicants from outside of Georgia? Is there a tuition difference? Yes, and there is no tuition difference. About 1/3 of our current students are from other states such as Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. Do you accept applications from international applicants? Yes. International applicants must submit additional documentation including an official evaluation of foreign credentials and your visa or legal status documentation. Visit the Graduate International Admissions page for more information Do you need transcripts from all schools or just my graduating institution? The transcript from my graduating institution does include the classes from the previous school. Yes. Kennesaw State University requires transcripts from all institutions. Some transcripts do not include grades from transferred classes. I do not have an MBA. Will this eliminate me from the program? Not in all cases. Students admitted to the DBA program should typically have a master’s degree, preferably in business or a related topic from an appropriately accredited institution. However, MBA degrees should be from AACSB accredited schools. Applications are also encouraged from applicants with a master’s degree in a non-business discipline, but additional preparation and/or coursework may be required. Prior to admission, the DBA selection committee will carefully review your academic and professional record to determine if any additional coursework maybe required. How much work experience is required? Successful applicants have a minimum of ten years of significant professional and/or senior level management experience with high levels of responsibility and expertise in the concentration area you choose. In Cohorts 1 and 2, students have an average of 23 years experience. If you do not have a minimum of 10 years of professional experience, please explain in your cover letter why other experience or qualifications compensate for an absence of professional experience. See the profile of Cohort 1 students. Back to top KSU DBA vs. PhD or Executive Doctorate Programs Which is right for me? DBA or PhD? The DBA and PhD are both doctoral degrees with a strong emphasis on research. The KSU DBA, however, is specifically designed for full-time business professionals allowing you to draw upon your real world experience. This, combined with traditional research skills, enables you to produce practical knowledge for business. What is the difference between the KSU DBA and an executive doctorate degree? The KSU DBA prepares students to pursue careers in tenure-track positions at AACSB accredited business institutions. Executive doctorates prepare students for a career as a business executive. Does a DBA degree demand the same respect as a PhD? Yes. As a matter of fact, Kennesaw State University’s Interim Provost and VP of Academic Affairs and former Coles College dean, Dr. Ken Harmon, has a Doctor of Business Administration degree. What is really of importance is that the degree is from an AACSB accredited institution, which Coles is. General Questions Please send me information about your program. Most of the information we have is on this web site. We encourage you to attend an informatin session or contact us if you have unanswered questions. Can you participate in the program even if you live far from campus? Yes. We have students who travel from a distance to attend, and the residency format accommodates the schedules of busy professionals. Attendance is expected at each on-campus session. The program tuition does not include transportation or living expenses to attend classes. About 1/3 of our current students are from other states such as Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Texas. Will classes be recorded for downloads in the event students must travel for business reasons and not able to make a class? No. Classes are not recorded for distribution. There are several reasons for this including intellectual property rights of our global scholars and that a large part of the learning in this program comes from participating in discussions. Back to top Global Scholars What are Global Scholars? KSU's DBA program utilizes the knowledge and talents of renowned scholars from universities around the world. Unlike most PhD programs, we do not rely solely on the expertise residing in our own faculty. We bring in global scholars who are experts and top researchers on the specific theories of business you learn about as part of the program. This insures you an academic education unmatched by most doctoral programs. Back to top Graduate Interest (VIP) Page What is a Graduate Interest (VIP) Page and why should I complete it? The Graduate Interest Page is on the Office of Graduate Admissions web site, and it is your opportunity to request information about graduate programs, including the DBA, at Kennesaw State University. By completing the form, we will create a VIP web page for you with all the information you have requested. Just fill in the form, enter a login and password, and click on the "Submit Information" button. We'll send you an email right away with the link to your VIP page. Additionally, your information will now be in the DBA database, and we can contact you when information sessions are scheduled. Graduate Student Resources Do you have resources for Graduate Students? Yes. Please visit the Office of Graduate Admissions Graduate Student Resources page for information about applying, checking the status of your application, career services, deadlines, financial aid, forms, graduate catalog, immunization requirements, international student resources, scholarship information, and VIP page login. Note the schedule of courses and tuition and fees do not apply to the DBA program. The tuition and fees for the DBA program for 2012 will be $83,475. Information Sessions When are the information sessions, and how do I RSVP? We will have information sessions between May and Oct 2011. Please create a Graduate Interest Page, and you may RSVP to one of the sessions. We strongly encourage you to attend an information session before applying so you can determine if this is, in fact, the best program for you. Where are the sessions held? At the KSU Center across I-75 from the Kennesaw State University main campus. Back to top Program Structure & Concentrations Is the program full-time or part-time? The KSU DBA is a full-time program for working adults. Almost all of our students maintain their full-time professional careers, and students spend approximately 20-25 hours a week in preparation for the residencies. This is a program for working professionals who either cannot or do not wish to leave work for an extended period to pursue a terminal degree in business. How is the Program Structured? The program structure covers three years with on-campus residencies. In addition to dissertation research, the third year includes a Career Transition Strategies course. What are the concentrations? Students choose from one of these four concentration areas: Accounting, Management, and Marketing. There are sub-specialties in each area, including business ethics, international business, family business, information systems, and sales. Are there a choice of classes to enroll in each semester or is there a preset curriculum? There is a mix of preset courses and electives. The first two years include both foundation and methods courses. Students will also begin working within a concentration area and may take courses in accounting, finance, management, or marketing. As you move through the second and third years, though, the program becomes much more self-directed through independent studies and working with discipline program coordinators and a dissertation supervisor and committee. Can the KSU DBA degree be earned on-line? No. It’s a residency program. Back to top Is any part of this program offered on-line? Individual classes are not offered on-line. However, the residencies are augmented by “on-line” course work and significant virtual collaboration and mentoring with your discipline program coordinator, Coles College doctoral faculty, global scholars, dissertation committee members, and classmates. Is there any international student exchange, international residency, and/or international independent study? Yes, on a case-by-case basis. Do you accept any transfer credits from an MBA? No. Do you accept any transfer credit from another doctoral program? No. Our program is a lock-step cohort design with students going through the program together. Will the format be similar to an EMBA (Executive MBA) or traditional MBA? No. The KSU DBA experience is quite different from the EMBA or MBA. Much of your effort will be in developing your own research skills and pursuing research problems of interest to you under the supervision and mentorship of doctoral faculty. While the program is cohort based, working in teams will be less a part of the learning experience than in an EMBA or MBA program. Instead, you will work in cohorts in the foundation and methods classes and then in smaller groups in the concentration areas. You will prepare individual papers in each course. Finally, you will conduct your dissertation research in supervised independent studies. Despite the focus on developing your own research agenda, though, we do anticipate that you would develop strong relationships among students and with faculty mentors for the purpose of sharing ideas and providing and receiving feedback on your work. These "support groups" are essential to successful completion of the program and certainly will make the program more enjoyable. Back to top Student Profiles Do you have a profile of you DBA students? Yes. We have a profile of Cohort 1 Technology Will I need a computer for the program? Yes. You will need a fairly current laptop you can bring to class. (Course software is provided for Windows Operating Systems only.) Back to top Tuition and Other Costs The tuition cost for the program in 2012 will be approximately $90,000. How is tuition paid? Tuition is paid each semester - January, June, and August, and a tuition payment schedule will be provided once accepted. Tuition is based on credit hours - the 1st year is six hours each in summer, fall, and spring; the 2nd year is nine hours each in fall and spring; and the 3rd year is six hours each in fall and spring. For what additional costs should I plan and budget? These costs will vary based on your particular situation. Additional costs might include A laptop computer to aid in your participation in the on-line and virtual components of the program, to support your research, and to use in class. (Course software is provided for Windows Operating Systems only.) Regular access to the Internet Transportation costs to and from Kennesaw State to attend residencies or to meet with faculty and/or dissertation committee members Accommodations and meals in the Kennesaw area if you are not from the Atlanta region (Breakfast and lunch is catered on class days.) Books and other materials not provided by the program A non-refundable $100 application fee A non-refundable $100 research workshop fee, if invited to attend step 3 A non-refundable $2,500 deposit if accepted, which is deducted from the total tuition Any institutional fees outside the program tuition and fees Are there stipends, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships? No. Students in our program are self-funded either with employer funds, loans, or personal funds. Since there is no teaching component, we don't offer teaching or research assistantship positions. You may, however, apply for adjunct positions with KSU or other universities. Are there fellowships or grants available? Not through the program, but see the financial aid web site: http://www.kennesaw.edu/financial_aid Is financial aid available? Yes. See the financial aid web site: http://www.kennesaw.edu/financial_aid/ Back to top



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