| Course Level | Credits | Brief Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master’s Credits (e.g., MS-BA, MS-AIB, MS-EI) | 500 | 30 | Graduate course from previous MS degree |
| Grad Core Courses | 700 | 21 | Graduate course from ASU |
| Required DBA Core — DBA 721, 722, 723 | 700 | 9 | Research methods courses |
| Independent Study ("Research in Action") — DBA 792 | 700 | 12 | Research proposal (with advisor) |
| Culminating Research (supervised work, dissertation) DBA 799 | 700 | 12 | Research work (with advisor) |
| TOTAL CREDITS | 84 |
DBA plan of study
Transform your organization and lead impactful changes in global supply chain practices. The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in supply chain management covers the core areas of logistics management, operations management, and supply management. Our hybrid structure allows students to spend one week on campus each semester for core courses and dissertation proposals and research, while completing the rest of the three-year program online.
- Years one and two: Take foundational courses in supply chain management theory and research methods, while working closely with advisors on dissertation proposals.
- Year three: Focus on dissertation research and development.
Credit structure
This DBA program consists of a minimum of 84 semester hours of approved graduate course work beyond the bachelor’s degree, consisting of 60 hours of formal graduate course work in residence at ASU, 12 hours of research, and 12 hours of dissertation.
The Department of Supply Chain Management requires doctoral students to follow a sequence of three required courses (9 credit hours) with remaining coursework selected in consultation with the advisor. Students who have completed a related master's-level graduate degree can potentially transfer up to 30 hours of credit to help satisfy the requirement of 60 hours of formal graduate course work at ASU.
Research in action
Students are expected to work with their advisors to develop research proposals toward their dissertation work. At the end of first year, all DBA students are required to submit a preliminary research proposal. Students are expected to work with the faculty advisors to continue to refine and finalize the research framework in the second year.
Proposal defense
All DBA students are required to complete and pass a proposal defense at the end of their second year.
Dissertation
Work on the dissertation should begin early in the program. Students will be required to select their dissertation research projects and develop their dissertation proposals under the direction of their faculty advisors. Once they have passed the proposal defense, they must complete the dissertation under the guidance of the dissertation committee, and conduct a final oral examination in defense of the dissertation following the guidelines established by the Division of Graduate Studies. Each student should complete the final oral examination within three years after passing the comprehensive examination.
Performance evaluation
All DBA students are required to complete a performance evaluation at the end of each academic year. Students will be evaluated on academic performance, quality of research and research relevance. The faculty advisors and dissertation committee will provide input on their performance.