Drive the Future of Business
A doctorate in business helps you go beyond simply applying business concepts to your work. It helps you cultivate advanced expertise in business and apply it at the highest levels of leadership. The online doctoral degree program in business at American College of Education (ACE) can help you focus on strategy, leadership, innovation and decision-making – the keys to leading teams and achieving successful business outcomes. If you want to think like a strategist, use data like an analyst and lead like an executive, this is the degree for you.
Skills and Knowledge Gained
ACE’s online doctorate in business is designed to sharpen you into a business professional that can analyze complex business problems and lead at a high level. The skills and knowledge you can gain from the program help you not just understand business but improve how it’s done. Here is a quick look at just some of what you’ll learn:
- Evaluating complex business environments
- Leveraging data and market trends to make long-term, high-stakes decisions
- Analyzing quantitative and/or qualitative data
- Diagnosing root causes of business issues
- Presenting complex ideas clearly to leadership
- Influencing stakeholders to guide and drive decisions
- Leading teams through change and ethical decision-making
Business Career Alignment
For mid-career or senior professionals, an online doctoral degree in business can help you operate at a more sophisticated leadership level, preparing you for executive-level roles such as vice president, senior vice president, president or the C-suite. It’s a good fit for those who feel that their leadership growth has plateaued or who are drawn toward solving bigger, more complex problems. It can also provide credibility for shifting careers toward consulting, thought leadership, or teaching and academia.
Doctoral Degree in Business Admission
Along with ACE’s general admission requirements, prospective doctoral students must have a minimum of a master’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Find detailed admission requirements for your program of interest on the program’s page.
Doctoral Graduate Success Stories
See how ACE’s affordable online doctoral degrees have helped our students elevate their careers and find success.
*Source: Student Right to Know
Doctoral Degree in Business FAQs
What is a doctorate in business?
A doctorate in business is the highest level of education you can earn in the business field. It moves beyond applying business concepts and focuses on creating new knowledge or applying advanced business expertise at the highest levels of leadership.
What is the difference between a DBA and a Ph.D. in Business?
Both degrees are doctorates within the field of business, but they are designed for different career trajectories. A Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is more practical and leadership-focused, where the research you do is applied to real-world business problems and you focus on strategy, leadership, innovation and decision-making. It aligns with professionals who seek executive, senior leadership, advisor or consultant roles.
A Ph.D. in Business is the more academic and research-focused path, where you study business at a deep, theoretical level. You’re trained to analyze data, publish studies and contribute new ideas to the field. This is the option that’s best suited for those who want to be university professors, researchers, or policy or economic analysts.
How long does it take to earn a doctorate in business?
Typically, you can complete a doctorate in business in anywhere between three to six years. A lot of it depends on how a school or program structures their dissertation process. The dissertation is often what can stall or delay a doctoral candidate from completing their degree. At ACE, the dissertation process is built into our doctoral program coursework, giving our doctoral candidates ongoing guidance from faculty as they develop and write their dissertation. As such, our doctorates can be completed in three years.*
Can you earn a doctorate in business online?
Yes! Improvements in technology, accreditation and program design have made it possible to earn many business degrees online, including doctorates in business. Additionally, the growing prevalence of online business degrees have shifted employer perspectives on them, with headhunters and recruiters often focusing less on how a degree was earned and more on the accreditation of the program paired with what the candidate can do. For more information on this, read our blog post on the perception of online business degrees.
What can you do with a doctorate in business?
An online doctoral degree in business can help you operate at a more sophisticated leadership level, preparing experienced professionals for executive-level roles such as vice president, senior vice president, president or the C-suite. It’s most valuable when you already have momentum in your career, and you’re aiming for roles where strategy, influence and complex decision-making matter.
*This is an estimated time to completion. Actual completion time may vary depending on the number of transfer credits applied, availability of courses, satisfactory pace, multiple course requests, successful course completion, and meeting program milestones as required.