Doctor of Philosophy in
Business Administration (PhD-BA),
Financial Management

This course is an introduction to the PhD–BA and a foundation for further doctoral-level study in business. The PhD–BA degree is designed to encourage you to become a scholar-practitioner, using business theory to inform further scholarly inquiry and make a positive impact on business practices. You’ll examine requirements for the degree—including each milestone and deliverable—and develop a plan for achieving your academic and research goals. Adding to this preparation will be an examination of modern trends in business theory and a mindset transition from being a consumer of knowledge to being a producer of knowledge.

Students will analyze and apply knowledge in twelve different varieties of business-related situations. The focus is on demonstrating core proficiencies in the following business areas: marketing, business finance, accounting, management, legal environment of business, economics, business ethics, global dimensions of business, information systems, quantitative techniques and statistics, leadership, and business applications. The intent is not to introduce these core business concepts, but rather to verify a graduate-level competency in each. The course includes a comprehensive case study that allows you to demonstrate your capabilities in all twelve components.

* Required course for Evaluation Track students.

It’s important for scholar-practitioners to understand both the internal and external influences on business, i.e., the business environment. In this course, you’ll examine theories related to those environmental factors, including management, organizational behavior, marketing, business ethics, and international business.

The allied fields of economics, accounting, and finance are key areas where a highly knowledgeable leader can greatly contribute to business success. Financial professionals secure and manage the money needed to run a business; economists determine how markets will react in certain situations; and accountants provide analysis and accountability to the entire process. This course prepares you with the information fluency needed to understand the theories and practices related to these critical knowledge areas.

This course is an overview of the theories involved in strategic business planning. You’ll explore the difference between strategic thinking and strategic planning, how to choose the right strategy for a specific business, and how to design a strategic plan. You’ll also learn to analyze customers and the competition, asking key questions to help design and tailor the most effective strategic plan for a given business.

This course engages you in the process of scholarly literature reviews and academic writing. You’ll focus on (a) conducting effective literature searches, specifically in preparation for the dissertation, (b) developing a plan for writing critical, comprehensive, research literature reviews, and (c) critically reviewing and writing about theory/conceptual frameworks as a foundation for your own future research. The goal is for you to conduct an exhaustive search of peer-reviewed research literature on your chosen topic and identify potential areas of inquiry for your dissertation.

This course focuses on the statistical mindset and skills needed to perform and interpret univariate inferential statistics. The course builds your statistical confidence and abilities in assessing and performing statistics. You’ll explore univariate parametric and non-parametric statistical tests, interpretation of statistical output, and how to select statistical tests based on quantitative research questions.

An exploration of advanced statistical principles and how to apply them to quantitative research in the study of organizations. You’ll receive an overview of advanced statistical concepts used in empirical research (including inferential analysis), and you’ll perform advanced computations using common statistical software. The focus is on helping you build scholarly skills in understanding multivariate data, using and evaluating sophisticated statistical concepts, and presenting statistical results.

This course teaches you how to design quantitative studies, analyze the data collected, and interpret the results of data analyses. The goal is to explore designs and statistical techniques to use with your envisioned dissertation research.

An examination of qualitative methods for studying human behavior, including grounded theory, narrative analysis, ethnography, mixed methods, and case studies. The objective is to explore designs and methodologies to use with your envisioned research.

The Pre-Candidacy Prospectus is intended to ensure you’ve mastered your discipline prior to candidacy status, and that you’ve demonstrated the ability to design empirical research before moving on to your dissertation coursework. You’ll demonstrate your ability to synthesize empirical, peer-reviewed research to support all course assignments. The Pre-Candidacy Prospectus is completed only after all foundation, specialization, and research courses have been completed.

Students in this course will be required to complete chapter 1 of their dissertation proposal, including the following: a review of literature with substantiating evidence of the problem, the research purpose and questions, the intended methodological design and approach, and the significance of the study. A completed, committee-approved chapter 1 is required to pass the course. If you don’t receive approval to minimum standards, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary 8-week courses to finalize and gain approval of chapter 1.

In this course, you’ll work on completing chapters 1-3 of your dissertation proposal and receiving committee approval for the dissertation proposal (DP). Chapter 2 consists of the literature review, while chapter 3 covers the research methodology and design, including population, sample, measurement instruments, data collection and analysis, limitations, and ethical considerations. Completed, committee-approved chapters 2 and 3 are required to pass the course, as is a final approved dissertation proposal. If you don’t receive approval to minimum standards, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary 8-week courses to finalize and gain approval of  these requirements.

In this course, you’ll prepare, submit, and obtain approval of your Institutional Review Board (IRB) application. You’ll also collect data and submit a final study closure form to the IRB. If you’re still collecting data at the end of the 12-week course, you’ll be able to take up to three supplementary 8-week courses to complete data collection and file your IRB study closure form.

In this dissertation course, you’ll work on completing chapters 4, 5, and your final dissertation manuscript. Specifically, you’ll complete your data analysis, prepare your study results, and present your findings with an oral defense and a completed manuscript. A completed, committee-approved dissertation manuscript and successful oral defense are required to complete the course and graduate. If you don’t receive approval for either or both, you can take up to three supplementary 8-week courses to finalize and gain approval.

It’s been said that to understand a business, one must understand the financial numbers. This course, building upon a basic understanding of accounting, serves as the springboard for understanding the financial health of a corporation, its operating environment, and the structure of interest rates and yield curves that can affect it. Central to this understanding is the concept of cash flow, where it comes from, and what influences it. Preparing financial statements, something learned in accounting, is not the same as understanding what they can reveal. This course provides the initial building blocks for understanding the financial strengths and weaknesses of a corporation.

Central to the understanding of investment portfolio management is the concept of risks and return, futures, swaps, valuation, and performance. Advanced investment components will be examined with an emphasis on financial markets, option valuations, international diversification, and pricing models. This course prepares you with the financial knowledge to make sound investment decisions. Shareholders, stakeholders, financial managers, and investors will all improve their ability to identify key sources of funding to grow their businesses and improve their investment returns.

This course examines the most advanced components of financial institutions with an emphasis on those related to academic research. You’ll review and assess relevant academic papers to prepare for writing in-depth papers on the primary topics within financial institutions. Your studies begin with an analysis of financial systems, statements, and institutions, then you’ll proceed with a careful examination of interest rate risk, credit risk, and derivative securities. Finally, you’ll conclude with an academic paper examination and the development of a presentation on financial institutions.

An examination of the most important components of financial statement analysis with an emphasis on those related to academic research. You’ll review and assess relevant academic papers to prepare for writing in-depth papers on the central topics of financial statement analysis. The course begins with an analysis of the balance sheet, income statement, and financial ratios, then it concludes with financial decomposition analysis and the impacts of financial leverage.

This course provides you with a complete review of the accounting principles and practices used in nonprofit organizations with a heavy focus on government accounting practices. The coursework on accounting principles and practices can be applied to hospitals, colleges and universities, health and welfare agencies, and other similar organizations. You’ll employ case studies, problem solving, and written research narratives to examine topics such as appropriations, budgetary accounting, financial conditions, auditing, fund accounting, and ethics.