Executive, D.B.A.

DBA Program of Study

Academic Regulations

1. Scholastic Warning and Termination
   Each student must maintain a 3.00 doctoral GPA (“B” average). The doctoral grade-point average (GPA) is defined as the GPA for all Executive DBA courses numbered 9000 or higher taken after admission to the Executive DBA program. A student whose doctoral GPA falls below 3.00 is on “scholastic warning.” After being placed on scholastic warning, a student must attain a 3.00 doctoral GPA within two consecutive calendar semesters; otherwise the individual will be terminated from Executive DBA studies in the Robinson College of Business. The doctoral GPA could differ from the GPA calculated by the university and reported on the student’s official transcript, since the university GPA would also include the grades from any graduate courses numbered 6000 or above taken at Georgia State University before admission to the Executive DBA program.
   A student who has been terminated from the Executive DBA program will not be permitted to reapply to or reenter the program.
2. Standards of Performance
   The requirements and regulations listed in this catalog refer to minimum standards of performance. The program may have additional requirements, as set forth in writing, that exceed the minimum standards published in this catalog. If a student fails to meet these additional requirements, the directors of the Executive DBA program may require that the student withdraw from Executive DBA study. To continue in the program, a student must make reasonable and timely progress toward the degree in terms of coursework completed.
   Beginning with the semester of acceptance, an Executive DBA student must register for a full load each semester (excluding summer semester unless the student has completed all coursework) until graduation. A full load is considered a minimum of nine semester hours. Students who are visa-holders may need to register for more hours and should discuss their status with the Office of International Student and Scholar Services. An additional Dissertation Seminar, DBA 9171  , may be used to satisfy this requirement until the student has passed the final dissertation defense. Students who fail to meet the continuous enrollment requirement are subject to withdrawal from Executive DBA studies in the Robinson College of Business.
   As stated in the previous section concerning continuous enrollment, students must enroll for a full course load each semester (excluding summers). Any absence from the program must be approved by the academic director. Students who leave the program without an approved request or who do not fulfill the terms of an approved request for an absence may not be allowed to re-enter the program. Any student who is not registered for one calendar year must file a re-entry application with the Registrar’s Office. Students must be mindful of the deadline for this application. There is a charge to file a re-entry application. As previously stated, reentry approval is not automatic and the student should check with the Executive DBA Program Office if considering re-entry.
3. The Dissertation
   The purpose of the dissertation is for the Executive DBA candidate to demonstrate ability to conduct research leading to a significant contribution in a chosen area of inquiry. Before a student begins to collect any primary data from human subjects, the student must make sure that all data collection, including surveys, is in compliance with the guidelines set out by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Included among these requirements is certification via an online test on ethical treatment of subjects. The IRB’s Human Subjects Manual is accessible online at ursa.research.gsu.edu/ursa/compliance/human-subjects/.
4. The Dissertation Committee
   The Dissertation Committee consists of a chair plus a minimum of two members. The committee, and any subsequent change in its membership, is appointed by the academic director of the Executive DBA program. Faculty from institutions other than Georgia State may serve as members of the committee, but at the time of the initial formation of the committee, there must be at least two Georgia State faculty on the committee. At least two committee members must be in good standing with respect to Georgia State graduate faculty status. Co-chair arrangements are not only acceptable, but even encouraged, especially in cases where one of the co-chairs is an assistant professor. When the student is ready to begin the initial work on the dissertation, he or she should first discuss with the Executive DBA academic director the names of potential faculty who would be the most appropriate chair of the Dissertation Committee. Only after the Executive DBA academic director has agreed with the student as to the choice of a particular faculty member should the student then invite the faculty member to be chair of the committee. Once the dissertation chair has been chosen, the chair, in consultation with the student, will recommend the selection of the remaining committee members to the Executive DBA academic director.
5. Dissertation Proposal and Dissertation Defense
   Prior to admission to candidacy for the degree, a dissertation proposal defense must be held. After the student completes a written proposal that the Dissertation Committee deems to be ready for final defense, a dissertation proposal defense will be held before the Dissertation Committee.
   The student’s dissertation proposal should include a summary of the following: the purpose of the study; the nature of the subject to be investigated and its importance; a brief review of the literature; the theory, if any, to be developed; the empirical methodology, techniques, and data sources, if any, to be used; the nature of the hypotheses to be developed or tested, where appropriate; and a time frame for completion of the dissertation.
   The proposal defense will be open to all interested faculty and doctoral (Executive DBA and Ph.D.) students. After the proposal defense has been held, the members of the committee will vote to determine if the student is deemed to have a satisfactory research topic. A unanimous decision by the student’s Dissertation Committee is required. The members of the committee will sign the dissertation proposal defense approval form.
   Submission of the approval form does not constitute a contractual agreement between the student and the Dissertation Committee. It is within the scope and function of the Dissertation Committee to recommend modifications to the research as it proceeds. Upon submission of the proposal defense approval form to the Executive DBA Program Office, the student is admitted to candidacy for the degree.
   Committee members should be given a draft of the proposal (and also the final dissertation) at least two weeks before the proposed defense date. This will permit a revision cycle to both improve the work before the defense and ensure that committee members have adequate time to comment and raise substantive issues, should this be the case. It will also allow the defense date to be postponed in the event that required changes could not be completed before the proposed defense date.
   When the candidate’s Dissertation Committee judges that the dissertation is complete, it must be defended orally in a final dissertation defense. At least two weeks in advance of the final dissertation defense, the student will inform the Executive DBA Program Office of the scheduled date of defense and an announcement will be made to all academic units. While any interested faculty member or graduate student may attend the examination and participate in the discussion, only those individuals who are members of the candidate’s Dissertation Committee will vote to approve or disapprove the dissertation. Upon successful defense of the dissertation, a dissertation defense approval form will be signed by the members of the Dissertation Committee and submitted to the Executive DBA Program Office. Unanimous approval is required. Guidelines for the dissertation are available from the Executive DBA Program Office.
6. Dissertation Embargo Policy
   Students may request a 3-month, 6-month, 9-month, or 12-month restriction of dissertation publishing (hereafter termed embargo). Requests must be made in writing to the dissertation chair/co-chairs prior to the electronic uploads of the dissertation to ProQuest/UMI and Georgia State University’s ScholarWorks Digital Archive Library. Written approval from the chair/co-chairs must be sent to the Executive DBA Program Office. Once the approval is received by the Executive DBA Program Office, the dissertation will not be published for the approved embargo period. The dissertation will be released for publishing after the embargo period ends.
7.  Dissertation Defense and Graduation
   When the candidate’s Dissertation Committee judges that the dissertation is complete, it must be defended orally in a final dissertation defense. While any interested faculty member or graduate student may attend the examination and participate in the discussion, only those individuals who are members of the candidate’s Dissertation Committee will vote to approve or disapprove the dissertation. Upon successful defense of the dissertation, a dissertation defense approval form will be signed by the members of the Dissertation Committee and submitted to the Executive DBA Program Office. Unanimous approval is required. An electronic copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Executive DBA Program Office two weeks prior to the anticipated date of graduation.

Time Limits for the Degree

The time limits specified below should be interpreted as the maximum amount of time students may take to complete each of the degree requirements. It is anticipated that most students will complete the requirements within the intended three years of study:

• All requirements for the Executive DBA degree, including the dissertation, must be completed within five years from the semester of entry into the Executive DBA program.
• Additional tuition will be required for any program of study in the Executive DBA program, including the dissertation, beyond three years.