Existing Executive DBA and Ph.D. Programs Vary Significantly in Terms of Commitment and Total Cost
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The UNC Policy Manual 400.1.1.5[G] Adopted05/23/12 Amended 04/16/14 APPENDIX C UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA REQUEST FOR AUTHORIZATION TO ESTABLISH A NEW DEGREE PROGRAM INSTRUCTIONS: Each proposal should include a 2-3 page executive summary. The signature of the Chancellor is required. Please submit one hard copy and an electronic copy of the proposal to the Office of the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at UNC General Administration. Date: February 13, 2015 Constituent Institution: The University of North Carolina at Charlotte CIP Discipline Specialty Title: Business Administration and Management, General CIP Discipline Specialty Number: 52.0201 Level: B ____ M ____ Res. Doc. ____ Prof. Doc. _X_ Exact Title of the Proposed Degree: Doctor of Business Administration Exact Degree Abbreviation (e.g., B.S., B.A., M.A., M.S., Ed.D., Ph.D.): D.B.A. Does the proposed program constitute a substantive change as defined by SACS? Yes __X__ No _____ The current SACS Substantive Change Policy Statement may be viewed at: http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/081705/Substantive%20Change%20policy.pd If yes, please briefly explain. As required by the Policy Statement on Substantive Change for Accredited Institutions of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) is required to submit a letter of notification prior to implementation for new degree programs. Notification of this new degree program will be provided to SACS after approval by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors and prior to implementation. Proposed date to enroll first students in degree program: Month August Year 2015 Are there plans to offer 50% or more of program credit hours to students off-campus or online? Yes _____ No __X__ If yes, complete the form to be used to request establishment of a distance education program and submit it along with this request. Note: If a degree program has not been approved by the Board of Governors, its approval for alternative, online, or distance delivery must wait until BOG program approval is received. (400.1.1[R], page 3) The program will be offered on the UNC Charlotte Main Campus and the UNC Charlotte Center City Building. There are no plans to offer the program in any other locations. Page 1 of 59 The UNC Policy Manual 400.1.1.5[G] Adopted05/23/12 Amended 04/16/14 Provide a summary of the status of this proposal in your campus review processes. a. List the campus bodies that reviewed and commented on this Appendix C proposal before submission to UNC General Administration. What were there determinations? Include any votes, if applicable. The following campus bodies reviewed this Appendix C proposal before submission to UNC General Administration: Campus Body Action Votes, If Applicable Doctor of Business Planning Approved 5 for, 0 against Committee Belk College Graduate Approved 7 for, 0 against Council Belk College Graduate Faculty Approved 39 for, 0 against Belk College Dean’s Office Approved n/a UNC Charlotte Graduate Approved 9 for, 0 against Council Dean of the Graduate School Approved n/a Provost’s Office Approved n/a Chancellor’s Office Approved n/a b. Summarize any issues, concerns or opposition raised throughout the campus process and comment periods. Describe revisions made to address areas of concern. The UNC Graduate Council reviewed Appendix A and was broadly supportive of the proposed executive DBA program. The concerns they expressed primarily focused on student and societal demand and who can serve on the program’s dissertation committees. These concerns have been addressed and accounted for in this Request for Authorization to Establish a New Degree Program. The Belk College Graduate Council (BCGC) considered Appendix C at the request of the DBA Planning Committee. The BCGC unanimously voted in favor of the proposal pending two key sets of revisions, which have been made. First, BCGC asked that the titles and course descriptions for some courses be modified to more closely reflect the content in the syllabi provided. Second, BCGC recommended that the planning committee consider adding an accounting track after the program becomes operational. The BCGC submitted Appendix C to the Belk College graduate faculty for their review. At the faculty meeting, the Belk College graduate faculty unanimously voted in favor or the proposal. No significant issues, concerns, or opposition were raised. The Belk College submitted Appendix C to the UNC Charlotte Graduate Council for their review. The Graduate Council requested more details about the program structure and funding, both of which were addressed in the on-campus approval form and budget. Following the Graduate Council meeting, the DBA proposal was approved unanimously. Page 2 of 59 The UNC Policy Manual 400.1.1.5[G] Adopted05/23/12 Amended 04/16/14 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Overview: The proposed Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a professional degree taught in an executive format that will provide doctoral-level preparation for senior-level business professionals who wish to enhance their understanding of business theory, integrate cutting edge business theory and practice, and learn to address complex business problems through advanced research methodology. The purpose of this doctoral program is to provide a sound theoretical grounding and understanding of research methodology to address emerging issues in the practice of business. More than a Ph.D., the executive DBA is broad in scope, cutting across business disciplines to address applied problems facing executives in the workplace. The executive DBA emphasizes the testing, application, and extension of existing theory more than the development of theory. The proposed executive DBA program will target a select group of senior executives who hold an MBA or a master’s degree in a related field and have extensive business experience but who do not want to leave their careers to pursue a full-time Ph.D. Individuals who are attracted to the executive DBA often seek to deepen their overall business knowledge and understanding of high-level research skills in order to better address the complex challenges facing them in today’s dynamic business environment. Others pursue the executive DBA as a means of transitioning into a career in higher education or to enhance their expertise for a career in consulting. Need for the program: Few options for business executive education beyond the master’s degree level currently exist. This is particularly true for executives who choose to pursue advanced education while still fully employed. However, senior executives who participate in executive education frequently request information about furthering their education beyond the MBA or specialized business master’s degree. The explosion of data, complex technology, and the increasing complexities of operating in a rapidly changing global environment require abilities that exceed the MBA or executive MBA level. There has been an evolution of executive education needs from the bachelor’s degree to the MBA/Executive MBA (EMBA). While the primary focus for the proposed executive DBA program will be senior executives pursuing career goals in industry or consulting, there are also opportunities to attract senior executives who plan at some point in their careers to transition into higher education. The shortage of doctoral faculty in business was identified by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International Management Education Task Force (METF) in the document, Management Education at Risk and was further analyzed by the Doctoral Faculty Commission (DFC) and reported in Sustaining Scholarship in Business School. Expanding doctoral programs for executives was presented as a key strategy to address the faculty needs of business schools with non-research missions and to augment the teaching capacity in research focused business schools. Executive doctoral programs are gaining traction in the U.S. as evidenced by the increasing number of universities offering these programs and the discussion of these programs by the news media, businesses, and business accrediting organizations like AACSB International. The demand for doctorates in industry has long been the norm in Europe. In an effort to gain information about demand for the proposed executive DBA, the program concept and an outline of the program was presented to the Belk College Board of Advisors. The reaction to the proposed executive DBA was favorable and subsequent meetings with individual members confirmed that Board members may have a personal interest in the executive DBA program. They were also interested in making this educational opportunity available to top executives in their companies. Page 3 of 59 The UNC Policy Manual 400.1.1.5[G] Adopted05/23/12 Amended 04/16/14 To establish demand for the executive DBA, the Belk College of Business initiated a three-phase demand analysis consisting of a review of secondary sources of information and existing program websites, in- depth interviews with 25 potential students and five human resource executives in major Charlotte-region companies and a survey of alumni from the Belk College MBA and specialized master’s programs. Hanover Research conducted the secondary research and alumni studies. A local consultant conducted the in-depth interviews. Findings from the three research efforts included: A growing number of American EDBA programs attract highly qualified students from around the country and world. Current programs have successfully grown and maintained student enrollment. In in-depth interviews respondents suggested that they knew very little about executive doctorate programs. However, 60 percent of the prospective students (15 individuals) interviewed expressed some interest in the program. Most indicated they would need more information about the specific program that would be offered by the Belk College before making a decision. Of the 99 alumni who responded to the Belk College alumni survey, approximately one third (31 respondents) indicated they would be interested in enrolling in the proposed executive DBA program.