DBA in 2026- What are your experiences? Open to recommendations

[airforceveteran]

I'm looking at starting a DBA. South College is at the top of my list. Something caught my attention though. turbotortuga said, with locked assignment submissions and the new grading policy, the fastest you would be able to finish the Doctorate of Business Administration is 18 to 24 months, or 3-4 terms. 

He goes on to say that 18 months may be possible, but the professor would have to grade faster than the allowed 72 hours. And oftentimes, professors have gone over 72 hours and hit four days, but that's not every time. 

Okay! That's not ideal!

If anyone has enrolled at South College since this change around June 2025, is it possible to complete all but the last 18 credits (Applied Research Methods & Advanced Data Analysis + the Dissertation/Capstone) in a single 6 month term?

People working on DBAs outside of South College, when and where were you enrolled and how are your experiences leading up to the research, analysis, and capstone?

The other CBE for DBA that comes to mind is Capella though I'm not sure if they share a similar limitation/bottleneck when it comes to "locked assignment submissions" and or a "grading policy" that is up to 72 hours.

Initially I considered Liberty but a thread said that their Applied Doctoral Research Project (ADRP) is poorly developed, or something to that effect, and that people would not make it on time because they were waiting on the professor to grade their coursework to submit the subsequent assignments, thus failing and needing to repeat. 

All input is welcome- especially if you started within the last year! Please- swarm me with your experiences!

[icecubetr]

Touro University Worldwide DBA. Possible to finish in 1.5 years. $33,600 for 48 credits; less w/transfers.

[FireMedic_Philosopher]

I'm looking at starting a DBA. South College is at the top of my list. Something caught my attention though. turbotortuga said, with locked assignment submissions and the new grading policy, the fastest you would be able to finish the Doctorate of Business Administration is 18 to 24 months, or 3-4 terms. 

He goes on to say that 18 months may be possible, but the professor would have to grade faster than the allowed 72 hours. And oftentimes, professors have gone over 72 hours and hit four days, but that's not every time. 

Okay! That's not ideal!

If anyone has enrolled at South College since this change around June 2025, is it possible to complete all but the last 18 credits (Applied Research Methods & Advanced Data Analysis + the Dissertation/Capstone) in a single 6 month term?

People working on DBAs outside of South College, when and where were you enrolled and how are your experiences leading up to the research, analysis, and capstone?

The other CBE for DBA that comes to mind is Capella though I'm not sure if they share a similar limitation/bottleneck when it comes to "locked assignment submissions" and or a "grading policy" that is up to 72 hours.

Initially I considered Liberty but a thread said that their Applied Doctoral Research Project (ADRP) is poorly developed, or something to that effect, and that people would not make it on time because they were waiting on the professor to grade their coursework to submit the subsequent assignments, thus failing and needing to repeat. 

All input is welcome- especially if you started within the last year! Please- swarm me with your experienceus!

I have heard repeatedly on various forums that South didn't quite expect us professional speed runners to complete the doctorate degrees so fast... I know they have been concerned with maintaining accreditation, despite some early students finishing the entire doctorate in a year or less.

All of the changes seem aimed at one thing... to force students to take at least 18-24 months to graduate with a doctorate, and thus trying to help preserve the status of the degree with their accreditation body.

With the changes you mentioned, it seems like it is now a year for the studying and a year for the dissertation.

[newdegree]

The University of the Cumberlands offers a 66-credit DBA, for which students can transfer in 18 credits from a master's degree, leaving them with 48 credits. Each term is 8 weeks. The University of the Cumberlands offers a flexible, year-round schedule with three main semesters (fall, spring, summer). Each semester is divided into two 8-week "bi-terms," resulting in six 8-week enrollment windows per year.

If a person does 2-3 courses per 8-week term, they can finish the degree in a year to a year and a half if they grind out the classes. The program requires a dissertation.

https://www.ucumberlands.edu/academics/g...ration-dba

William Woods University: Offers 5-week courses in their online DBA program and accepts up to 50% transfer credits (not sure if they have to be masters level or doctoral level credits). This degree can be finished in a year if you grind out two courses per term with transfer credits it could be faster. The program requires 51 credits, and students will complete an Applied Doctoral Study Project (DSP). 

https://www.williamwoods.edu/academics-p...ba-online/
https://www.wilmu.edu/business/doctor-of...culum.aspx

[ss20ts]

Touro University Worldwide DBA. Possible to finish in 1.5 years. $33,600 for 48 credits; less w/transfers.

This is a program I am considering, I'm also considering Bellevue and Williams Woods. I'm looking for a project instead of a dissertation. I'm also looking for a program without an in person residency due to my disabilities and inability to travel more than about a 5 hour car ride. I think it will come down to who offers me more transfer credit from my master's degrees and then how many credits I will have left to complete. I mean 60 credit vs 48 credits can be a significant amount of both money and time.

[swlearner71]

I have always liked the Edgewood University DBA: 45 credits and $22,500. Someone here completed it through Upgrad, and they said they enjoyed the experience overall. The price sounds great, and the program quality seems good from the reviews I read. I'd stick to doing it directly through the university rather than through a third-party platform, though.

[ss20ts]

I have always liked the Edgewood University DBA: 45 credits and $22,500. Someone here completed it through Upgrad, and they said they enjoyed the experience overall. The price sounds great, and the program quality seems good from the reviews I read. I'd stick to doing it directly through the university rather than through a third-party platform, though.

Isn't Upgrad for those outside of the US?

[swlearner71]

I have always liked the Edgewood University DBA: 45 credits and $22,500. Someone here completed it through Upgrad, and they said they enjoyed the experience overall. The price sounds great, and the program quality seems good from the reviews I read. I'd stick to doing it directly through the university rather than through a third-party platform, though.

Isn't Upgrad for those outside of the US?

Yeah, I think Upgrad is most beneficial for people outside the US because of discounts. It probably doesn't apply to many but just in case. The DBA directly through the school is still 22,500, however.

[newdegree]

I'm looking at starting a DBA. South College is at the top of my list. Something caught my attention though. turbotortuga said, with locked assignment submissions and the new grading policy, the fastest you would be able to finish the Doctorate of Business Administration is 18 to 24 months, or 3-4 terms. 

He goes on to say that 18 months may be possible, but the professor would have to grade faster than the allowed 72 hours. And oftentimes, professors have gone over 72 hours and hit four days, but that's not every time. 

Okay! That's not ideal!

If anyone has enrolled at South College since this change around June 2025, is it possible to complete all but the last 18 credits (Applied Research Methods & Advanced Data Analysis + the Dissertation/Capstone) in a single 6 month term?

People working on DBAs outside of South College, when and where were you enrolled and how are your experiences leading up to the research, analysis, and capstone?

The other CBE for DBA that comes to mind is Capella though I'm not sure if they share a similar limitation/bottleneck when it comes to "locked assignment submissions" and or a "grading policy" that is up to 72 hours.

Initially I considered Liberty but a thread said that their Applied Doctoral Research Project (ADRP) is poorly developed, or something to that effect, and that people would not make it on time because they were waiting on the professor to grade their coursework to submit the subsequent assignments, thus failing and needing to repeat. 

All input is welcome- especially if you started within the last year! Please- swarm me with your experienceus!

I have heard repeatedly on various forums that South didn't quite expect us professional speed runners to complete the doctorate degrees so fast... I know they have been concerned with maintaining accreditation, despite some early students finishing the entire doctorate in a year or less.

All of the changes seem aimed at one thing... to force students to take at least 18-24 months to graduate with a doctorate, and thus trying to help preserve the status of the degree with their accreditation body.

With the changes you mentioned, it seems like it is now a year for the studying and a year for the dissertation.

Sad that South College has implemented changes to the degree requirements, forcing students to complete at least 18-24 months, which now slows program completion and delays grading of work . This serves as a lesson that when a new program comes out, you should jump at the gun and apply for the program and start it as soon as possible, because every program is subject to change regarding the terms and conditions and requirements. South College is still a great program, but now speed running can't be completed as fast. Still, a DBA in 18-24 months is not bad, but there are other programs you can move through quickly.

[Sagan]

I like the DBA at the Edinburgh Business School. at Heriot-Watt University. A highly visable school. The DBA is a research degree, using the "big book" model (thesis only). You really dig into your specialty and become who you will be for the rest of your career, as opposed to writing a small thesis after completing a bunch of courses that should have been done at the master's level. (EBS used to format the DBA like that, but no longer.) There are optional on-campus sessions. The programme fee is £34,000.

---

I also like the Doctor of Business Leadership at the Da Vinci Institute of Management and Technology. A thesis-only program, it requires actionable research. It is very inexpensive (less than $US20K) and fully approved by the SAQA. Da Vinci is a private school, but it is a new and dynamic one, unlike the stodgy (and difficult to work with) public universities in SA (like UNISA).