Doctor of Business Administration program
Program length
- 60 credits
- 3 years
- Coursework (Years 1 & 2)
- Dissertation (Year 3)
Application deadline
- May 1
Schedule format
- On-campus
- 13-week terms
- 13 residential weekends
- Friday/Saturday/Sunday
- 2 immersive campus experiences
Why earn a DBA degree from Warrington?
What factors prevent a business from maximizing its profits or making its operations more efficient? Which conditions are conducive to entrepreneurial success — and what holds small business owners back? As a student in the University of Florida Warrington College of Business’s Doctor of Business Administration program, you’ll tackle these questions quantitatively, first by elevating your research skills to the peer-reviewed journal level and then by deploying them to develop and present a dissertation.
Guided by our faculty researchers, the DBA program was formed in response to a conundrum affecting the business world: Practitioners and scholars have not traditionally shared their knowledge. DBA students transform into this ever-vital link through rigorous coursework, independent research and classroom discussions enriched by peers’ experiences in academia or industry.
Our students harness their findings to pursue one of four career paths: pivoting to faculty roles after years in the corporate world, delivering accurate forecasting and detailed proposals as senior leaders and executives, moving from instruction to academic administration, or offering strategic perspectives as consultants.
In any direction, you arrive as a respected thought leader — equipped to structure your own studies, adept at analyzing your own data, and prepared to present it to publications and top stakeholders.
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DBA for a Day
Is the DBA program the compass your career needs? Beyond information sessions, you can spend a day attending lectures with first- and second-year candidates, meeting faculty, and joining social events to confirm your decision.
The ROI of Warrington’s DBA program
Conduct your own research and make comparisons.
39%
Of DBA graduates hold academic roles at R1 research universities.
AACSB
Warrington is accredited by AACSB, one of the most prestigious accreditations.
#16
In the world for practical business school research.
Financial Times
Why should I get a DBA degree?
About the Doctor of Business Administration degree
As a student in this professional doctoral program, you’ll integrate theory, business practices, and applied research to dive deeper into current issues and uncover novel, actionable solutions. This is achieved through:
- World-class faculty: Collaborate with some of the most cited and influential scholars worldwide, whose guidance and mentorship help you design, refine, and execute applied research that drives meaningful impact.
- Cohort of leaders: Each DBA cohort — typically 25 to 30 accomplished professionals — fosters a rigorous and intellectually stimulating environment. Members enrich scholarly dialogue through diverse perspectives and lived expertise.
- Rigorous curriculum: A carefully designed program that equips students with the knowledge, analytical skills, and practical tools needed to tackle complex business challenges and conduct high-quality research.
- Advanced research excellence: Beyond quantitative methods, students engage fully in the research lifecycle—from exploring classic and contemporary literature to mastering research methodologies and tools—culminating in the development and defense of a rigorous, practice-informed dissertation.
DBA vs. Ph.D.: Two doctoral paths for different scholars
DBA (Doctor of Business Administration)
- Designed for seasoned professionals, executives, leaders, and academics, our three-year DBA program builds on the rigor of our Ph.D. while accommodating the realities of a full-time career.
- DBA candidates typically bring a decade or more of management or academic experience and pursue research focused on practical business challenges, processes, markets, or trends.
- The program develops practitioner-scholars with advanced methodological and analytical skills to enhance strategic decision-making or transition into academia.
Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
- Serves younger students who are ready to fully dedicate themselves to research and theory creation.
- Candidates often enter directly from a bachelor’s or master’s degree and focus on developing new or refining existing business theories.
- Their research has broad implications for business education, organizational practice, and the advancement of knowledge in the field.
Flexible program format & application requirements
Flexible program format
- On campus: Residential immersive curriculum
- Two immersive on-campus experiences: Before term 1 and after term 3
- Two residential weekends each term: 1st and 2nd years
- One final residential weekend: 3rd year
- Each weekend: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
- No virtual classes between residential weekends
Application requirements
- Bachelor’s and master’s degrees
- Business curriculum: undergraduate or (preferably) master’s-level coursework
- 10 years professional experience: Mid- to executive-level leadership, consulting, military service or academia
How to apply to our DBA program
The Warrington College of Business DBA program evaluates applications and issues admission decisions on a rolling basis.
- Step 1: Complete a UF professional application.
- Step 2: Upload supplemental materials using the links emailed to you after UF Admissions confirms your application is complete and referred.
- Statement of purpose
- Resume/CV – 10+ years of experience outlining mid- to executive-level leadership, consulting, military service, academia, or a combination of these. Provide additional details for roles where leadership responsibilities may not be immediately apparent from the title.
- Transcripts – Unofficial or official.
- Two letters of recommendation – provided from professional or academic references who can meaningfully assess your readiness for doctoral study. Recommenders should describe the nature and duration of their relationship with you and provide a substantive, detailed evaluation (typically 1–2 pages) addressing: analytical and critical thinking abilities; research aptitude and scholarly potential; professional maturity; and capacity for success in a rigorous, research-intensive doctoral program.
Student testimonial
As an executive, my campus visits at University of Florida have helped me connect academic research to real-world leadership and operational challenges. The in-person collaboration with faculty and peers has strengthened my strategic thinking, research capabilities, and ability to apply evidence-based approaches to complex business decisions.
Matt Peterson (DBA ’28)
Executive Vice President of a Fortune 300 company and Retired US Air Force Brigadier General
Ideation to dissertation
Identify an issue
At the end of your second fall term, you’ll submit a paper presenting a proposed topic and the current research that both supports your potential thesis and shows gaps in existing literature. You’ll also be matched to a faculty advisor at this stage.
Question and quantify
In the fall term of your third year, you’ll present your oral proposal to a doctoral committee and present how you intend to investigate and the research methodologies you’ll use.
Dissertation. Done.
As you focus your last year on your research, one to two graduate faculty members will supervise your activity as you gear up and begin writing up your research. Your efforts culminate with the defense of your dissertation in the final term.
Courses
What’s the best way to approach a challenge? Your coursework will illustrate all possible methods and their applications in marketing, finance, accounting, and more business disciplines.
Orientation and Term 1
Organizational Research Methods
Prepares doctoral candidates to design and conduct research in the organizational and behavioral sciences.
Researching Strategic Leadership and Governance in Public, Private, and Entrepreneurial Firms
Understand publishing research that contributes to theory and practice, along with considerations with a career in academia.
Managerial Statistics
Lays the foundation for applying quantitative and qualitative tools for making better managerial decisions.
Term 2
Quantitative Research Methods and Data Analysis in Marketing
Gain a working knowledge of the most common techniques and approaches to multivariate statistics.
Perspectives in Consumer Behavior
Introduces students to topics in consumer research.
Term 3
Corporate Finance
Broaden corporate finance knowledge with how concepts and models in finance are applied.
Organizational Behavior
Learn how organizational behavior helps manage change from various perspectives.
AI, Machine Learning, and Data Visualization Methods for Research
Introducing AI and machine learning applications in business at the doctoral level.
Term 4
Leading Change
Learn to lead effective change while studying the effectiveness of change efforts in organizations.
Research Analysis in Accounting
Reviewing scholarly accounting research, encompassing several topics and using various methods.
Term 5
International Business
Examine the environment of international business and many operational tools and characteristics.
Strategic Management
Evaluation of the key functions of organizations and integration of these functions to achieve competitive advantages.
Term 6
Latent Variable Methods
Enables students to plan, implement, report and review statistical analyses.
Advanced Data and Regression Techniques
Topics are related to the construction of variables, econometric issues and special topics.
Special Topics in Doctoral Education
Learn more in-depth about multiple topics in doctoral education.
Terms 7-9
In Term 7, you’ll have your Candidacy Exam (Oral Defense). In Term 8, you will focus on Unfinished Business. In Term 9, you will have your Final Exam (Dissertation Defense).
What does a DBA do for your career?
A DBA is not simply a pathway to a new position. It is an opportunity to deepen your expertise, expand your influence, and redefine what is possible in your professional life.
Our alumni apply their doctoral learning in diverse and distinctive ways. Some advance into broader leadership roles. Others expand or transform businesses they have built, develop new ventures, move into consulting or advisory work, pursue thought leadership, or bring their expertise into new industries and professional arenas.
What connects these paths is not a single career outcome, but a shared capacity to think differently, lead with greater intention, and create meaningful impact.
9%
Of DBA graduates in academic roles are serving in full-time administrative positions at the national, institutional, college or unit level.
8%
Greater demand for post-secondary teachers is projected through 2033.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
$113,240
Median annual salary for post-secondary business teachers.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Where our graduates work
Meet our DBA alumni
The relationships developed throughout the DBA are equally enduring. Alumni leave the program with a network of accomplished peers and faculty who provide perspective, challenge assumptions, open doors, and continue to serve as trusted sources of insight long after graduation.
David Adamec
President
Adamec Consulting
Jane Amab
Vice President
FedEx
Gary Andresen
SVP, FL Commercial Banking Market Manager
U.S. Bank
Aakash (Ash) Andrews
Digital Marketing Leader
Mercer
Brian Bailey
Subject Matter Expert, Commercial Real Estate & Senior Policy Advisor
Federal Reserve
Crystal Carlson-Myer
Assistant Professor of Accounting
Pasco-Hernando State College
Branden Cobb
Fractional Chief Marketing Officer
MarketingExec.us
Winifred (Winnie) Daniels
Walter Doggett
SVP & Head of Tax
Arvest Bank
John Engel
USC Professor of Business Communications &
Director of Internship
Mehdi Eshaghayan
General Manager
ME International Group LLC
America Estevez Guerrero
SECNAV Tour w/ Industry – Fellow at WPPMS,
Manpower Systems Analysis: Naval Post-Graduate School
US Navy
Marcos Gutiérrez Díaz
Finance Professor
IPADE Business School
Ashish (Ash) Karve
Owner
Law Firm Management Consulting
Trimeasha Lanier
Compliance and Operational Risk Manager
Bank of America
Ian Mitchell
Senior Manager, Supply Chain Management
AM General
Benjamin Morris
Vice President, Operations, New Jersey American Water
American Water
Tom Mullen
Managing Director-Industry, Strategy & Policy Analysis
RxMarketScience
LinkedIn
Elena Nescio
Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing
University of Rochester
Sean O’Donnell
VP, Digital Platforms
Charter Communications
Robert (Bobby) Palmer
Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon
Pediatric Orthopedics of Southwest Florida
Cam Pearce
Instructor
Samford University
Hector Perez Garcia
Account Manager
AbbVie Inc.
Averil (Dave) Rescober
Senior Director – Enterprise Client Technology
McKesson
Elaine Richards
LinkedIn
Astin Thomas
President & Principal Consultant
Double Helix Digital
Jans Veldkamp
Director – Olefins Business
Nova Chemicals
Dong Yao
Senior Project Manager
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.
Nichole Wiley Marks
VP, Head of GTM Operations
Included Health
Lorik Abdullai
Head of Project Management Purchasing North America
Volvo Group
Michael Baker
Visiting Lecturer – Accounting
University of Tampa
LinkedIn
Rahul Banerjee
General Manager & Partner
Wipro Limited
Shannon Bedore
Owner/Founder
Sightline Retail, LLC
Jennifer Boyd
College Business Officer
University of Texas at Arlington
Kjiel Carlson
Chief Operating Officer
Ridwell
Ryan Dietz
Zachary Ellison
Founder, Managing General Partner,
Chief Investment Officer
Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.)
Christian Gannon
Director of Investments
Twickenham Advisors
Patricia Goodwin-Peters
Senior Vice President,
Head of Human Resources
Atlas Air Worldwide
Yin-Ting Hsu (Ellen)
Vice President, Finance Hub China
Siemens Energy Inc.
Andrea McHale
Director of Admissions, MBA and Global MBA Programs
University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Justin Palmer
Managing Director,
Head of Investment Transformation
Barings
Garrett Peirce
Headquarters US Special Operations Command
Naval Aviator and Strategist
United States Marine Corps
Clifford (Cliff) Rittel
Head of Enterprise Channel Partners, Amazon (AWS)
Adjunct Faculty, Palm Beach Atlantic University
Art Rubeck
Chief Operating Officer
CURiO Brands
Anthony Shaw
President
Progeneration Energy
Nadia Tepper
Executive Director
Southeast Regional Maintenance Center
Emily Walsvik
Associate Brand Manager
Altria
Lee Wong (Vivian)
Adjunct Instructor
University of Colorado, Denver / Chinese Agricultural University
J.B. Adams
Senior Management Consultant
Executive and Management Coach
Lead Instructional Designer
Adams Learning, Inc.
LinkedIn
Joe Britt
Axiall Corporation
Senior Procurement Operations Manager
LinkedIn
Christopher Chatwin
Idaho State University/Chatwin Financial Consulting Services, LLC
Clinical Assistant Professor/CFO
LinkedIn
Alex De la Reza
UNIFRANZ
National Vice Chancellor of Graduate Education
LinkedIn
David Fraser
Director, Financial Operations
CONA Services LLC
LinkedIn
Odile Guinot
Assistant Professor
University of Florida
LinkedIn
David Ha
Executive
Moafly
LinkedIn
Jeffrey Johnson
High Tech Senior Manager
Accenture
LinkedIn
Kara Kapczynski
Vinings School of Art/Founder and Owner and Real Estate Investor
LinkedIn
Matt McHale
Senior Vice President of Sales
Slickdeals
LinkedIn
Michael Monis
Founder
Choice Logic, LLC
LinkedIn
Louis Pauza III
Principal Technical Architect
Salesforce
Geoffrey Poyen
CEO, International Skin Care
Adjunct Professor, Florida International University
LinkedIn
Praveen Pemmaraju
National Technology Leader
Deloitte Services LLP
LinkedIn
Geoffrey Poyen
Adjunct Professor/CEO
Florida International University & ISC
LinkedIn
Guillermo Rodriguez
Head of LatAm and US Offshore
WisdomTree Asset Management
LinkedIn
Seth Ruhter
Assistant Professor of Finance
The College of Idaho
LinkedIn
Bipin Sapra
Partner
Ernst & Young, India
LinkedIn
Pratibha Singh
Academic Specialist
University of Florida
LinkedIn
Tom Stilp
Chairman
Stilp Holdings
LinkedIn
Clinton Urling
Managing Director & Secretary
Case Solutions, Inc.
LinkedIn
Hernan Valdez
Engineering Project Manager
Lockheed Martin
LinkedIn
Chuck Williams
Chief Financial Officer
Fly Exclusive
LinkedIn
Why students chose the DBA
Alumni testimonial
Ironically, just as I was finishing my DBA and preparing to graduate after defending my dissertation, I was approached about a CEO role at a national association representing higher education members. I don’t know if the DBA was a deciding factor, but it certainly didn’t hurt as I went through a long interview process and got the job.
Jason Altmire (DBA ’20)
Faculty
Often teaching DBA, PhD, MBA, and MS classes, many of your instructors and advisors rank among the top two percent of the world’s most influential scientists, based on research from Stanford University.
Klodiana Lanaj
Martin L. Schaffel Professor
Professor
Research areas:
Leadership, team processes and performance, and motivation and self-regulation.
Andy Naranjo
Susan M. Cameron Professor Chair, Eugene F. Brigham Department of Finance, Insurance & Real Estate, Director, International Business Center
Research areas:
Asset Pricing, Capital Market Linkages and Flows, Corporate Finance, Financial Economics, Information Flows and Processing, International Finance, Real Estate Finance
Brian Miller
Harold and Martha Whitcomb Professorship
Harold and Martha Whitcomb Professorship in Accounting
Research areas:
Accounting research and analysis, financial and managerial accounting, managerial accounting
Current DBA students
Gregg Quinones
Rutgers – MS Mechanical Engineering
Temple University – MBA
Director, Inventory Management
AdventHealth
Mohamed Almutawa
Colorado State University – MBA
Chief Audit Executive
BCFC
Douglas Brames
University of Tennessee – MBA
Wireless and CPG Industry
SVP Marketing
Paul Burla
University of Missouri – MBA
General Manager – Ultralox
The AZEK Company
Jeffrey Diwakar
University of Chicago – MBA
Purdue University – MS, Mechanical Engineering
Strategy Leader
Cummins Inc.
Christian Doeringer
University of Louisville – MBA
Chief HR Officer
Ascensia Diabetes Care
Cameron Fisher
MIT, MS Engineering
Univ. of Pennsylvania, MS Engineering
New York University, MBA
Federal Reserve
Adham Gasser
American University in Cairo – MBA
Chief Financial Officer
Olayan Saudi Holding Co.
Tracy Hernandez
Emory University – MBA
Fractional Chief Growth Officer
SaaS Lumen, LLC
Pamela Johnson
Florida State University – MBA
President and CEO
Fran Connections dba FranNet
Ram Jupudy
Indian Institute of Technology – MS
University of Maryland, College Park – MS
Senior Systems Manager
Moonwalker Ventures by Allergan
Clay Kittrell
Purdue University – MBA
Chief People Officer
Horne LLP
Richard Lumor
Webster University – MBA
Southern Illinois University – MS, Statistics and Operations Research
Director, Decision Science and Data Engineering
Cox Automotive
Valeria Marcia
Bocconi University – JD
Bicocca University – PhD, Law
University of Florida – MS, Entrepreneurship
Lecturer
University of Florida
Bryan Miller
Naval Aviator
Penn State University – MPS, Cyber Forensics
Penn State Applied Research Lab
Principal Professional R&D Engineer, Vehicle Spectrum Dominance Dept. Head
Daniel Reyes
University of Central Florida – MS, Management
Manager, Stock Compensation
Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Francisco Rodrigues
University of Central Florida – MBA
University of Florida – MS, Industrial & Systems Engineering
Professor of Supply Chain Management
Polk State College
Michael Sutterer
University of Florida – MBA
President & CEO
Bonnie Plants
Tu To
Troy University – MS, Accountancy
Lecturer of Accounting
Troy University
Keith Walters
Johns Hopkins University – MBA
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – MS, Accounting
Professor of Accounting
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Information sessions
September 21
UF DBA Information Session
October 12
UF DBA Information Session
October 20
UF DBA Information Session
Meet your admissions advisor
Karen Ehlers
Director, DBA Academic Support Services
352.273.3208 | Email Karen
Make an appointment with Karen (office365.com)
Program Director
Phil Podsakoff
Academic Director, DBA
352.273.3033 | Email Phil