Program Overview
The Sustainable Social Impact DBA is designed for experienced professionals interested in exploring the most recent research and theories regarding organizational and social systems change.
Curriculum provides graduates the skills needed to align business strategies with humanistic principles including the promotion of human dignity, wholeness, comprehensive knowledge, transcendence, common good, and stewardship-sustainability.
Furthermore, graduates will be effective at evaluating and maximizing organizational performance in relation to positive community and societal outcomes. The program concludes with a dissertation research assignment focused on a thought leadership area of their choosing.
Students are guided by scholar-practitioners with experience as leaders, consultants, and researchers, spanning a wide array of innovative fields such as sustainability, global strategies, information technology, and social entrepreneurialism.
More than 20 nano-credentials and e-badges may also be earned throughout the duration of the DBA program, providing graduates with additional valuable tools can add value, whether interviewing with future employers or demonstrating their expertise to potential future clients.
Students also have the option to choose between the following three specializations:
- Sustainability
- Nonprofit Management
- Leadership and Management
Graduates of the Sustainable Social Impact DBA program emerge ready to serve as confident, competent, and compassionate future executives, consultants, researchers, and educators.
Sustainable Social Impact Doctor in Business Administration Program Learning Outcomes
Outcome One: Integration of Organizations and the Community in the Business Strategies
Determine and align the business strategies to the humanistic principles including promotion of human dignity, wholeness, comprehensive knowledge, transcendence, common good, and stewardship-sustainability.
Outcome Two: Holistic and Transformational Analysis
Synthesize & communicate internally and externally sourced information to develop business strategies that aims to achieve positive financial, social, and environmental outcomes.
Outcome Three: Integrated Communication—People, Innovation, and Technology
Evaluate and apply maximize organizational performance and community outcomes through diversity, engagement, and creativity given the available people, process, and technology
Outcome Four: Critical Thinking and Solution Making
Synthesize information from multiple sources, disciplines, and work activities, and evaluate the credibility and apply relevant information using cross disciplinary perspectives to solve humanistic challenges
Outcome Five: Research
Design, conduct, and evaluate applied research in the area of specialization to foster positive change in organizations, communities, and the environment.
Target Audience
Sustainable Social Impact DBA offers advanced professional studies in person centered, systems oriented, sustainability driven business strategies, operations, and research to equip socially conscious leaders for the changing world. Students will focus on knowledge areas and skills to achieve the quadruple bottom line: People, Purpose, Profit, and Planet.
We aspire to innovate on the traditional models of “business administration” to one of “business aspirational” program at the doctorate level.
Career Outcomes
Following the completion of this degree program, graduates will possess the following skills necessary to be effective within this professional field.
- Ability to align the business strategies to the humanistic principles including promotion of human dignity, wholeness, comprehensive knowledge, transcendence, common good, and stewardship-sustainability.
- Evaluate and maximize organizational performance and community outcomes through diversity, engagement, and creativity given the available people, process, and technology
- Synthesize information from multiple sources, disciplines, and work activities, and evaluate the credibility and apply relevant information using cross disciplinary perspectives to solve humanistic challenges
- Communicate internally and externally sourced information to develop business strategies that aims to achieve positive financial, social, and environmental outcomes
- Design, conduct, and evaluate applied research in the area of specialization to foster positive change in organizations, communities, and the environment
Degree Program Policies
Transfer Credit Policy: Up to 12 graduate semester credits earned in the last 10 years may be transferred if they are (a) awarded by a regionally accredited university, (b) earned at the grade level of B or better and (c) evaluated by the Department Chair as equivalent to an DBA course for which a substitution is appropriate.
MBA/MA to DBA: Students who complete the 54 credits DBA may apply for doctoral studies. Upon acceptance into the DBA, 12 credits of their master’s work in MBA/MA earned within 10 years will be applied towards their doctoral program. These 12 credits will fulfill specific DBA program requirements. Students must complete the additional DBA courses which includes the required core foundational and research courses.
Program Requirements
Residential Requirements: Participation in twice-annual, 5-day residential conferences is required until enrollment in dissertation begins (i.e., until after the completion of the 3 candidacy qualifying essays and successful completion of the essay oral exam).
Course Requirements: The 16 courses are taken in a prescribed sequence. All courses are 3 credits, except for the capstone course which taken 1 credit per semester and students must take a minimum of 3 credits of the capstone as part of the 30 total credits required to graduate. Coursework must be evaluated as equivalent to B or better at the graduate level to earn credit.
Course Participation: Satisfactory “class attendance” in online courses requires students to log into the University’s online course site multiple times during the week to participate in discussions and other learning activities. Course syllabi indicate their specific participation requirements.
Admission Requirements
- A master’s degree in business administration, management, public or non-profit management, engineering management, JD, LLM, or other degree demonstrating exposure to leadership and organizational systems; the degree must be awarded by a regionally accredited institution, nationally accredited institution approved and documented by the dean of the Graduate School of Business and Management, or an appropriately certified foreign institution.
- Course completion of grade of “B” or better in the following undergraduate foundational courses:
- Principles of Accounting (3 Credits)
- Business Finance (3 Credits) or Quantitative Research Techniques and Statistics (3 Credits)
Students not meeting the admissions criteria for the undergraduate foundational courses may fulfill this requirement through one of the three options listed under “Foundation Course Requirements”
- A grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) in work leading to the master’s degree, and in any subsequent graduate study last 30 semester hours.
- At least three (3) years and preferably five (5) years of full-time professional or community (leadership) experience, documented by a recently updated resume or an online professional profile. If not currently employed, the applicant must show active participation in the community engagement and/or professional organizations.
- A minimum score on an Saybrook University pre-approved English language proficiency test is required for all applicants whose native language is not English or who have not graduated from an institution at which English is the language of instruction as specified in the catalog under the Admission Policies “International Applicants.”
- All applications for admission must be submitted to the Admissions Department. An admissions representative is available to help interested applicants complete the following required documentation:
- Completed Application for Admission Form
- Documentation of professional (leadership) experience and participation in community engagement and/or professional organization
- Official transcripts from the institution that conferred the master’s degree and any institutions where graduate coursework was subsequently taken. Official Bachelor’s level transcripts.
- Two Letters of Reference: Name, Title, Affiliation, e-mail address, and phone number.
- Personal Statement which addresses the following in 1,500 words:
Such as: What is your experience and relationship with social impact, sustainability, and business operations?
- For those students in the Dissertation seeking a transfer, the student will submit the Dissertation Proposal and/or drafts beyond the Proposal if seeking admission as a doctoral completion student.
Foundation Course Requirements
Applicants are required to complete two foundation courses at the undergraduate level in cases where the student has not taken them before their application.
Foundation courses and their equivalent competency tests and self-paced courses offered by the University. Students may fulfill the foundation course requirements by showing successful completion of academically equivalent coursework, passing a competency exam with a score of 80% or better, or passing a self-paced course with a score of 80% or better. Students will be notified during the admission process whether one or more of these courses are needed based on prior coursework.
There are three options for students seeking admission into the DBA program to meet the Foundation Course Requirements:
Option #1: Complete two foundation courses at the undergraduate level
See below for the list of foundation courses and their equivalent competency tests and self-paced courses offered by the University. Students may fulfill the foundation course requirements by showing successful completion of academically equivalent coursework, passing a competency exam with a score of 80% or better, or passing a self-paced course with a score of 80% or better. Students will be notified during the admission process whether one or more of these courses are needed based on prior coursework.
- Principles of Accounting (3 Credits)
- Business Finance (3 Credits) or Quantitative Research Techniques and Statistics (3 Credits)
Equivalent courses may be evaluated to determine fulfillment of admissions requirements by the Department Chair.
Option #2: Preparatory Business Operations Seminar (P-BOS)
The P-BOS is a preparatory certificate designed to cover the key foundational business knowledge areas:
- Practical Accounting
- Business Finance
- Data Driven Decision Making
The P-BOS is a structured 100% on-line course over 6 weeks with combination of self-paced work as well as live webinars. The cost of this course is paid by the student-is not covered by financial aid. The student will need to pass a series of quizzes and a final multiple-choice test with a score of 80% or better in order to earn the e-badges and certificate. The P-BOS is offered two to three times per year.
Option #3: Practical Knowledge Tests
You may take and pass the two of the practical knowledge exams in the following topics:
- Accounting (Required)
- Business Finance or Quantitative Research Techniques and Statistics
Please consult the Department of Leadership and Management for more information about how to take the Practical Knowledge Test.
Provisional Acceptance
Applicants who have not met the identified standards of the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 reflected in undergraduate and graduate transcripts may be admitted provisionally for a period of two semesters. Applicants who are provisionally admitted must meet the identified standards noted in their letter of acceptance by the deadline.
Failure to achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale within the first two semesters of attendance will result in dismissal. Students admitted provisionally may appeal dismissal from Saybrook University as a result of a failure to meet the conditions identified in their acceptance letter. The appeal involves a letter to the Department Chair, which is reviewed by the Chair and College Dean and must be received within thirty (30) business days of formal notification of dismissal. Decisions of the appeals petition in such cases are final.
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