UW-Whitewater is preparing to welcome the second cohort into its innovative Doctor of Business Administration program, with an information session planned for10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Dec. 13 in Hyland Hall 2101 on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus.
The challenging three-year program offers the practical knowledge professionals need, along with the flexibility to work full-time while they enhance their skills. A 20-student cohort meets in person one weekend per month while working online between sessions; however, DBA candidate John Muraski said it is “truly a face-to-face program.”
Muraski is a faculty member at UW-Oshkosh and wants to move into a tenure-track position in order to “make more sizeable contributions to the university.”
“This program is changing how I think. It’s changing how I approach problems,” he said. “It’s kind of a painful process, at 45, but an exciting process.”
The DBA program was created to allow students to continue their careers in industry with new skills or take tenure-track positions. Director K. Praveen Parboteeah said UW-Whitewater found itself in a unique position to respond to market demand for people with advanced business degrees. He said the College of Business and Economics had the “perfect storm” of demand and necessary faculty.
Current DBA students travel from all over Wisconsin and Illinois, California and elsewhere in order to take advantage of an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International accredited program that allows them to continue working. Only 5 percent of business schools worldwide, and fewer than 10 DBA programs in the U.S., have earned AACSB accreditation.
“AACSB accreditation is huge,” Parboteeah said. “There are many DBA programs, but those with accreditation have gone through a very rigorous review process to pass high-quality standards for all programs.”
DBA candidate Angel Chatterton said she likes the collaborative environment UW-Whitewater’s program offers, as well as the students’ diverse backgrounds.
“I think that’s the strength of the program,” she said. “I see it as opening up a ton of opportunities. It’s just a fantastic program.”
John Good flies from Louisiana monthly to attend UW-Whitewater’s program. He said its accreditation, diversity, breadth of opportunity and face-to-face elements stood out to him, as did the faculty.
“They’re very engaging in a positive way,” he said. “They’re friendly, they’re open, they’re positive, they’re encouraging. They’re great to work with.”
Parboteeah said faculty members are spending lots of one-on-one time with students.
“We are expecting them to graduate in three years, and we need to provide the individualized instruction to make that happen,” he said.
At the upcoming information session, prospective students will learn about the program and its rigorous admissions process and have the opportunity to meet with faculty.
For more information, visit uww.edu/cobe/dba, email dba@uww.edu or call (262) 472-3971.
