Cleveland State University

Comprehensive Examination: Upon completion of formal course work, the student must demonstrate competence in their field by passing a required comprehensive examination.  The written examination is prepared and graded by the Graduate Faculty on the Doctoral Committee.  

Defense of the Dissertation Proposal: Upon completion of the course work and passing the comprehensive examination, the student prepares the dissertation proposal in his/her area of interest.

Dissertation Defense: Upon successful completion of the dissertation, the student makes an oral presentation and defense of the dissertation to his/her committee and the College of the Business Faculty.

Admission Requirements/Pre-requisites:

The basic preparation for the DBA program is the Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, or equivalent from a program accredited by AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

If the applicant’s Master’s degree is not from an accredited program, or the student does not have the appropriate Master of Business Administration degree, then he/she must complete required background courses for their particular program of study. The admission committee can specify additional background courses before admitting the student to the DBA program. 

In addition to the above background, an applicant must meet the Admission Requirements for the Graduate College as well as a score of at least 1,260 points based on the following formula:

(200 x Graduate GPA) + total GMAT score=1260 points

A minimum score of 70th percentile on the GMAT is preferred. GMAT scores should be reported from a test taken within the five years immediately prior to application to the DBA program. The formula outlined above serves as a general guideline to the Doctoral Program. GRE scores are also accepted. Faculty Committee makes the final admission decisions.

Applicants also must submit a current resume, a statement of goals and objectives and three letters of recommendation. At least one letter should come from a college professor familiar with the applicant’s graduate-level performance and academic ability.