Baker College To Offer Doctorate Degree

FLINT, Mich., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools has granted approval to Baker College to offer a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree. The program will begin spring 2008.

"We are gratified that several years of concentrated work have been acknowledged by the Higher Learning Commission," said Dr. Michael Heberling, president of the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies. "The team that recently visited the graduate school was extremely positive about the quality of the proposal and also the quality of the faculty and staff who have been intricately involved in the development of the program."

Consistent with Baker's mission, the new doctoral program will serve the needs of working adults and help them advance their careers through quality graduate education.

"The new program is designed to graduate scholar practitioners who will set the standard for best practice and contribute to the solution of critical business and management problems through research, teaching and consulting," said Dr. John Vinton, Baker College Center for Graduate Studies dean of doctoral studies.

Structured as a 3-year, 90 credit hours program, the DBA curriculum blends taught interdisciplinary content and research seminars with assessed scholarly and professional development activities organized around two portfolios, the Scholarly Activities Portfolio and the Professional Activities Portfolio. The program culminates in a research-based dissertation. Over the course of the program, students develop the capacity to work more independently and in more depth, moving from prescribed content in the first year of the program, to supervised activities in the second year, to independent research in an area of interest in the third year.

"Students will be encouraged to apply what they are learning to the work environment," said Vinton. "We expect that the research they do for the program will have an immediate impact on their practice and the organizations they serve."

Although the program is 100 percent online, students are required to attend at least one professional conference per year during their program of study. The annual Academy of Management meeting meets the program criteria, however students will be provided with an additional list of qualified conferences.

Baker students will learn from highly respected experts in their field and network with top professionals and peers from around the world.

"We have recruited outstanding faculty to teach and mentor Baker students," said Vinton. "Our faculty includes highly experienced business leaders and managers as well as scholars who support our theory-to-practice approach."

To gain admittance to Baker's new Doctor of Business Administration program, an MBA or equivalent and a minimum of five years of professional experience in business or management is required. Applications will be accepted beginning February 2008. For additional information, please contact the Baker College Center for Graduate Studies admissions department at 800.469.3164, or send an e-mail to adm-ol@baker.edu.

Baker College Online and the Baker Center for Graduate Studies are part of Baker College, the largest private college in Michigan. Both are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Center for Graduate Studies is also accredited by the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). The Baker Online MBA program is nationally recognized by U.S. News & World Report's usnews.com "E-Learning Online Graduate Programs: Business - Regionally Accredited Programs," and has been ranked as one of the first established, largest and best value online MBA programs in the nation. Most recently, GetEducated.com has named the Baker Center for Graduate Studies as one of the Top 25 Best Buys in distance learning MBAs. Baker is the only college in Michigan to be included in the organization's top best buys lists. Baker College is a non-profit higher education institution, serving more than 36,000 students on 12 campuses and in four satellite locations. As a career college, the Baker College system is proud to have achieved a graduate employment rate of 98 percent. Baker grants certificates and associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees in business, health sciences, education and human services, and various technical fields, as well as a doctorate of business administration. For more information, please visit the Baker College Web site at www.baker.edu.