DBA: Data Analytics Bridge Program
Gain a Foundation in Data Science and Business Strategy
Earning a doctoral degree can provide a pathway toward new opportunities and professional brand-building. To prepare for your doctoral program, consider taking a bridge program, which teaches graduate-level skills aimed at building an academic framework for future research.
This Bridge (Doctor of Business Administration: Data Analytics Quantitative Research) at Grand Canyon University can instill a strong foundation in preparation for your doctoral journey. This is designed for visionary leaders who have earned a master’s-level degree in a field other than business administration and now seek to transform their careers by examining competencies in business administration and data analytics.
Bridge DBA: Your Path to a Doctorate in Data Analytics
You will have the opportunity to enhance your expertise in financial management, planning and executive decision-making. As the global economy evolves, you can help keep up with these
changes by developing enhanced skills in the management of organizational data analytics infrastructure, business processes and staffing that can help you in solving complex business problems. At the College of Doctoral Studies, you can examine core competencies in finance, marketing, accounting, database and other emerging disciplines as you prepare to enroll in the Doctor of Business Administration with an Emphasis in Data Analytics.
At GCU, there is a focus on professional ethics and integrity in decision-making, with an eye toward improving outcomes for all stakeholders. Our private Christian university offers a curriculum built from the Christian worldview, with faith-integrated courses that provide a well-rounded education.
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Data Analytics Pathway Courses and Topics
In this master’s to doctorate bridge program, you will complete the introductory courses required for all doctoral-level business learners. This includes coursework in accounting, finance, statistics, marketing and databases. The bridge courses provide an introduction to foundational content in the areas of business management.
By completing the bridge and enrolling in the DBA with an Emphasis in Data Analytics (Quantitative), you can design and conduct research studies to examine and analyze events by interpreting numeric data. You will use statistical techniques to clean, describe, assess, summarize and compare study data. An example of a quantitative data analytics study might include the development of a statistical model to predict consumer product demand and the infrastructure needed to implement the model. You will provide commentary on how the results compare with previous studies and offer specific recommendations for future studies that expand on specific knowledge relative to consumer demand.
Research Business Intelligence at an Accredited University
This bridge data analytics program focuses on thoroughly preparing you to work toward further academic and professional growth in the DBA program. As an institutionally accredited university, GCU prioritizes the quality of our education and the comprehensiveness of our curriculum. The Higher Learning Commission has continually accredited GCU since 1968. The College of Doctoral Studies shares the university’s commitment to upholding the principles and standards established by our accrediting bodies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Preparing to work toward a DBA degree is a significant decision. Before applying to this data analytics bridge program, you can review the following questions and answers as you consider your ideal academic pathway.
Data analysis is important for a wide range of fields and industries. For business administration and management professionals, data analytics allows for the development of key insights that can lead to strategic, informed decision making. For example, data analytics can be used to improve the efficiency of business operations (such as by identifying inefficiencies), and it may also be used to reduce costs, increase revenue, predict customer demands and even keep customers engaged.1
Data analytics can be a sound career choice for individuals who enjoy working with numbers, solving puzzles and figuring out what raw data means and how it can be useful. It’s also a growing career field. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job growth rate for data scientists is estimated to be 36% from 2023 to 2033, much faster than average, indicating the projected addition of about 73,100 new jobs to the field.2 Furthermore, the BLS reports that the median salary for data scientists was $108,020 as of May 2023.3.
If you already hold a master’s degree, are interested in earning a doctoral degree and have a prior academic background in an area other than business administration and data analytics, then this data analytics pathway could be the right choice for you. This bridge program can allow you to dive into the fundamental academic areas that you’ll work toward mastering in a DBA degree program, effectively preparing you to tackle graduate-level coursework in business administration and data analytics. On the other hand, if you earned a master’s degree in a relevant area, such as a Master of Science in Business Analytics, then you may feel ready to apply directly to a DBA degree program without a DBA bridge program.
Build a solid foundation in data analytics to support your future DBA studies.
1 The Investopedia Team. (2024, April 22). Data Analytics: What It Is, How It’s Used, And 4 Basic Techniques. Investopedia. Retrieved Sept. 30, 2024.
2 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2024, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Data Scientists, retrieved Sept. 30, 2024.
3 The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Data Scientists as of May 2023, retrieved Sept. 30, 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as data scientists, nor does it reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc., against a pool of candidates.
Core Courses
Course Description
This course is designed for students who are preparing for more advanced coursework in business but who have not had accounting in undergraduate work. Topics covered include the principles and practices of financial accounting, including the fundamentals of revenue recognition, the components of the balance sheet, and financial statement analysis. ?The course explores accounting theories using publicly traded companies and case studies.
Course Description
This course is designed for individuals who are preparing for more advanced coursework in accounting and is designed for students who have not had finance in undergraduate work. Topics covered include financial analysis, financial planning, asset evaluation, capital structure, and working capital management.
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to prepare students in mathematical, probability, and statistical concepts for their upcoming studies in quantitative methods. The course is intended for those students who have not had any prior statistical education, although students who have had statistics should also consider taking the course as a refresher.
Course Description
Management of the marketing function, market environmental analysis, and marketing planning, strategy, and control are fundamentals of marketing management. The course examines the marketing process, marketing research, product development innovation and diffusion, pricing strategy, distribution value drain, advertising and promotion, and strategic marketing issues. Emphasis is placed on case study analysis and current academic research with a marketing plan as a significant curriculum component.
Course Description
This course introduces the basic role and uses of databases within business enterprises. Students examine database design types, development, staging, production environments, and maintenance of a database structure. Emphasis is on appropriate application and implementation of database functions in relation to performing data analytics.
- GCU cannot and will not promise job placement, a job, graduate school placement, transfer of GCU program credits to another institution, promotion, salary, or salary increase. Please see the Career Services Policy in the University Policy Handbook.
- Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
- Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change
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