DBA in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Degree – Qualitative

Doctor of Business Administration: Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship (Qualitative Research)

Offered By: College of Doctoral Studies

The qualitative DBA in corporate innovation and entrepreneurship degree at Grand Canyon University (GCU) guides students through the research process of collecting and analyzing nonnumerical data to understand concepts, opinions and experiences as they relate to business. This program is slightly different from our quantitative DBA in corporate innovation and entrepreneurship program which focuses on analyzing and interpreting numeric business-related data using statistical tools.

Earn Your Doctorate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation From GCU

Students in the qualitative Doctor of Business Administration Program with an Emphasis in Innovation and Corporate Entrepreneurship will learn how to transform an existing organization’s culture into one that is poised and positioned to seize new market opportunities. Through the study of events and observed phenomenon, students will learn how to plan and commercialize innovations to help organizations of all types and sizes gain a competitive advantage and outperform others in their respective niches.

GCU’s online DBA in innovation and entrepreneurship degree requires a minimum of 60 credits to completion and offers flexibility to complete the online courses while balancing your other commitments. You will gain knowledge and skills from expert faculty while studying these topics in entrepreneurship:

  • Principle elements of research, scholarly writing and effective argumentation
  • Theories and frameworks that drive financial decision making
  • Structures, conditions, rewards, principles, practices, information systems that influence organizational innovation
  • Inquisitive creative approach to uncover important new sizable market opportunities
  • Processes for transforming skeptics and casual supporters to committed advocates
  • Microeconomic principles that can help provide solutions to business problems
  • Leadership skills and capabilities required to foster, lead and sustain innovation in organizations

Rooted in research, this DBA qualitative program introduces students to the foundations of research design, particularly the design and development of a qualitative study. Our dissertation experience provides peer mentorship opportunities and guides students through the process of becoming practitioner-scholars.

In addition to these core online classes, innovative entrepreneurship students will participate in two five-day residencies on or near GCU’s Phoenix campus. These are opportunities to network and collaborate in-person with other doctoral students and faculty.

During the first residency, students will apply research design principles to develop foundational elements for their potential dissertation. Research skills will continue to be developed through hands-on activities. In the second residency, students will present and defend a preliminary design of their dissertation research from the first residency. By the second residency, students will be placed in either the quantitative or qualitative program based on their selected research methodology.

GCU’s College of Doctoral Studies offers faculty support, resources, personal guidance and access to the innovative Doctoral Community Network (The DC NetworkTM) for every student throughout their doctoral journey.

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Develop Valuable Skills Required for Innovative Entrepreneurship

The curriculum in the doctorate degree in entrepreneurship and innovation supports GCU’s mission to provide students with a private education that is studied through a Christian worldview. Current and aspiring business leaders will hone their skills in the following areas:

  • Effective communication
  • Ethical decision making
  • Critical thinking
  • Analytical reasoning

DBA graduates will also gain core competencies in designing, conducting and reporting on the results of their individual qualitative research. To help become successful academic scholars, learners will apply research methods to solve local business problems.

Grow Your Career With a Doctorate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Entrepreneurs and business leaders are continuously challenged to stay relevant and ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing business world. With a DBA in corporate innovation and entrepreneurship degree, graduates will possess keen qualitative research skills and knowledge to pursue advanced positions in the business field. Positions that are related to this degree include:

  • Chief executive officer
  • Vice president of strategy
  • Vice president of marketing
  • Business consultant
  • Postsecondary business professor

Doctorate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Degree FAQs

To learn more about the doctorate degree in entrepreneurship and innovation and how to advance your business career, read our answers to these frequently asked questions:

The attainment of a doctoral degree that emphasizes corporate entrepreneurship increases the opportunity to rapidly take advantage of new business opportunities within the framework of an existing organizational structure. This degree equips senior executives, managers, engineers and developers to lead innovative transformation in their organizations. In a world where “innovate or die” is common, the DBA in corporate entrepreneurship may be the key to propelling a career while unlocking the hidden potential within organizations of all sizes. Not only does the DBA in corporate entrepreneurship prepare business leaders, graduates who hold a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) can teach college-level business courses or apply their savvy research skills to make improvements in a business administrative capacity.

Corporate entrepreneurship is the discipline of implementing structures and conditions that make value-adding innovations repeatable and sustainable. Corporate entrepreneurship is the science behind sustained creativity and innovation. A corporate entrepreneur is a person who transforms their organization based on a set of principles and processes. Corporate entrepreneurs serve as change agents within their organizations, leading innovation to out-perform the market. The corporate entrepreneur employs proven practices and disciplines to increase the likelihood of sustainable innovation and business agility.

Many prospective corporate entrepreneurs have degrees in business, engineering and software development. To be successful, corporate entrepreneurs should also have skills in establishing the structures and conditions necessary to transform organizations and prepare them to be competitive in the future. The DBA in corporate entrepreneurship may provide an advantage for established professionals seeking to invigorate their careers and organizations.

Creativity is often associated with words like “original” and “unique,” particularly as it relates to an idea. To succeed in corporate entrepreneurship, one must be able to creatively identify an opportunity and then work within the organization to secure the necessary support and resources to produce the offering. Additionally, the corporate entrepreneur must know how to do this within an existing organization process or product, or by incorporating change that adds value to an organization process or product.1

 

Alumni Doctoral Degree Scholarship
Now Available

GCU alumni enrolling in a doctoral program for the first time may be eligible for a $2,000 scholarship.§

1 Retrieved from Entrepreneurship, Creativity, Innovation and Invention: How They Differ, in May 2022.

§ MOU-Alumni 2000 Doctoral-Dec2024: The Alumni Scholarship for Doctoral Programs is only valid for those applicants who submit a complete application and begin a Doctoral program in December 2024. This scholarship cannot be used in conjunction with any other GCU scholarship or awards and only applies to online and evening programs. Please speak to a university counselor for complete details.

Time to Completion and Dissertation Process

To learn more about time to completion and the dissertation process at GCU, visit our doctoral page.

Course List

Major:
60 credits
Degree Requirements:
60 credits

Core Courses

Course Description

This course introduces doctoral learners to the principle elements of research, scholarly writing, and effective argumentation. Learners are made aware of the dispositions and expectations of doctoral researchers as well as the University’s overarching values and beliefs regarding research and the responsibility of scholars to contribute new knowledge to their respective fields of study. Learners begin the process of identifying a researchable dissertation topic and are acquainted with appropriate scholarly resources that support the development of the dissertation.

Course Description

In this course, learners are introduced to the critical reading of scholarly qualitative and quantitative literature at the doctoral level. Learners also explore the concept of synthesizing the scholarly literature to identify problems and problem spaces that emerge to form a researchable topic of study. The application of scholarly argumentation from the extant literature to defend the need for a research study is discussed.

Course Description

This course explores the theories and frameworks that drive financial decision making in organizations today. Students focus on issues facing administrators in the changing business environment.

Course Description

Beginning with the notion that structures precede outcomes, this course explores the influence of organizational structure and culture on corporate entrepreneurial innovation. Consideration is given to innovation models and the history of innovation as well as the alignment of reward structures that promote innovation and corporate entrepreneurship.

Course Description

In this course, learners are introduced to key components of qualitative and quantitative research designs and the means to critically appraise the application of research designs as observed in the scholarly literature. The University's core research designs are presented. Consideration is given to the initial selection and defense of a research design to address a problem that emerged from the extant literature.

Course Description

This course provides an introduction to the sampling, data collection, and data analysis methods employed in qualitative and quantitative research designs. Learners explore the alignment of sampling, data collection, and data analysis methods to the research topic, research questions, and research design. The course positions learners to select qualitative or quantitative designs for their dissertation studies. Prerequisite: RES-831.

Course Description

This residency allows learners to continue developing their skills as academic researchers. Learners will have hands-on experience applying quantitative and qualitative design principals to develop the foundational elements for their potential dissertation studies. Prerequisite: RES-850, RES-825, RES-831, or RCS-831.

Course Description

Opportunities to innovate occur when the right individual is at the right place at the right time and is willing and able to seize opportunities. This course examines how to use established organizational structures to enable the process of identifying and rapidly prototyping disruptive innovations for the purpose of securing initial commitment.

Course Description

Having successfully prototyped a disruptive innovation, the process of corporate entrepreneurship then requires committed support from internal and external stakeholders. This course examines the process and structure for transforming both skeptics and casual supporters to committed advocates. Consideration is given to enacting due diligence and a deliberate communication cadence.

Course Description

In this course, learners explore the basic components of GCU qualitative core research designs including descriptive, case study, and phenomenology. The nature of epistemological foundations and the structure of problem statements, purpose statements, research questions, data sources, collection and analysis approaches are discussed in the context of each design.

Course Description

In this course, learners differentiate the epistemological foundations and explore the data trustworthiness, research ethics, and potential for bias in descriptive, case study, and phenomenology research designs. The process of building a rationale for design choice and aligning the research questions, interview questions, problem statement, and purpose statement is addressed. Sources of qualitative data are introduced for each design, and ethical aspects of research are discussed. Prerequisite: RES-841.

Course Description

This course provides the student with the skills and competencies needed to be able to apply microeconomic principles to the solution of business problems. Specifically, the course examines the four market structures focusing on competition and utilizes microeconomic theory to provide solutions to business problems.

Course Description

This course examines organizational sustainability through the lenses of competitive advantage and innovation. It addresses the leadership skills and capabilities required to foster, lead, and sustain innovation in organizations, and it explores how these ideas can be applied to create competitive advantage leading to a sustainable organization.

Course Description

In this residency, learners orally present and defend an expanded design of their preliminary dissertation research from RSD-851. Emphasis is placed on developing the qualitative dissertation. Prerequisite: RES-843.

Course Description

In this course, learners will apply the complex corporate entrepreneurial skillset to recommend how to structure, prototype, communicate, advocate, and execute disruptive innovation. Specific attention is given to components of the execution phase of the corporate entrepreneurial process such as timing, structure development, and frequency and cadence of communication.

Course Description

In this course, learners apply the skills of the practitioner-scholar. They are self-motivated and committed to reflective practice. They actively seek input from other scholars while continuing to design independent research under the guidance of the dissertation committee. Prerequisite: RES-871 or RES-885 or RSD-883 or RSD-884.

Course Description

In this course, learners explore qualitative data collection techniques and sources of qualitative data in the context of answering the research questions posed by a study. Consideration is given to the recognition of data saturation and the management of data. Learners continue to work with their respective dissertation chairs to prepare a written statement of data collection, and management activities. Prerequisites: RES-843 and one of the following: DBA-955 or DIS-955 or DHA-955 or PSY-955 or PCE-955 or TLC-955.

Course Description

In this course, learners apply the skills of the practitioner-scholar. They are self-motivated and committed to reflective practice. They actively seek input from other scholars while continuing to design and/or conduct independent research under the guidance of the dissertation committee. Prerequisite: DBA-955.

Course Description

In this course, learners focus on the interpretation of qualitative data to produce written research findings, results, and implications. Learners continue to work with their respective dissertation chairs and apply information from this course to move ahead in the dissertation process. Prerequisites: RES-873 and one of the following: DBA-960 or DIS-960 or DHA-960 or PSY-960 or PCE-960 or TLC-960.

Course Description

In this course, learners apply the skills of the practitioner-scholar. They are self-motivated and committed to reflective practice. They actively seek input from other scholars while continuing to design and/or conduct independent research under the guidance of the dissertation committee. Prerequisite: DBA-960.

Continuation Courses

The course identified above represent the minimum academic course requirements only. Most students will also need to take one or more of the following Research Continuation Courses to complete a dissertation. Research Continuation Courses are 3-credit courses charged at the standard doctoral per credit rate.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-965.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-966 or DBA-966E.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-967 or DBA-967E.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-968 or DBA-968E; RSD-951.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-969 or DBA-969E.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-970 or DBA-970E.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-971E.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-972E.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the finalization of the dissertation and provides learners with individualized support for completing their dissertation journey. Learners continue to work directly with their dissertation chair and committee members based on their individual progress plan for completing their dissertation. Prerequisite: DBA-973E.

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