Hyflex Model
3 Year Program
45 Credits
The innovative and transformative Doctor of Business Administration degree from the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at University of Pittsburgh School of Business is a three year program for individuals who have an intrinsic desire to pursue lifelong learning.
Excel at your current employer or pivot to a new career in industry, government, consulting, or teaching. Our DBA program is designed for those who want to expand their education while interacting with world-class faculty and other motivated, intelligent DBA students.
Join us for an upcoming information session.
Info Session – Doctor of Business Administration at Pitt Business
Recognized and accredited for our academic quality.
DBA Program Overview
45 credits, taken in the DBA Program, broken out as follows:*
- 13.5 credits of Methodology Core seminars
- 19.5 credits of Disciplinary Core Seminars
- 12 credits of Practicum Research Project (PRP)
- One week summer residency after the first and second academic year (Students facing travel/visa restrictions can request to participate virtually).
Program Duration: Three years, with two, one-week summer residencies
*Students must enter with a qualifying master’s degree of 27 credits or more.
Why Choose the DBA Program?
The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh School of Business is well-positioned to deliver a high-quality Executive DBA program. The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business has been running a world-class PhD program for decades placing students at highly ranked global universities demonstrating our rigor in research and theory. The University of Pittsburgh is classified as an R1 research institution, which is the top tier of the Carnegie classification. The University of Pittsburgh is also a member of the AAU representing the top 60 universities across the country. The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business is also accredited by the AACSB, the top accreditation body for business schools globally with only 5% of business schools reaching AACSB accreditation status.
DBA or PhD?
Both degrees represent the highest level of academic achievement, but also have differences.
Consider the EDBA if:
- You want to earn a professional doctorate
- You want to enroll in a part-time program, allowing you to continue to work while completing your doctoral studies
- You want to engage and synthesize research with the real-world practice of business and your executive management experience.
Consider the PhD if:
- You want to earn an academic doctorate
- You want to enroll in a full-time program, in which you would leave your employer, go to graduate school full time and complete 20 hours of graduate assistantship per week
- You want to emphasize the development of theories and address gaps in knowledge.
Learn more about admissions requirements, the structure of the program, financial aid, and more by visiting the Frequently Asked Questions page or by connecting with a member of our admissions team.
Academic Leadership
We engage research-active, tenure track faculty. Most are tenured full professors and several are chaired professors. That status indicates both high quality and high quantity of research achievements. That is, the faculty members have engaged in high quality research and have produced a high quantity of that research. Those are the faculty members who can help you attain rigor in your own research. Most have received national or international awards and other recognitions for that research.
Associate Dean for MBA and Specialty Masters; Teaching Associate Professor of Business Administration
Teaching Assistant Professor of Business Administration
Associate Professor of Business Administration
Teaching Associate Professor of Business Administration
Glenn Stinson Chair in Competitiveness
Thomas H. O’Brien Professor of Information Systems; Academic Director, DBA Program
Professor Emeritus of Business Administration
George H. Love Professor of Organizations and Management; Academic Director, Executive MBA Healthcare
Associate Professor of Business Administration
Professor of Business Administration & Area Director for Organizations and Entrepreneurship
Professor of Business Administration; Director, Center for Supply Chain Management;
Academic Director, Executive MBA Program
Samuel A. McCullough Professor of Business Administration; Area Director, Information Systems and Technology Management
Teaching Assistant Professor
Roger Sheridan Ahlbrandt, Sr. Chair, Professor of Business Administration and Area Director for Business Analytics and Operations
Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Initiatives and Thomas Marshall Professor of Marketing
Associate Professor of Business Administration
Alumni Spotlight
Sunghee Kim is already making his mark in academia and proudly representing Pitt along the way.
Kim, an Assistant Professor of Accounting at the David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah Asia Campus in South Korea, was recently honored with the Faculty of the Year Award for the 2025–2026 academic year. Selected by student vote, the award recognizes just one faculty member per academic year, making it a direct reflection of his impact in the classroom.
The honor came during the university’s spring commencement at the Asia Campus, where Kim participated as part of the platform party for the first time, wearing his Pitt regalia for the occasion.
“I am very grateful to be a Pitt graduate,” Kim shared, “and this has motivated me even more to keep moving forward.”
His story is a testament to what a DBA can unlock, not just professionally, but in how our graduates show up and lead in their communities around the world.
Student Spotlights
Kerr Manson, managing partner, Breakout Growth Partners says, “I found the faculty to be highly engaging. They are all leaders in their fields, the teaching is thought-provoking, and they really encourage you to learn more and to dig into the topics that they cover in the classroom.”
Alicia Vuittonet, co-founder, Mantoupia says, “I really appreciated my cohort. I have been honored to learn alongside the incredibly intelligent and hardworking people who have been so helpful to me. They have provided insights on certain business issues I was faced with.”