Doctorate in Healthcare Administration | Online DHA

Program Overview

Franklin’s applied Doctor of Healthcare Administration is a program designed to help you:

Design organizational strategies to improve healthcare operations and outcomes
Develop innovative healthcare leadership practices based on executive leadership practices
Assess and refine your own leadership competencies
Apply research to advance the field of healthcare administration

Improve healthcare processes, efficiencies and outcomes

Few would argue the large and complex nature of the administrative side of healthcare. Few also would argue the need for improvement in even the leanest, safest, most patient-friendly healthcare organization. The truth is, there’s always room for improvement – and you could be the catalyst for change in your healthcare organization. While earning your doctorate in healthcare administration from Franklin, you’ll focus on ways to drive quality improvements, including patient safety, risk management and service quality.

Make more informed decisions

When it comes to healthcare decision making, be it process improvement, program effectiveness or sustainability strategies, the crux of any decision is evidence. That’s why our doctoral program for healthcare includes major area coursework related to workflows, databases, informatics and analytics. Your Franklin DHA will help you better understand retrieving, analyzing and reporting intelligence metrics as part of healthcare decision making.

Create and influence healthcare policies and regulations

In spite of being highly regulated and governed, healthcare continues to require new and updated policies to ensure sustainability and parity. Your Franklin DHA will help you explore various aspects of corporate, state and federal policymaking, including regulations, enforcement and organizational impact. You’ll learn how to evaluate the role of agencies in implementation and enforcement, create policies at all government and corporate levels, and influence change for existing policies and regulations.

Get 360-degree support

We’ve taken a comprehensive and systematic approach to our online doctoral program, which includes team-based curriculum development, doctorally qualified faculty, and student-centered activities designed for the working adult. You’ll receive robust academic support from a variety of resources, including a graduate advisor, faculty advisor, personal librarian and peers, as well as the Student Learning Center staff and your Dissertation Committee members. You’ll also enjoy a cohesive and robust graduate culture and cohort. Together, our practice-minded faculty and your fellow students will support, mentor, encourage and keep you accountable to the program – and to yourself. At Franklin, you’re never alone on your doctoral journey.

Transfer Up to 24 Credit Hours

Want to complete your terminal degree in less than three years? Franklin grants up to 24 hours of prior-learning credit for previous doctoral work, and approved certifications and licensures. We honor your prior learning and make it easier to get credit for what you already know. Transfer credit can help you earn your applied doctorate degree faster, as well as reduce your overall tuition expenses.

Program Outcomes

Demonstrate effective research skills; Formulate a research problem; Integrate previous literature into an appropriate literature review; Design a research study; Analyze data; Summarize and present research results; Discuss research results
Demonstrate advanced knowledge and competencies in a major field of study in healthcare administration
Create and present advanced forms of oral and written communication
Evaluate and assess the ethical obligations and responsibilities of healthcare administration for the purpose of responsible leadership

Curriculum & Course Descriptions

Research Core

ENG 8010 - Introduction to Doctoral Studies, Writing, and Research (3)

This course will establish the doctoral program structure and associated expectations, requirements, and support resources, as well as prepare students to be active participants in advanced professional and academic discourse by examining and practicing the writing conventions associated with their chosen field of study. As part of an intentional learning community, students will become familiar with the varied conventions of disciplinary writing and analyze the ongoing scholarly conversations pertinent to their academic interest by identifying common scholarly writing conventions, composing knowledge base articles, and responding to both their peers? works in progress and published scholarly writing.

ENG 8020 - Doctoral Writing & Research (3)

This course will build on the foundational work of ENG8010 to ensure that students continue to compose in academic and professional genres in order to compose and communicate scholarly arguments and perspectives in their chosen field of study. In addition to applying scholarly writing conventions associated both with doctoral scholarship and with their chosen field of study, students will continue to cultivate a learning community and develop field-specific research in order to compose knowledge-base articles, annotated bibliographies, literature reviews and analytical research papers.

MTHD 8003 - Introduction to Qualitative Methods (2)

This course provides a comprehensive overview of qualitative research designs and methods. Students engage in hands-on exploration of qualitative data collection techniques, such as observations and open-ended surveys, and practice foundational data analysis methods. They also delve into key concepts, including sampling design, validity, reliability, and researcher bias. By the end of the course, students will understand how components of a qualitative research design fit together, equipping them with essential tools and insights for advanced coursework and dissertation research.

MTHD 8004 - Introduction to Quantitative Methods & Research Design (2)

This course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of quantitative research designs and methods. It begins by requiring students to complete the CITI training on protecting human research participants. The course introduces quantitative sampling designs, data collection techniques, the differences between experimental and non-experimental designs, and data analysis methods. Through hands-on activities, students will practice formulating research questions or hypotheses, addressing ethical concerns, designing sampling strategies, collecting data, and analyzing results. Students will learn how to assess the validity and reliability of research, and will be introduced to available software for conducting quantitative design.

MATH 8070 - Statistical Reasoning and Interpretation (2)

This course will introduce students to the concepts underlying basic data analysis and interpretation. Core topics include data types, scales of measurement, sampling techniques, descriptive statistics, and basic hypothesis testing. Using a current statistical analysis program, students will learn to describe data sets using measures of dispersion and relative position, to compute probability of occurrence of events, to calculate various hypothesis test statistics, and to convey and interpret results of various analyses in written form.

MATH 8090 - Statistical Techniques for Research Inquiry (3)

This course will emphasize the alignment of statistical procedures with research methods, including selection and application of appropriate statistical analyses given a data set and a problem statement, including comparison tests, tests of prediction/relationships, and tests of predicting group membership. Moreover, students will develop skills of data set manipulation, including ?cleaning and screening? data, and assessing conditions in order to choose between parametric and non-parametric tests. Additional emphasis will be placed upon conveying and interpreting results of analyses in written form.

AND

MTHD 8015 - Questionnaires & Scale Development (2)

This is a hands-on course designed to equip student with skills and knowledge necessary to develop new, valid and reliable instruments as well as help improve existing ones. In particular, the course looks at the evolution of measurement development, the different types of tests used in various settings, the psychometric properties and the process involved in developing reliable and valid measurement instruments. The course includes creation of a reliable and valid measurement that can be readily applied in a given context and/or field.

OR MTHD 8016 - Qualitative Data Analysis (2)

The qualitative data analysis course focuses on qualitative coding, analysis, and interpretation of findings, and writing of the qualitative results. These skills will prepare students for the doctoral candidacy journey. The goal of this course is to collect readily available text data, work on mapping, memoing, coding, analyzing, interpreting, and writing qualitative results.

OR MTHD 8018 - Research Design (2)

The aim of this course is for students to learn about and be able to apply key research design frameworks in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. In particular, students will learn conditions under which each design and/or approach would be most appropriate and effective. Additionally, students will learn how to formulate research questions, critically evaluate various research designs in order to select a suitable one for a given research problem, develop appropriate data collection and analysis procedures and plans as well as ethical conduct of research studies. During the course, students will learn to craft a research propose integrating critical components, namely background of study, purpose statement, research question, theoretical framework, significance of the study, critical review and synthesis of key literature underpinning the study, appropriate research design, and data collection and analysis procedures.

OR MTHD 8019 - Mixed Methods Research & Design (2)

In this intermediate methods course, students will become familiar with mixed methods research and design. They will gain knowledge of the basic types of mixed methods design, discuss both the advantages and challenges of mixed methods designs, and learn how to conceptualize their own study in terms of these different design types. Students will gain experience on how to formulate a research question fitted for a mixed methods design, develop a data collection plan and sampling approach for the qualitative and quantitative phases, design a data analysis plan, and consider and ethical issues. At the end of the course, students will compile their work into a mixed methods research proposal.

AND

MTHD 8020 - Advanced Quantitative Research & Design (3)

This is an advanced course in statistics that covers analyses used in multivariate statistical techniques. The course is designed to broaden and deepen learners understanding of advanced statistics in multivariate techniques. As such, several multivariate techniques are covered, including their appropriateness to given situations, analysis, and interpretation. The emphasis of the course is on practical application of concepts learnt to given research problems and/or opportunities. The course is developed to balance theory and application and provides numerous opportunities for application to practical problems. Learners also complete a draft research proposal integrating sound research plans and procedures.

OR MTHD 8022 - Advanced Qualitative Research & Design (3)

The advanced qualitative research course builds on the knowledge and skills students acquire in MTHD 803 and MTHD 804. This course leads students on an in depth treatment of qualitative research methodology, exploring its theoretical underpinnings and associated methods for design, data collection, interpretation, and reporting of results. Ethics are emphasized for each stage of research. This course will also guide students to develop the methodology and data analysis for their dissertation proposal and research.

OR MTHD 8025 - Advanced Mixed Methods Research & Design (3)

This advanced mixed methods course equips students with a comprehensive understanding of mixed methods research (MMR). Students will gain hands-on experience in selecting and justifying appropriate analytical techniques, integrating findings to enhance research insights, and navigating challenges in interpreting mixed methods results. Additionally, students will apply mixed methods design principles in a practice-based mini research project and develop effective strategies for presenting MMR findings using appropriate visual representations. MTHD 8019 is highly recommended as a pre-requisite for this course.

Major Area Required

HCM 8110 - Organizations, Community & Global Health (4)

This science of epidemiology is essential for projecting the population health needs, and appropriate allocation of public and private resources. This course focuses on the utilization of epidemiologic studies and techniques as a basis for organizational policy and administrative decision-making. Students will examine the connection between organizational leadership and social health. Students will create and recommend organizational strategies that enhance organizational, community, and global health.

HCM 8120 - Healthcare Policy, Regulations & Reform (4)

This course will explore various aspects of corporate, state and federal policy making. Students will examine the impact of existing health policies on healthcare organizations, providers and patients. Students will develop skills to influence and change existing healthcare policies. Students will also create and propose a new healthcare policy.

HCM 8130 - Healthcare Economics, Resources & Finance (4)

This course will examine the importance of resource and financial management in a healthcare organization. Students will determine the financial status of a healthcare organization and create strategic plans to sustain healthcare services. This course will also explore the various concepts driving healthcare economics. This course will also critique the use of organizational supplies, human resources, and technology.

HCM 8140 - Healthcare Quality, Process & Improvement (4)

This course will examine various aspects of patient safety, quality improvement and risk management in healthcare. Students will compare and contrast several process improvement models with the goal of improving organizational efficiency, patient safety, and service quality. Students will also research governmental agencies driving quality improvement in healthcare organizations.

Major Electives

16 credits from levels 8000-8999 in the following subjects: ACCT, EDUC, HCM, HIM, HRM, IDL, ITEC, MGMT, MKTG, MTHD, PUAD.

AND

Students can also select from: FINA 737, FINA 750, or FINA. 737.

Dissertation/Dissertation in Practice Requirements

DISS 9000 - Comprehensive Exam (1)

This course is designed for students to prepare for, take and complete their comprehensive exam. Remedial strategies and actions will also be provided for students who do not successfully pass their comprehensive exam on the first attempt, with the opportunity to register again for a retake, if the student choose to do so. A third attempt on taking the Doctoral Comprehensive Examination will not be automatically provided to doctoral students failing to successfully pass the examination after two attempts. Any third attempt will only be considered upon receiving a written petition by the student requesting a final attempt. The request may or may not be approved based on review by the Dean of Doctoral Studies and the student's doctoral Program Chair. Students who fail the comprehensive examination two times, or fail the examination three times when a third attempt was granted through appeal, are dismissed from doctoral studies at Franklin University.

AND

At least 6 credits from the following courses:

DISS 9100 - Dissertation (1-4)

In consultation with the Dissertation Chair and Committee Members, the doctoral candidate will design and conduct research to complete the aims identified in their research prospectus, proposal and IRB application or as subsequently modified in line with recommendations from the Chair and Committee Members. This course may be repeated as necessary to earn sufficient credit or to finalize the Dissertation to fulfill requirements to earn the doctorate.

AND

DISS 9400 - Defense of Dissertation (1)

Doctoral candidates will finalize all aspects of the Dissertation/Dissertation in Practice and make an oral defense of their design, methods and findings.

Optional Focus Areas

Students may complete 8 credit hours of a focus area to count within the Major Elective requirement.

OR

Accounting Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

ACCT 8240 - Advanced Financial Accounting (4)

This course is an advanced accounting research seminar in financial reporting. The seminar allows you to begin the process of substantive academic research and formal inquiry into important financial reporting theories and the implications of these for accountants. The seminar will require the synthesis of critical thinking, analysis, research writing and evaluation. Students will develop a key deliverable that involves a research proposal in financial accounting thought and then conduct substantive research into the literature developed by others. The final project in the seminar is the development of a research ready proposal utilizing at minimum one research methodology.

ACCT 8250 - Advanced Managerial Accounting (4)

This course is an advanced accounting research seminar in managerial accounting. The seminar allows you to begin the process of substantive academic research and formal inquiry into these important theories and the implications of these for managerial accountants. The seminar will require the synthesis of critical thinking, analysis, research writing and evaluation. Students will develop a key deliverable that involves a research proposal in managerial accounting and then conduct substantive research into the literature developed by others. The final project in the seminar is the development of a research ready proposal utilizing at minimum one research methodology.

ACCT 8260 - Advanced Auditing (4)

This course is an advanced accounting research seminar in auditing. The seminar allows you to begin the process of substantive academic research and formal inquiry into important auditing theories and the implications of these for accountants. The seminar will require the synthesis of critical thinking, analysis, research, writing and evaluation. Students will develop a research proposal in auditing based on their substantive research into the accounting, auditing and business literature. The final project in the seminar is the development of a research ready proposal, including an appropriate research methodology that describes an issue, problem or proactive need as documented in the literature, for which the student will formulate, describe and defend an appropriate solution.

OR

Education Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

EDUC 8101 - Leadership of Organizational Principles (4)

This core course focuses on leadership and followership skills and attributes through the lens of traditional and 21st century leadership theories, constructs and concepts as applied to institutions. Students will apply transformational and other state-of-the-art leadership theoretical underpinnings to real-world cases, scenarios and situations that involve optimal practices in leading individuals and organizations through leadership challenging scenarios and other situations. The course concentrates on the application of critical thinking to optimal practices in leading institutions, their stakeholders and culture for optimal effectiveness.

EDUC 8102 - Teaching in Higher Education (4)

The course will study the teaching and learning philosophies, methods, and techniques in higher education. Topics will cover learning theories, instructional design models, instructional strategies, and evaluation of student performance. By the end of this course, students will develop their own teaching philosophy along with an instructional unit demonstrating their mastery of learning theories and instructional design models, selection of proper learning technologies in designing the instruction, and incorporation of appropriate instructional and assessment methods. In addition, students will also explore faculty careers in higher education.

EDUC 8105 - Leadership of Organizational Resources (4)

This core course focuses on state-of-the-art leadership skills necessary for the effectiveness of today's leaders and managers. The course concentrates on the specific transformational, servant-leadership, and other leadership competencies and skills necessary for providing sound management of institutional resources, projects, and performance. Students will apply leadership theoretical underpinnings to real-world cases, scenarios and situations that involve effective and ineffective resource and performance management practices. The course concentrates on the application of critical thinking and decision-making in optimal practices for providing highly effective leadership in today's organizations.

EDUC 8140 - Leadership Theories and Practices in Higher Education: Navigating Organizational Structures and Roles (4)

This course provides an examination of leadership theories and structures in institutions of higher education. Focusing on major theories of leadership of higher education organizations that inform leadership practices, students will develop skills as practitioners in university leadership. By the end of the course, students will be able to understand the structure and function of university leadership structures from multiple theoretical perspectives. Students will gain an understanding of the management, leadership, and administrative roles of academic and student affairs offices in colleges and universities including personnel, program definition, research and teaching issues, and other functions of academic and programming oversight. Additional consideration to the roles, responsibilities, and leadership styles required will be examined for different organizational contexts. Through the linking of theory to practice, the class activities will lead students to develop skills as campus leaders and to empower them to make conscious, deliberate decisions, utilizing multiple, and at times divergent, theoretical frames.

EDUC 8145 - Challenges and Leadership in American Higher Education: History, Policy, and Practice (4)

The purpose of this course is to explore critical, challenges facing American higher education. The course explores the history of higher education, with an emphasis on the development of higher education in the United States, to present day challenges facing intuitions. It includes issues of access, accountability, academic freedom, financial aid, state and federal government policy, changing legal structures, teaching and learning in a digital age, student issues, diversity, and the influence of business models and values on institutional strategy and practice. This course also covers different educational systems (Community Colleges, Private Colleges, and Public Colleges) and the critical issues affecting their institutional type. Students will gain an understanding of their responsibilities, critical thinking, and explore current issues that affect managers in institutions of higher education. This course addresses interdisciplinary influences on leadership practice within learning organizations and focuses on recent developments that have broad implications for research and practice in educational leadership.

OR

Health Informatics Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

HIM 8202 - Advanced Health Information Governance (4)

In this course students will evaluate an organizations current health information governance infra-structure and will make recommendations for improvement that will cover the broad spectrum of strategic issues in healthcare including policies, guidelines, standards, processes and controls required to manage and implement enterprise-level information. Students will research how health data and organizational information systems are utilized as a strategic asset to healthcare organizations, process to manage various risks to the quality of information and ensure its appropriate use.

HIM 8210 - Advanced Clinical Workflow & Applications (4)

In this course students will evaluate an organizations existing clinical workflows to include a variety of inpatient, outpatient and emergency healthcare environments. Material in the course covers the documentation, review, mapping and diagramming of clinical workflow information and processes. Students will also assess and make recommendations for improvement of patient care to workflow mapping and change management, as part of evidence based decision making in healthcare.

HIM 8261 - Advanced Healthcare Analytics (4)

In this course students will evaluate an organizations existing process of retrieving, analyzing and reporting intelligence to make healthcare decisions. Student will assess and make recommendations for improvement on the techniques of extracting, transforming and loading data from a myriad of operational databases into corporate data warehouses, as well means to ensure that decision making is based on clean and reliable information. Students will also develop skills for reporting the healthcare intelligence gathered.

OR

Human Resource Management Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

HRM 8240 - Foundations of Human Resource Management (4)

Organizations across the globe are composed of groups of people working together to achieve goals that include organizational success, employee growth and contribution, and contribution to the larger community. The defining factor that differentiates the most successful companies from those that struggle to survive is the people who make up the employee base. While the Human Resources function has the specific task of planning for and resolving many employee issues and needs, individual managers and employees have direct responsibility and accountably for achieving sustained organizational success. Organizations that invest in their employees and develop workplace environments that encourage full employee engagement are rewarded with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This course provides students with an opportunity to learn the knowledge and skills needed to enhance the contributions of all employees in support of an organization's purpose. Student's research will analyze trends and issues influencing the development and application of these elements within contemporary organizations. Additionally, students will come to understand the benefits afforded to organizations that create, craft and maintain a rich, empowering culture.

HRM 8250 - Strategic Human Resource Management (4)

In Strategic Human Resource Management, students will analyze workforce management processes in light of their strategic importance. This will include an examination of the relationships between traditional human resource functions and the various business functions so that efficiency and effectiveness are balanced and optimized. Students will also review these processes and relationships in both the domestic and global environments now and in the future. Further, students conduct research to explore trends within the discipline of Human Resource Management that have a positive impact upon employee engagement as well as the productivity and profitability of an organization.

HRM 8260 - Leading Organizational Transformation (4)

In this course, students will evaluate the process of change as related to the principles and practices of various types of organizations. Students will conduct research into the area of total rewards to determine what influences are leading many organizations to implement progressive human resource practices. Students will apply this learning to examine change processes and techniques used to facilitate transformational change in order to enhance employee engagement and organizational success. Students will also understand the business case supporting why companies should invest in their employees and internal cultures, regardless of industry affiliation, company size and/or revenue generation and apply this research to examine the processes and techniques for facilitating transformational change.

OR

Instructional Design Leadership Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

IDL 8100 - Strategic Examination of Trends & Technology (4)

Leaders of instruction and learning must stay abreast of continual changes in technology and leverage them to ensure the competitiveness and health of their organization. However, not all technologies and emerging processes are worth adopting. In this course, students will examine pedagogical trends and emerging technologies. Students will learn how to evaluate theories and incorporate designs, processes, and technologies in strategic and tactical decisions for instruction and learning in the organization.

IDL 8110 - Innovative Learning Environment Design (4)

In this course, students will be exposed to new and innovative approaches for designing effective learning and instruction. This course will equip students with knowledge of applicable frameworks and strategies for implementation at the organizational level. Students will review learning environments such as e-learning, blended and hybrid learning, mobile learning, game-based learning, and informal and social learning, to determine the appropriate learning environment based on the learning and training needs of an organization.

IDL 8120 - Strategic Assessment & Decision Making (4)

Today's researchers, leaders and managers in the instructional design field must be able to use data to make decisions, as well as to influence others in their organizations. In this course, students will learn how to apply relevant tools, techniques, theories, and principles of strategic assessment and decision-making to address the learning and performance needs to continuous improvement for learning problems or a learning organization.

IDL 8130 - Organizational Learning & Knowledge Management (4)

Learning and knowledge management is crucial to the success of organizations. In this course, students will go beyond the design of learning environments and acquire skills to lead and manage the learning organization at a strategic level. Students will be able to recognize and meet the evolving learning needs of an organization within the framework of the organization's strategic goals. Multicultural awareness and how to lead multi-functional and cross-cultural instructional design teams and projects will also be addressed in this course.

IDL 8140 - Instructional Design Leadership Coaching and Consulting (4)

In this course, you will learn leadership, coaching, and consulting theories, specifically for leading in the instructional design and training industries. You will learn to identify the knowledge, skills, and qualities needed in your development to become a successful instructional design leader. Toward this end, you will develop a personal instructional design leadership philosophy and plan.

IDL 8150 - Curriculum Design, Development & Evaluation (4)

This course examines the theoretical framework and practice of curriculum design, development, and evaluation in educational settings. Students will learn the theories that are being used to guide curriculum design in educational settings. Students will apply those theories and processes in creating a curriculum and planning teaching & learning activities accordingly.

OR

Management Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

MGMT 8145 - Organizational Behavior, Culture & Effectiveness (4)

This doctoral-level course offers an in-depth exploration of organizational behavior, culture, and effectiveness. Students will examine organizational behavior and culture while critically evaluating how these principles manifest in high-growth and innovative contexts. The course emphasizes the role of leadership, team dynamics, and organizational design in shaping culture and driving performance within organizations. Through the readings assigned, students will engage with the cultural challenges such as scaling, maintaining core values, fostering innovation, and managing talent in a fast-paced environment. Topics will include cultural change, leadership, the impact of organizational culture on employee behavior and company performance, and the tension between innovation and structure. By the end of the course, students should be equipped with skills necessary to conduct research on organizational culture and effectiveness within rapidly evolving business environments.

MGMT 8150 - Organizational Leadership (4)

This course addresses historical and current leadership concepts, theories and constructs. An emphasis will be on the application and assessment of transformational, servant and authentic leadership theories for us by both leaders and followers in 21st century business and academic settings. The course will challenge students to assess their own leadership strengths and weaknesses and produce an in-depth plan of action to develop and refine leadership competencies. Students will conduct substantive scholarly research to address and capture relevant and cutting edge leadership theoretical work for application in course assignments.

MGMT 8155 - Org Sys Perspect Theory & Application (4)

Organizational Systems Perspectives Theory and Applications. This course focuses on the theory and practice of organizations as open and adaptive systems. Students will explore the implications of systems theory for organizational sense-making, learning, innovation, and transformation. The complexity of organizations as integrated participants in broader systems will be examined through research, case studies, and presentations. Emphasis will be placed on analyzing organizational performance criteria, mapping system interactions, and developing strategic responses to challenges within volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. Students will enhance their ability to assess, refine, and implement system-based strategies that drive sustainable organizational success through applied learning and critical discussion.

MGMT 8175 - Change Mgmt & Organizational Development (4)

This course focuses on research and evaluation of the key theoretical concepts and practices central to the leading of organizational change initiatives. Students will evaluate real-world situations, cases and scenarios in order to recommend and justify theoretically-based change management practices to ensure ongoing organizational acceptance and effectiveness of these programs. Students will conduct scholarly research to explore, evaluate and interpret state-of-the-art change concepts for their viability in today's organizations. Students will assess the role of change agents as key players in the overall change process.

MGMT 8240 - Development of Management Theory Practice (4)

This course examines the development, evaluation, and application of management theory, focusing on frameworks used in contemporary organizational research. It emphasizes critical analysis of foundational and modern theories, including their assumptions and explanatory value. Candidates synthesize perspectives to explain complex organizational issues and build conceptual frameworks for applied research. Through a scholar?practitioner approach, the course connects theory to real-world challenges, enabling candidates to develop researchable problems, propositions, and evidence-based solutions.

MGMT 8260 - Strategic Thinking, Dec. Making/Innov. (4)

Innovation enables organizational growth and sustainability. However, for companies to remain competitive, leaders must understand the theories, models, and strategies framing innovation applying relevant concepts and practice to business development, customer satisfaction, and market acquisition. Conceptually, innovation, defined and applied in organizations, has morphed over the last three decades. However, the 21st-century global business environment offers an opportunity to rethink, even reimage innovation and its application to the emerging digital defined markets and workplaces. While innovation is evolutionally, even revolutionary relative to an organization's purpose, product, and processes, leadership should explore contemporary knowledge and skills associated with innovation determining if cultivating cultures of innovation, is essential to achieving organizational goals.

MGMT 8265 - Organizational Performance Analysis (4)

This course addresses a multi-prong approach to manage, lead and assess overall organizational performance in achieving tactical and strategic goals. Metrics including: shareholder value, the balanced scorecard, risk management, system alignment, human resource management, and organizational learning are addressed in this course. Also the application of research on organizational performance theories are incorporated in the course.

MGMT 8270 - Ethics & Social Responsibility (4)

This course focuses on the evaluation and analysis of key ethical decision-making theories and constructs and their direct application and integration in 21st century organizational practices. The role of corporate social responsibility will be explored by assessing the role of organizational leaders and stakeholders with improving the quality of life for individuals and the community.

OR

Marketing Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

MKTG 8240 - Contemporary Issues in Marketing Management (4)

This course is an advanced research seminar in contemporary marketing management. The seminar relies on critical inquiry and analysis as the foundation for substantive academic research involving current marketing issues that shape and are shaped by society. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have completed a comprehensive research study proposal.

MKTG 8250 - Consumer & Behavioral Research (4)

This course is an advanced seminar in consumer behavior and market-driven applied research. Readings and assignments will synthesize prior knowledge of consumer behavior, research methodologies, methods, and theories with critical analyses of how these are used to inform marketing decision-making. Upon successful completion of this course, students will have developed a plan to conduct and analyze a research study.

MKTG 8260 - Marketing Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis (4)

This course is an advanced seminar in the use of quantitative and qualitative data in the marketing process. Upon successful completion of this seminar, students will have an understanding of how quantitative and qualitative analyses are used by marketing academicians and practitioners for academic and applied research, assessment, and decision- making.

OR

Methodology Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

MTHD 8020 - Advanced Quantitative Research & Design (3)

This is an advanced course in statistics that covers analyses used in multivariate statistical techniques. The course is designed to broaden and deepen learners understanding of advanced statistics in multivariate techniques. As such, several multivariate techniques are covered, including their appropriateness to given situations, analysis, and interpretation. The emphasis of the course is on practical application of concepts learnt to given research problems and/or opportunities. The course is developed to balance theory and application and provides numerous opportunities for application to practical problems. Learners also complete a draft research proposal integrating sound research plans and procedures.

MTHD 8022 - Advanced Qualitative Research & Design (3)

The advanced qualitative research course builds on the knowledge and skills students acquire in MTHD 803 and MTHD 804. This course leads students on an in depth treatment of qualitative research methodology, exploring its theoretical underpinnings and associated methods for design, data collection, interpretation, and reporting of results. Ethics are emphasized for each stage of research. This course will also guide students to develop the methodology and data analysis for their dissertation proposal and research.

MTHD 8024 - Advanced Mixed Methods Research & Design (3)

Through this course, students will familiarize with mixed-methods research and design. They will gain knowledge on the four different types of mixed-methods: triangulation design, embedded design, explanatory design, and exploratory design. Students will learn how to conceptualize their own study in terms of these different design types. They will gain hands-on experience on how to formulate a research question fitted for a mixed-methods design, collect some data, and analyze it. They will discuss and learn about challenges and advantages of mixed-methods designs. At the end of this course students will be able to work on their dissertation proposal.

OR

Public Administration Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

PUAD 8240 - Cross-Sector Collaboration (4)

This course focuses on theories and practices for leading cross-sector collaborations to accomplish public policy goals and objectives of mission-driven organizations. Students evaluate different collaborative approaches for delivering government and nonprofit services and assess the risks and benefits of engaging in cross-sector collaborations. Students learn analytical approaches, principled negotiation skills, and best practices for initiating and managing effective cross-sector collaborations.

PUAD 8250 - Innovations in Service Delivery and Stakeholder Engagement (4)

The course examines the latest technologies that can be used to improve service delivery, engage stakeholders, and solve problems. Students learn the technologies and best practices for using web-based applications, e-commerce solutions, geographic information systems, crowd-sourcing, social media and other e-tools to make government and nonprofit organizations more efficient and effective. Ethical, legal, and implementation, aspects of these approaches are assessed.

PUAD 8260 - Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis (4)

This course examines concepts, tools, and techniques for evaluating government policies, philanthropic, and social programs to assess the performance of mission-driven organizations. The course focuses on evaluating different approaches to program evaluation and applying methods for performance evaluation, including needs assessments, logic models, evaluation designs, quantitative and qualitative evaluation techniques, ethics, and reporting.

OR

Information Technology Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

ITEC 8240 - IT Management and Strategy (4)

This course critically analyzes the current state of IT strategy practices and demonstrates how an IT strategy serves as a strong foundation for competitive IT management. Several tools and methods are synthesized to assess internal and external environments for formulating a strategy, execute a strategy based on environmental factors, and improve a strategy. The course brings the current academic and business literature to the class. It examines emerging IT strategy and management issues such as hyper-automation, AI, cybersecurity mesh, anywhere operations, and the internet of behaviors.

ITEC 8250 - IT Policy and Governance (4)

This course aims to improve critical thinking and decision-making skills in the IT policy and governance field. The course brings forth today's complex and cutting-edge computing environment by taking threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber controls into account. Course provokes the questions of how the GRC (Governance, Risk Management, Compliance) practices should be applied in today's complex IT environments to make the most out of the cutting-edge technology and how critical assets should be protected from adversarial actions of advanced persistent threats. The course brings various essential processes and services to the table, including but not limited to supply chain risks, innovation, and resilience. Research papers and discussion assignments help students obtain pertinent information and improve research & academic writing skills within the field.

ITEC 8260 - IT Vision and Leadership (4)

This course aims to improve critical thinking and decision-making skills while building your capabilities as an IT leader. The course helps you build a strong foundation on how to internally and externally lead others in a complex IT environment. This course will challenge you to create a leadership style that will bring the best out of people and yourself. Research papers and discussion assignments help students obtain pertinent information and improve research & academic writing skills within the field.

OR

Finance Focus:

At least 8 credits from the following courses:

FINA 737 - Corporate Finance (4)

Financial decisions made at the higher levels of a business organization can have far-reaching effects. Intended to achieve firm operating goals and create shareholder value, they must be made judiciously, with a thorough understanding of all the factors involved. In this course, you will learn to apply the analytical techniques required for developing effective and workable financial solutions at the executive level. You will gain an overall understanding of the workings of the U.S. financial system. In addition, you will study the concepts of financial risk, return, and the valuation of bonds, common and preferred stock, cost of capital, capital budgeting, capital structure, and the evaluation of investment opportunities.

FINA 750 - Advanced Investment (4)

This course provides students with advanced knowledge of the capital markets, financial institutions, financial products, and analytical tools and skills needed for investments portfolio management. The objective is to provide students with a solid foundation of advanced concepts, tools, and techniques for making informed decisions in the highly dynamic investment environment. Students will utilize computer software, simulations, and internet tools to understand the viewpoint of professional investors more fully. The course will adopt an application-oriented approach so that students will be able to explain their financial decision under conditions of uncertainty. The course will provide students with a framework that will be useful in business settings where such analyses are routinely made.

FINA 773 - Global Finance (4)

No longer are only mammoth corporations concerned with the complexities and nuances of multinational financial operations. Today the leaders of companies of even moderate size often must have at least a fundamental knowledge of the global financial environment. In this course, you will be introduced to the workings of international finance as it relates to business operations. You will gain an understanding of such international macroeconomic topics as the balance of payments and models of exchange rate determination, while at the same time focusing on institutional issues such as the choice of exchange rate regime and growth of offshore currency markets. You will examine business and investor decisions involving exchange rate risk management, cross-border investment strategies, and participation in international money and capital markets.

Set solutions in motion with a doctorate in healthcare administration