DURANT, Okla. (KXII) – This fall, business students at Southeastern will be able to pursue a doctorate degree for the very first time in the history of the university.

David Whitlock, Dean of the John Massey School of Business, said they will be offering a 54-hour doctorate in business administration starting this next school year in August.

“Southeastern started primarily as a teaching university in 1909, but by 1918, we had already started offering curriculum in business,” Whitlock said. “In the 1970s, we actually formed the first organized school of business … in the 90s, we began offering our first MBA program and this is just the next step in a continued march toward excellence.”

Whitlock said the program is designed for people who already have an MBA or a master’s degree with specific business prerequisites.

“We’re very excited to have two different concentrations in the DBA, one is in strategic management, the other is in organizational leadership,” Whitlock said.

Either way students decide to go, Whitlock said this degree will open many doors.

“Certainly it provides credentials for doing consulting work, for entrepreneurs who are looking to go in and dive deeper into their own business,” Whitlock said. “Obviously, to teach business, this is the terminal degree.”

The program is also already accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, or AACSB.

“Only about 6% of schools worldwide have achieved an AACSB accreditation,” Whitlock said. “It is the top level.”

The program is fully online, and enrollment is open now for classes starting in August.

For more information on the program, click here.

To apply for the program, click here.

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