The revised structure emphasizes methodological plurality, allowing students to select approaches that best align with their research problems and questions, rather than relying solely on traditional interview and survey methods. These updates strengthen Weatherhead’s leadership in doctoral education, further distinguishing DBA and PhD training while maintaining both rigor and efficiency in learning.
As part of this transformation, the curriculum now includes several new or revised courses:
- Research Designs and Analytics for Archival and Online Data (DBAP 681) Training students to work with large-scale historical datasets.
- Experimental Design and Analysis (DBAP 649) Equipping students with skills to design and execute experimental research.
- Text Analytics for Unstructured Data (Introduced as part of DBAP 638) Introducing methods for analyzing qualitative and digital data.
- Foundational Statistical Analysis and Measurement (DBAP 682) Focusing on the criteria and procedures when conducting valid quantitative analysis with structural equation modeling.
In addition, these courses incorporate Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an analytics assistant, enabling students to leverage AI for coding, troubleshooting, and data analysis, further streamlining the research process.
The overarching goal of these changes is to ensure that methodology training remains contemporary and relevant, allowing students to select the most effective methods for their research while maintaining analytical rigor.
The new sequence officially launched during the July 2024 summer residency and was fully implemented in fall 2024. Weatherhead is actively promoting these innovations to engage current students, attract prospective DBA candidates, and enhance the impact of its doctoral programs.
