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Davis College of Business & Technology - Graduate Programs

The Davis College of Business & Technology builds thoughtful, engaged leaders who create sustainable high performance and value in their careers, organizations, communities and world. A graduate degree from Davis assures well-developed critical thinking skills and a strategic mindset. The innovative curriculum balances the development of “hard skills,” such as statistical and financial analysis, and critical leadership skills, such as effective communication and change management. Though delivered in a variety of ways to a variety of students, the graduate programs all meet the objective of preparing participants for a broad-based business career, and meet Jacksonville University’s requirements and standards for the various graduate degrees.

Additional Information

Additional details about the graduate programs are published in separate publications. Copies of these publications can be obtained from the DCOB website.

Degrees

Jacksonville University’s Davis College of Business & Technology offers the following graduate programs:

  • Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) Program – This cohort-based program, with specializations in Leadership Development and in Accounting and Finance, is offered on weekends (Friday and Saturday) once a month.  It is designed for mid-level to senior managers and "Rising Stars" in business, with at least six years of work experience with increasing responsibility. It requires an opening immersion weekend and a week-long international trip or a virtual international trip when conditions will not allow international travel to the planned designation.    
  • Master of Science in Applied Business Analytics* (MSABA) – This is a program designed for individuals who desire the analytical skills, technologies, practices for continuous iterative exploration and investigation of past business performance to gain insight and drive business planning.
  • Master of Science in Organizational Leadership* (MSOL) - The MS in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) is designed for experienced professionals wanting the practical knowledge and skills for leading people engaged in large scale innovation, change and transformation initiatives within organizations.
  • Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) - This program is an applied terminal degree program where candidates use analytical tools to solve current work problems and challenges and is ideal for executives, aspiring consultants, and “clinical” or applied faculty. The cohort-based program meets on campus one weekend (Friday and Saturday) per month for the first two years of the three-year program. The final year is spent working with the dissertation chair and committee. Optional concentrations in Management, Accounting and Finance, Healthcare Leadership, or customized concentrations are available.  Students are also eligible for an optional post-graduate certificate in Business & Management Education.
  • Dual Degrees:
    • Master of Science in Applied Business Analytics (MSABA)/Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program * Program details see here.
    • Master of Science in Applied Business Analytics (MSABA)/Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) Program* Program details see here.
  • Undergraduate 2 Graduate Program Grad2Grad – The Grad2Grad program allows a student to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the same time. Students can develop educational credentials that distinguish them in the job market by earning two degrees in just 4 or 5 years.
  • Graduate Certificate in Business Law - The graduate certificate in business law is designed to develop skills in executive decision-making and management. This certificate is available to all post-baccalaureate students enrolled in a JU graduate or professional degree programs.

FLEX Graduate Program Format:

Graduate programs are offered on all JU campuses and online in a FLEX format.  FLEX classes allow students to come to class, stream the class online, or watch a recording of the class at a time of their choosing. This allows maximum flexibility in attending any scheduled classes. 

 

Academic Standards and Grade Appeals

All master’s business graduate students must maintain an academic GPA of at least 3.0 (“B”) during enrollment in their program. To graduate, a student must have at least a 3.0 GPA in the graduate program. No course in which a grade below a “C” (2.0) is earned will be accepted as fulfilling a requirement of the graduate degree. For the purposes of determining academic standing, Grad2Grad, purely elective courses, foundation courses required but not included in a program, or courses taken on a transient basis will not be included in the GPA computation.


A master’s business graduate program student will be placed on academic probation at the conclusion of any term in which the student’s cumulative GPA is less than a 3.0 (B). The student has the following one semester (or two courses) to raise the cumulative GPA to a 3.0. A graduate student will be dismissed from the program if the student does not raise the cumulative GPA to a 3.0 within one semester (or two courses) of being placed on academic probation.


A master’s graduate business student earning one grade of “F” in any graduate course will be dismissed from the program. Students dismissed from a Davis College of Business Graduate Program have 10 business days to appeal the action to the Graduate Committee.  Within five business days, the committee must review the case via electronic communication or a face-to-face meeting and issue its final recommendation to the Dean who will rule on the appeal. The ruling by the college dean will be issued to the student in writing along with a brief explanation of the rationale for the recommendation. A dismissed student will be dropped from any classes they are enrolled in, and the registrar will be notified that they are no longer have graduate student status nor should they be allowed to register for graduate classes.  

An “I” indicates that a student did not complete a course for a reason acceptable to the professor and requested and received permission to complete the course within the first four (4) weeks of the next Fall, Summer or Spring semester. The student must be passing and have completed all but a particular segment of a course to qualify for a grade of “I.” The “I” will be converted to the appropriate letter grade if the course work is completed by the end of the fourth week of the next Fall, Summer or Spring semester. Faculty may grant an extension of the time to complete the “I” grade to the last day of classes of the next semester by submitting a written request to the Registrar’s Office. If the “I” course work is not completed on schedule, the “I” will convert to an “F.” The “I” converted to grades “A” through “F” will then be used in computing the GPA and may result in a change of academic status if the resulting GPA so indicates. Grades of “P,” “I,” “AU,” and “W” are not considered in computing GPAs.

All Davis College of Business & Technology DBA candidates must maintain an academic GPA of at least 3.33 (“B+”) during their enrollment in the program. To graduate, a DBA student must have at least a 3.33 GPA. No course in which a grade below a “B-“ (2.65) is earned will be accepted as fulfilling a requirement for the graduate degree. A DBA candidate earning two grades of “C” or one grade of “F” in any graduate course will be dismissed from the program. Students who believe there was a grading error should discuss grades with their instructor within 3 business days of receiving the grade. If such discussions do not uncover evidence for changing a grade, the dismissal stands. For the purposes of determining academic standing, purely elective courses, transfer courses, or courses taken on a transient basis will not be included in the GPA computation. For DBA candidates, any foundation courses taken also will not be included.

A DBA student will be placed on academic probation at the conclusion of any term in which the student’s cumulative GPA is less than a 3.33 (B+). The student has the following semester to raise the cumulative GPA to a 3.33. A graduate student will be dismissed from the program if the student does not raise the cumulative GPA to a 3.33 within one semester of being placed on Academic Probation. While the university GPA is calculated based on all graduate work at the university, the College of Business calculates average GPA separately for each program in which you are enrolled. Academic status in each College of Business degree program (i.e., the DBA program) is based upon the program GPA, not the university overall graduate GPA. Concentration classes are included in the DBA GPA as long as a concentration is actually completed (e.g., if one concentration class is taken but the concentration is not completed, the graduate office will calculate your GPA without the concentration class).

*Note: Students on dismissal will not be permitted to register for graduate study and will be dropped from any classes they are enrolled in.

Students dismissed from the DBA have 10 days after notice of dismissal to submit an appeal letter and any letters of support from faculty whose classes they have taken for additional information for the committee to consider. In the written appeal statement, the student must clearly state the reasons why the decision is being appealed, the nature of the appeal, the facts and circumstances leading to the appeal, reasons in support of the appeal, and the remedy or remedies requested.

Within five business days, the committee must review the case via electronic communication or a face-to-face meeting and issue its final recommendation to the Dean who will rule on the appeal. The ruling by the college dean will be issued to the student in writing along with a brief explanation of the rationale for the recommendation. A dismissed student will be dropped from any classes they are enrolled in, and the registrar will be notified that they are no longer have graduate student status nor should they be allowed to register for any graduate classes. In addition, a DBA candidate must pass qualifying activities in order to continue into dissertation phase and the DBA program.. DBA Candidates should see the most current DBA Handbook for more detailed information concerning the qualifying activities process and policies.

Grade Appeal Process

The graduate programs follow the Jacksonville University established procedures and appeals process for grade and academic dishonesty appeals. For more information, see the Graduate Business Program Dismissal Procedures in the DBA handbook. 

Academic Honesty

All students of the Davis College of Business & Technology are expected to adhere to the highest standard of academic honesty. It is the responsibility of all students to ensure that the integrity of this standard is not violated. The programs define academic dishonesty as: submission of false records of academic achievement; cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing, altering, forging or misusing a University academic record; taking, acquiring or using test materials without faculty permission; acting alone or in cooperation with others to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards or professional achievement.

Procedures for Addressing Academic Dishonesty - The Davis College of Business & Technology adheres to the established processes and procedures of Jacksonville University regarding definitions and standards for academic honesty and all appeals as outlined in the Academic Information section of this catalog.

Orientation

All students in the Davis College of Business & Technology graduate programs must attend orientation.