How DBA Faculty Support Students Through Doctoral Study
Earning a Doctor of Business Administration, or DBA, is a rigorous academic experience. Students are asked to think deeply, conduct original research, revise their work, and grow from experienced professionals into scholar-practitioners.
That process requires commitment from the student, but it also requires strong faculty support.
At the doctoral level, faculty support is about more than answering questions or grading assignments. It is a coaching relationship built around feedback, mentorship, accountability, and shared commitment to the student’s growth.
According to Dr. Jacqueline J. McCoy, Discipline Chair for the DBA program at Concordia University Chicago, DBA faculty bring “decades of research and mentoring experience” to the student experience. That experience helps students move through the program with guidance from faculty who understand both the academic demands of doctoral work and the professional goals students bring with them.
Faculty Mentorship Is Central to the DBA Experience
In a DBA program, students are not simply completing coursework. They are developing as applied researchers, strategic thinkers, and scholar-practitioners.
Faculty mentorship plays an important role in that development.
Dr. McCoy describes Concordia University Chicago’s DBA faculty as a “small but mighty group.” That structure allows faculty to build closer professional relationships with students and offer more detailed instruction throughout the program.
For working professionals, this kind of support can be especially important. DBA students often balance coursework, research, careers, family responsibilities, and leadership roles. A strong faculty relationship can help students stay focused, interpret feedback, and continue making progress when the work becomes challenging.
A Coaching Relationship, Not Just a Classroom Relationship
At the doctoral level, the student-faculty relationship looks different from what many students may have experienced in earlier academic programs.
Dr. McCoy explains that faculty often view the relationship as “coaching and an exchange,” rather than a traditional student-and-faculty dynamic.
That distinction matters.
DBA students are experienced professionals. Many enter the program with advanced degrees, leadership backgrounds, and deep knowledge of their industries. Faculty are not simply telling students what to do. They are helping students refine their thinking, strengthen their research, and grow into the next level of academic and professional practice.
As Dr. McCoy notes, at this level, students are “working to become a peer and a partner” as they develop into scholar-practitioners.
That peer-and-partner mindset helps students see faculty feedback as part of the growth process rather than as criticism. It also reinforces the idea that doctoral study is not only about completing assignments. It is about developing the skills, confidence, and discipline needed to contribute meaningful work.
Personalized Support Through Research and Dissertation Work
Faculty support becomes especially important as students move deeper into their research and dissertation work.
In a DBA program, students are expected to develop a focused research project that connects to a real-world business problem. That process requires feedback, revision, and regular exchange with faculty mentors.
Dr. McCoy explains that faculty want students to have “that one-on-one connection” and work with a mentor. As students move into committee placement, they continue receiving direct and regular feedback.
This level of support can help students navigate the complexity of doctoral research. A mentor can help students clarify their topic, narrow their focus, strengthen their research questions, and understand how to apply feedback throughout the dissertation process.
The goal is not to complete the work for the student. The goal is to guide the student toward stronger, more independent scholarly work.
DBA Students Are More Than a Number
One of the defining features of a strong doctoral experience is whether students feel known and supported.
Dr. McCoy emphasizes that DBA students are not seen as numbers. Faculty get to know their goals, their “why,” their strengths, and their challenges.
That matters because doctoral study is personal as well as academic. Students are investing significant time, energy, and effort into a long-term goal. They need support that recognizes both their professional ambitions and the realities of the process.
A close mentor relationship can also create lasting value. Dr. McCoy describes the goal of developing lifelong relationships between mentor and mentee.
For students, that kind of relationship can provide support during the program and professional connection beyond graduation.
What Makes a Strong Student-Faculty Relationship?
A strong doctoral student-faculty relationship depends on more than faculty availability. It also depends on how the student approaches the process.
Dr. McCoy identifies one quality as especially important: “coachability.”
Many DBA students are highly capable professionals. They have succeeded academically and professionally before entering the program. But doctoral work requires a willingness to learn in a different way.
Students need to be comfortable receiving feedback, revising their work, and recognizing that challenge is part of the process.
As Dr. McCoy explains, students do not arrive at the doctoral level as average students. They are often “the best of the best.” However, success in a DBA program requires more than talent. It requires the humility and discipline to be coached.
That means students should be prepared to listen carefully to faculty feedback, apply feedback to future work, see revision as part of learning, ask questions when they need clarification, stay engaged with faculty mentors, focus on growth rather than perfection, and view faculty as partners in the process.
A strong match in work style between mentor and student can also help the relationship develop naturally over time. When students understand that faculty are there to help them reach the next level, the relationship becomes more productive.
Successful DBA Students Prioritize Structure and Engagement
Successful DBA students often approach the program with strong habits.
Dr. McCoy notes that students who succeed tend to have an organized schedule and clear deadlines. They make their coursework, writing, and dissertation progress a priority.
This level of structure matters because doctoral work is cumulative. Students cannot rely on last-minute effort alone. They need consistent time, attention, and engagement throughout the program.
Successful students also stay connected to faculty feedback. Faculty are there to support students, but Dr. McCoy emphasizes that support is a “two-way relationship.”
Students need to stay engaged, understand the feedback they receive, and apply that feedback moving forward. This ongoing exchange helps students continue improving their work over time.
Learning Matters More Than Chasing a Grade
One of the biggest mindset shifts in doctoral study is moving away from grade-focused thinking.
Dr. McCoy encourages students to “commit to learning and not a grade.”
That can be difficult for high-achieving students. Many doctoral students are used to performing well, earning strong grades, and meeting expectations quickly. But doctoral research is different. It is iterative, which means students revisit, revise, and refine their work many times.
A student may return to a specific section of a research project 20 or 30 times before it is fully developed. That does not mean the student is failing. It means the student is doing doctoral-level work.
The goal is not perfection on the first attempt. The goal is growth, refinement, and mastery of the research process.
When students see faculty as partners rather than as people simply assessing them, the feedback process becomes easier to use productively.
Taking Ownership of the DBA Journey
Another important habit of successful DBA students is ownership.
Dr. McCoy explains that students need to make the project their own. It cannot be “just an assignment.” It has to become their work.
That ownership is especially important in the dissertation process. A DBA student’s research should connect to a problem they care about and understand. When students take ownership of their topic, they are more likely to stay motivated, ask stronger questions, and persist through revision.
Ownership also helps students develop confidence as scholar-practitioners. They are not only completing academic requirements. They are developing work that reflects their professional insight, research skills, and purpose.
How to Know If You Are Ready for a DBA
For professionals considering a DBA, readiness is not only about past grades or academic ability.
Dr. McCoy points students back to the first question asked at residency: “What’s your why?”
That question helps students think carefully about their motivation, capacity, and expectations. A doctoral degree can be rewarding and life-changing, but it also requires time, discipline, and commitment.
Prospective students should ask themselves why they want to earn a DBA, how they want to use the degree, what kind of problems they want to solve, whether they have capacity for doctoral study in this season of life, whether they are willing to receive feedback and revise their work, whether they can commit to consistent progress over time, and whether they are ready to take ownership of their research.
A strong “why” can help students stay grounded throughout the program. When the work becomes difficult, that sense of purpose can become a source of motivation.
Faculty Support and Student Success Work Together
Faculty support is a critical part of the DBA experience, but student success also depends on engagement, coachability, structure, and ownership.
At Concordia University Chicago, the DBA faculty-student relationship is designed to be close, professional, and highly supportive. Faculty help students grow through feedback, mentorship, and individualized guidance, especially as students move into research and dissertation work.
For working professionals, that support can make doctoral study feel more connected and purposeful. Students are not simply moving through a program. They are developing as scholar-practitioners with guidance from faculty who understand the process and want to help them succeed.
A DBA requires discipline, humility, and persistence. But for students who know their “why,” stay engaged with faculty, and commit to learning through feedback, the doctoral journey can become a meaningful path toward personal, academic, and professional growth.
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