For admissions and deadlines information, visit the DBA admissions page.

Yes. The structure of the DBA program is exceptionally well suited to the realities of military service, and we are deeply committed to supporting active-duty students throughout their doctoral journey. Flexibility, access and individualized support are built into the program to ensure that those who serve can progress with confidence.

Support During Deployments and Service Interruptions

We recognize that military obligations can arise with little notice. When deployments, training or other service commitments interrupt coursework, the program director works closely with active-duty students on an individualized, case-by-case basis to identify practical solutions that support continuity and protect academic progress. Our goal is to ensure that service to country never becomes a barrier to educational achievement.

Tuition Assistance and Financial Support
Active-duty, Guard and Reserve service members may be eligible for tuition assistance or other educational benefits through their branch of service. Prospective students are encouraged to explore the benefits available to them, and our admissions team is ready to assist in identifying funding options that align with each student’s unique circumstances.

The DBA program values the leadership, discipline, and global perspective that military professionals bring to the learning environment. We are proud to support those who serve and are dedicated to making the path to a doctorate both achievable and sustainable for military-affiliated students.

From the very beginning, advising is a personalized and strategic experience. At intake, each student meets one-on-one with the program director for a thoughtful, in-depth conversation about their academic goals and primary research interests. Based on this discussion, the program director carefully matches the student with a faculty advisor whose expertise and mentorship capacity align with the student’s intellectual focus.

Students then partner with their assigned advisor for the entire academic year, ensuring continuity, consistency and a strong mentoring relationship as they develop their year-end research project. This full-year model eliminates the disruption of changing advisors each semester and allows students to build momentum and confidence in their work.

In most cases, this advising relationship naturally continues beyond the first year with mutual agreement from both student and faculty member. When a transition is beneficial, the program director works closely with the student to identify a new faculty advisor whose expertise supports the next phase of their research, ensuring ongoing alignment and academic success at every stage.

During the fall and spring semesters, seminar courses meet twice weekly on weekday mornings from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. EST, a format intentionally chosen to enhance learning outcomes. This twice-weekly cadence keeps course material top of mind, allowing ideas to evolve organically from one session to the next. The result is richer dialogue, stronger conceptual integration and deeper retention than a once-a-week or weekend-only model.

The summer semester is designed to preserve flexibility without slowing progress. Students complete one seminar course in a compressed format, freeing up much of the summer while staying firmly on track academically. The course begins and concludes with the familiar twice-weekday morning schedule from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. EST, with an optional in-residence experience in between. Sessions typically run four to eight hours per day over the course of a week and may be held in Buffalo or at select international locations, such as Singapore. For students unable to attend in person, all sessions are available live via Zoom and recorded for asynchronous participation.

Research credits provide additional, individualized flexibility. Rather than adhering to a fixed class schedule, students collaborate directly with their faculty research advisor to establish a meeting cadence and research pace that aligns with their professional and personal commitments. This customized approach ensures the research process integrates smoothly into each student’s work life, while maintaining the mentorship, structure, and accountability needed to produce high-quality scholarship and make consistent progress toward the year-end research deliverable.