Business Administration

Business Law I provides a foundation of the U.S. legal system and its interrelationship to business and ethics the legal and ethical considerations of business operations. Topics include the legal environment, operation of the legal system, completion of contracts, torts, constitutional law, criminal law, and intellectual property.

This course is designed to prepare students to organize and compose effective business correspondence and operations. Focus will be on various types of business communication encountered in management functions, including creating documents, preparing presentations, managing meetings, providing leadership, and building teams. The course will address both internal and external organizational communications as well as professional career preparation.

This course covers the law of business entities, including agencies, partnerships, and corporations. This course will also cover property concepts, sales, negotiable instruments, agency and employment law.

The course presents a comprehensive study of advanced legal topics in commercial transactions for students interested in pursuing careers in accounting or other professions, which require detailed understanding of business law concepts. Topics covered include types of business organizations, securities regulations, sales, negotiable instruments, secured transactions, bankruptcy, insurance, accountants' liability and employment law.

This course is designed to provide students with a sound conceptual understanding of the role that quantitative analysis plays in the decision-making process. It emphasizes the application of a variety of techniques to the solution of business and economic problems to help students become effective users and evaluators of quantitative and qualitative information in making decisions.

This course introduces students to the structure, expectations, and academic resources of the South University DBA program. Emphasis is placed on doctoral-level preparation for leadership roles in higher education and professional business environments. Students examine the responsibilities associated with earning a terminal degree, including scholarship, research foundations, developing a doctoral mindset, and service to academic and professional communities. 

This course represents the first of two required doctoral residencies for students enrolled in the online DBA program and is a mandatory component of program completion. The residency provides structured, faculty-led academic engagement designed to support doctoral-level learning, scholarly development, and progression in the program. Students participate in presentations and guided activities facilitated by faculty and staff, engage in collaborative scholarly discussions, and interact with their doctoral cohort in a structured learning environment. The residency supports the development of a community of scholars and introduces expectations related to academic service, professional conduct, and applied research consistent with doctoral education standards.

This course represents the second required doctoral residency for students in the online DBA program and provides structured, faculty-led academic engagement. The residency offers a collegial learning environment in which faculty, staff, and doctoral cohorts collaborate to support scholarly development and program progression. Students participate in faculty- and staff-led presentations, engage in professional networking, and work collaboratively on doctoral scholarship. The residency further reinforces the development of a community of scholars and introduces expectations related to academic service and professional contribution as part of the program’s completion requirements.

This doctoral-level course examines the ethical principles and methodological foundations of business research. Emphasis is placed on the research process, formulating and refining research questions using secondary data, and developing appropriate research designs. Topics include qualitative methods, observational studies, surveys, and experimental research. Concepts are applied through critical analysis of scholarly articles from discipline-specific content areas, with attention to how ethically conducted research can provide meaningful service to academic and professional communities.

The comprehensive examination serves to assess mastery of the DBA program’s core content and readiness to advance to the dissertation phase, ensuring preparedness for leadership and scholarly contribution in professional and organizational settings. The exam evaluates the ability to analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and apply theoretical constructs and research findings to contemporary challenges in business and higher education. It consists of four individual tests, each of which must be passed within two attempts. Successful completion signifies broad expertise in the discipline, doctoral-level competence, and the capability to apply advanced knowledge to drive meaningful impact in professional and academic communities.

This course is an extension of BUS8100 to allow the student additional time to complete the required progress toward completion of the dissertation. Repetition of an extension course will override the prior grade earned in the extension course and will not count as additional credits toward the degree. This course is Pass/Fail/Limited Progress (P/F/LP).

This course is an extension of BUS8105 to allow the student additional time to complete the required progress toward completion of the dissertation. Repetition of an extension course will override the prior grade earned in the extension course and will not count as additional credits toward the degree. This course is a Pass/Fail/Limited Progress (P/F/LP).

This is an extension of the BUS8110 course to allow the student additional time to complete the required progress toward completion of the dissertation. Repetition of an extension course will override the prior grade earned in the extension course and will not count as additional credits toward the degree. This course is Pass/Fail/Limited Progress (P/F/LP).

This course is an extension of the BUS8115 to allow the student additional time to complete the required progress toward completion of the dissertation. Repetition of an extension course will override the prior grade earned in the extension course and will not count as additional credits toward the degree. This course is Pass/Fail/Limited Progress (P/F/LP).

This is an extension of the BUS8120 course to allow the student additional time to complete the required progress toward completion of the dissertation. Repetition of an extension course will override the prior grade earned in the extension course and will not count as additional credits toward the degree. This course is Pass/Fail/Limited Progress (P/F/LP).

This course addresses the factors influencing human behavior in organizations. Human behavior is considered from the individual, team, and organizational levels of analysis. Concepts included in the study include motivation, leadership, communications, negotiation, conflict resolution, and team building.

This course introduces fundamental microeconomic principles, emphasizing analytical tools relevant to managerial decision-making. Topics include supply and demand, cost structures, economies of scale, market dynamics, pricing strategies, risk assessment, and the role of government in markets.

This course equips managers with a framework to navigate their ethical and legal responsibilities. It covers key legal concepts, including employment and civil rights laws, contracts, intellectual property, corporate governance, and international law. Through case studies and legal analysis, students develop ethical strategies and gain insights into how regulations influence business decisions.

This course equips students with the foundational skills necessary for success in graduate business studies and management careers. Through a focus on analytical, communication, and planning abilities, students will develop a personal strategy for completing their graduate program. Key topics include statistical techniques for problem-solving, financial analysis using time value of money, and risk evaluation. Students will also learn to assess financial statements based on GAAP standards, addressing critical management and stakeholder concerns related to organizational performance.

Students learn to apply analytical tools to make strategic financial decisions that drive shareholder value.  Students will develop expertise financial statement analysis, value long-term securities, relate risk and return, perform financial forecasting, evaluate assets and portfolios, determine the firm’s cost of capital and design an optimal financial structure.

This course explores key strategic marketing issues faced by modern organizations, including the marketing environment, consumer behavior, marketing research, new product development, marketing channels, and advertising. Students will develop a deeper understanding of these concepts to support data-driven marketing decisions.

This course examines leadership-driven theories and practices for diagnosing organizational challenges, designing interventions, and leading change. Emphasis is placed on organizational contracting, diagnostic models, assessments and surveys, change barriers, intervention strategies at individual, group, and organizational levels, and evaluation approaches.

This course explores the distinct characteristics, challenges, and roles of entrepreneurial organizations and small businesses in both U.S. and global markets. Topics include business life cycles, entrepreneurial leadership, resource needs, and analysis of recent new ventures.

This course examines how to lead a firm or a major division in a globally competitive environment. Students will learn to formulate and implement business and corporate level strategies, with an emphasis on international and cooperative approaches. The course also builds competencies in corporate leadership, parenting, and entrepreneurship within today's market economy.