California's Top Online Doctorates in Business Administration - DBA
An online Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) can take your leadership career to new heights. The built-in flexibility means staying focused on your career while earning your degree with professionals and peers just like you. Get the inside scoop on some of California’s best DBA programs online and look inside how this advanced credential could impact your salary and experience.
Inside 3 Top California DBAs
Are you searching for a reputable, high-quality online DBA program in California? If so, there are plenty to choose from — so many, in fact, that you might be feeling overwhelmed. To hone in on the right one for you, focus on key components like cost, curriculum, and concentrations. To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of three of the top online DBA programs for California residents.
Alliant International University
Alliant International University’s online DBA program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) and is an excellent choice for those looking to further their education at a reputable institution. This program is designed to enable students to reach their highest potential in the business realm. Its concentrated three-year curriculum allows students to do so in considerably less time than similar programs.
Alliant International University’s small class sizes make communication with professors and dissertation development assistance far more accessible. This is a major selling point for many prospective students.
As part of the curriculum, students are required to take part in practical training (CPT) in order to develop practical and applied practice skills and expertise. This training can include everything from supervised practical training to applied client projects. Specializations options include management, marketing, and information and data science.
Tuition is set at $1,372 per credit hour, but Alliant also offers several institutional scholarships to help offset the cost of attendance.
California Baptist University
California Baptist University offers a 56-credit DBA program that can be completed in approximately 36 months. The program aims to develop innovative leaders capable of landing executive-level positions and maximizing the impact of private, public, or nonprofit organizations.
The program is designed for busy adults looking to upgrade their businesses acumen without sacrificing their current responsibilities. As such, rather than overloading students with complex curricula, the program allows students to focus on one online class every eight weeks. Notable courses include:
- Ethics in organizations and management
- International business in global markets
- Topics in human resource management
Students pay $893 per credit hour plus fees.
California Miramar University
California Miramar University offers an online DBA program designed with working professionals in mind. This program prepares students to compete for executive-level positions by providing them with expert knowledge in innovative research, advanced theories, and evolving business trends.
Over the course of the program, students learn to critically analyze scholarly literature and empirical evidence of theories in their chosen concentration; gain the ability to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of various disciplines and concepts; and learn to create, execute, and evaluate tactical planning in actual business settings.
Students can from among four concentration options: Finance, Marketing, International Business Administration, and Strategic Management. Applicants who do not have a master’s degree are required to complete foundational courses in accounting, management, and finance before beginning the program.
California Miramar University also provides one-on-one tutoring sessions for those who require additional time and attention.
Expert Insight
If you plan to live in California while working on your degree, be sure to factor in the high cost of living in much of the state. In addition to financial support you might receive from your program through assistantships or scholarships, there could be additional campus resources to help you navigate the costs of west coast living.
DBA or PhD: Which Degree is Right for You?
On the surface, DBA and PhD in Business programs may seem similar. After all, they are both terminal degrees that prepare graduates with the expertise to work at the highest levels of their respective disciplines.
Furthermore, they both involve rigorous coursework and culminate in a final capstone or dissertation project. Deciding which degree is right for you will ultimately come down to your academic interests and professional aspirations. If you enjoy the theory of business management, leadership, and strategy and hope to pursue a career in academia, a PhD in Business will be right up your alley.
Admission requirements vary, but typically include GMAT or GRE scores and an undergraduate degree, not necessarily in business. On the other hand, if you enjoy research only in so far as you can apply it to tangible problems in the business world, a DBA is right for you. Unlike PhD programs, DBA programs typically require students to have both academic and professional backgrounds in business and are often geared toward working professional with active careers in the field.
State-Specific Courses and Specializations
If you’re pursuing your DBA in California because you plan to work in the state, you could benefit from taking courses, or centering your research, on niche, state-specific industries and issues. For instance, California’s status as the country’s entertainment capital means you could benefit from earning your DBA with an emphasis or research focus in media management. Read more below.
Entertainment & Media Management
Entertainment and media are cornerstones of the California economy, making them both lucrative and popular niches among graduates of online DBA programs in California. Taking courses or focusing your research on these areas of interest can prepare you to pursue a career on the business and management sides of the music and film industries.
Even courses that are not specific to entertainment lend themselves well to careers in the field. For example, California Southern University’s DBA course in Cultural Environment of International Business can empower you to work collaboratively with international teams on a film set, and beyond.
Technology & Innovation
California is a hub for technology and innovation, earning it a reputation as one of the most forward-looking states in the nation. Taking courses, specializing, or doing research in technology and innovation is a great career move and can help fill existing gaps in your knowledge and prepare you for roles as a senior-level consultant, professor, or manager.
DBA programs in California with technology and innovation concentrations provide graduates with exhaustive knowledge regarding technical and scholarly research methods and their application across business settings. At the International Technological University in San Jose, for example, students take courses like Innovation and Digital Transformation, and Strategy for Disruptive Innovation before completing a culminating project to demonstrate their understanding of and readiness for careers in this specialization.
Expert Insight
California is known for many things, but its place in tech development and the entertainment business is certainly at the forefront. If you want to work in those areas, look for academic programs with ties to those industries in the state. Especially consider schools in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
DBA Salary Potential in California
A DBA in California positions you for the highest levels of executive leadership across the state’s diverse industries — from financial services and healthcare to technology, manufacturing, and logistics. Graduates serve as chief executives, senior consultants, and business school faculty — bringing evidence-based management practice and original research to complex organizational challenges in one of the country’s major business markets. California’s strong corporate presence makes it a competitive and rewarding environment for doctoral-level business leaders.
Chief executives in California earn competitive compensation reflecting the state’s economic scale and industry mix, with salaries that vary significantly by sector, company size, and metropolitan area.
Use the salary table to see what chief executives earn in California, and benchmark DBA-level leadership compensation across the state’s key markets.
Chief Executives
| Area | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield-Delano, CA | $195,400 | $287,210 | $386,830 |
| California | $218,600 | $351,090 | $486,830 |
| Chico, CA | $176,750 | $302,140 | $394,420 |
| El Centro, CA | $177,950 | $265,230 | $417,340 |
| Fresno, CA | $188,930 | $276,290 | $402,570 |
| Hanford-Corcoran, CA | $160,950 | $241,150 | $416,760 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $234,290 | $369,330 | $522,060 |
| Merced, CA | $181,660 | $276,320 | $414,320 |
| Modesto, CA | $200,900 | $360,150 | $474,740 |
| Napa, CA | $241,590 | $353,080 | $487,330 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $202,750 | $335,270 | $447,980 |
| Redding, CA | $170,770 | $261,130 | $352,320 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $176,700 | $303,930 | $403,020 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $169,770 | $215,100 | $337,380 |
| Salinas, CA | $226,270 | $305,640 | $443,900 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $238,440 | $387,130 | $493,480 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $288,690 | $425,680 | $558,310 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $190,020 | $285,590 | $396,740 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $209,080 | $316,600 | $442,310 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $195,650 | $328,640 | $427,380 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $218,690 | $330,750 | $439,450 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $214,340 | $321,580 | $428,060 |
| Vallejo, CA | $180,180 | $300,000 | $418,340 |
| Visalia, CA | $155,510 | $239,630 | $352,170 |
| Yuba City, CA | $209,060 | $290,570 | $402,240 |
Source: BLS, OEWS, May 2025
Showing 1 – 10 of 25 entries | Data reflects national numbers, not school-specific information.
Resources & Support for California DBA Students Online
Earning a DBA entails a great deal of personal commitment and academic discipline. Like most students, this means you’ll likely require access to resources and support in order to succeed. To help you get started, we’ve compiled the following list.
- The American Management Association
The American Management Association is an organization designed to provide businesses and professionals with a wide array of management development resources and educational services. - DBA Chronicles
The DBA Chronicles is a woman-led company that provides DBA students with blogs, podcasts, and other helpful resources to help them through their course of study. - Emerald Publishing
Emerald Publishing is one of the world’s leading digital-first publishers that provides students access to meaningful research. The company works with thousands of business schools and universities to help foster spirited debates and positive change in the business sector. - The Encyclopedia of Management Theory
This two-volume set covers topics such as management, leadership, the public and perception, human resources, entrepreneurship, technology/innovation, and much more. - The Institute for Social Research
The Institute for Social Research is an international association consisting of over 750 research organizations and academic institutions. This organization provides students with training on data access, methods of analysis, and curation within the social science sector. - Finaid.org
Finaid.org is a government-funded website that offers a wide range of financial aid resources for students of all education levels and concentrations. In addition to useful resources, such as FAFSA applications and access to loan applications, the site also offers its own scholarship database. - The Center for Evidence-Based Management
The Center for Evidence-Based Management is the leading source of evidence-based practice in leadership and management. It offers resources and support to consultants, managers, teachers, academics, and organizations. - The Harvard Business Review IdeaCast
The Harvard Business Review IdeaCast is a business-centered podcast hosted by the executive and senior editors of the Harvard Business Review. The podcast addresses a variety of topics in business and management, including leadership, strategy, decision-making, creativity, and more.