Degree Options & Potential Careers
A doctoral degree in business intelligence prepares graduates to pursue some of the most prestigious business careers in the field. Students develop excellent critical thinking and research skills, as well as the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Additionally, a degree in business intelligence easily translates to a variety of careers in fields other than business.
If you're considering earning a doctorate in business intelligence online, read on to learn more about available career paths, the types of degrees one can earn, and general course requirements.
Should I Earn an Online Doctorate in Business Intelligence?
An online doctorate in business intelligence can provide learners with numerous benefits as they enter the workforce. Some students may currently work in business intelligence, and a doctoral degree can lead to advanced positions with their current employers as well as opportunities for salary increases. Graduates may also pursue careers in research, teaching, or consulting.
Many doctoral students earn their doctorates in business intelligence online to further develop their skills and knowledge in a specific area of interest, while also deepening their understanding of the field and personally enriching themselves. A doctoral degree also qualifies learners to earn some of the highest salaries in the field.
Additionally, a doctoral degree in business intelligence can qualify working students for promotions at their current companies. Many companies work with employees as they earn their degrees; this can include schedule flexibility in order to complete coursework, or even tuition reimbursements to reduce or eliminate the cost of the degree.
Regardless of the path, business intelligence doctoral graduates are regarded as experts in their fields and enjoy a host of employment opportunities with some of the highest salary potentials.
What Can I Do With an Online Doctorate in Business Intelligence?
A doctorate in business intelligence online provides graduates with career opportunities in a variety of industries and sectors. This can include technology organizations, manufacturing facilities, consulting firms,colleges and universities, corporations, insurance firms, government agencies, and healthcare organizations.
Degree-holders can explore different facets of business intelligence careers based on their interests and expertise. For instance, those interested in financial aspects of the industry can pursue careers as financial controllers, financial analysts, and chief financial officers at large corporations and small businesses.
Alternatively, some professionals may prefer to focus on the technical side of business; this can translate to a career in information technology, which also requires deep business intelligence knowledge. Others might want to focus on the analytical side of business intelligence and work as a business intelligence analyst.
Business intelligence professionals who hold a doctoral degree enjoy high salary opportunities. Most professionals earn between $70,000-$150,000 per year, depending on the company, job title, and previous professional experience. However, doctoral programs in business intelligence prepare learners for nearly any career in the field. A few of the more common job titles for degree-holders are listed below.
- Business Intelligence Director
- Tasked with leading development and design activities in enterprise data solutions, business intelligence directors work with senior management to deliver performance insights and analytical solutions. These professionals emphasize data-driven decisions along with strong governance of data, and they build their business intelligence teams to provide effective technical solutions.
- Business Intelligence Analyst
- Business intelligence analysts extract data from data warehouses and databases to encourage sharing between data systems. These analysts also develop useful methods for database design and submit data reports. Business intelligence analysts use a variety of reporting analysis tools to conduct their work.
- Senior Business Analyst
- Senior business analysts need a variety of skills to maintain an effective and efficient business. They work to identify and understand the data challenges of a specific company, noticing the company's strengths and weaknesses and making suggestions for improvements. These analysts help enforce project schedules and deadlines and apply project standards.
- Senior Financial Analyst
- Providing all areas of a company with financial analysis support, senior financial analysts manage teams of other analysts as they assign tasks, organize presentations, and review reports. Senior financial analysts also prepare weekly, monthly, and quarterly financial analysis schedules that detail actual expenses and budget variances.
- Postsecondary Teacher
- Postsecondary business intelligence teachers teach courses in their specific subject areas to college and university students. They develop curricula, create and grade assignments, and assess the progress of their students.
Business Intelligence Doctorate Program Overview
Before choosing a doctorate in business intelligence online program, students should first consider the various degree types and determine the one that best matches their long term goals. Below, you'll find a description of each degree type, along with information regarding the admissions process, sample curriculum, and program outcomes.
Types of Doctoral Degrees in Business Intelligence
Students can earn either a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in business intelligence or a doctorate in business administration (DBA) with a concentration in business intelligence. The specific program one chooses depends on their intended career path.
For instance, students traditionally earn a Ph.D. if they intend to pursue a career in social sciences or as a professor at a business school. Ph.D. programs emphasize in-depth research in the field, and students in these programs often enroll directly after their master's programs. As a result, learners have considerably less prior work experience and are usually much younger, too.
Alternatively, degree-seekers can pursue a DBA if they already possess several years of experience in their business careers. A DBA is designed to help learners grow their skills and knowledge, access more job opportunities, and increase their salary potentials. DBA students often hold an MBA, and curriculum is typically focused on management research. These students tend to be older than their Ph.D. counterparts — often in their 30s or 40s — and have many years of professional business experience.
Application Requirements and Admission Criteria
As students explore options for earning a doctorate in business intelligence online, they will likely note that admissions requirements vary by school. However, applicants can expect to complete an admissions application and pay the associated application fee — usually around $50. Doctoral applicants must also hold a master's degree from an accredited institution.
Additionally, students should be prepared to submit official transcripts that demonstrate a 3.0 minimum GPA. Most institutions do not require applicants to submit GRE or GMAT scores, but some programs require supplemental materials, including a professional resume, letters of recommendation, or an admissions essay.
Curriculum
Like admission requirements, the curriculum for doctoral business intelligence degrees also varies by school and program. However, students generally complete core courses that develop their critical thinking, research, and writing skills. Learners then move into more specialized coursework that explores more in-depth concepts related to business intelligence, such as data warehousing and descriptive analytics, data modeling and prescriptive analytics, and business intelligence, analytics, and decision support.
Aside from core and specialization courses, many doctoral programs require the completion of doctoral capstone requirements. Students in these courses apply scholarly research from a selected context in order to demonstrate the expertise they developed during the program. Along with all of the coursework requirements, students must also complete residency requirements and a doctoral applied business research project requirement.
Program Outcomes
Students pursuing a doctorate in business intelligence online learn to cultivate successful business careers, while coursework prepares them to help businesses run efficiently and effectively. Graduates learn to analyze the information an organization needs to make the right business decisions and incorporate external and internal data used in evidence-based decision making.
A doctoral program in business intelligence also introduces students to ethical decision-making in various business practices. Additionally, they learn to master the techniques of business intelligence, including analyzing information for decision support by using the proper qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Accreditation for Online Business Intelligence Doctorate Programs
When pursuing a doctorate in business intelligence online, students should pay close attention to the type of accreditation the higher learning institution holds. There are two main types of accreditation: regional and national. Nationally accredited institutions tend to focus more on technical and career education, while regionally accredited colleges and universities highlight liberal arts-based coursework.
Credits from nationally accredited institutions are often turned away in transfer situations and certificate/licensure opportunities. Meanwhile, credits from regionally accredited schools are widely accepted in transfer situations. To choose the right type of accreditation, students should map out their future plans to see which accreditation type aligns best with their goals.