Franklin University

Franklin University appears in our ranking of 10 Most Affordable PhD in Project Management Online Programs 2018.

Established in 1902, Franklin University was created to serve adult students in the Columbus, Ohio area. In the century after its creation, the school has grown to feature more than 25 campuses around the region, as well as a healthy number of online degree offerings. For several decades, the school was affiliated with the YMCA and offered classes as the YMCA School of Commerce. The school and the YMCA would part ways in the early 1960s, and the school would build its first independent building in the late 1960s. By the mid-1970s, the institution would gain regional accreditation and would continue to grow until the 1990s when it would offer its first graduate program, a Master of Business Administration. The school would begin offering doctoral degrees in Business Administration, Professional Studies, and Health Administration in 2016.

Franklin University Accreditation Details

Franklin University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and the university's programs and departments also hold specialized accreditation. Certain business programs at the university are accredited by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE). Accredited degrees include the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Accounting (MSA), and the Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management. Some programs have also been granted special accounting accreditation. Two nursing programs at the university, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM) has accredited the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management (HIM).

Franklin University Application Requirements

Applying to Franklin University as an undergraduate student requires that students submit an online application, as well as apply for transferal of credits earned at other institutions. One of the benefits of applying to Franklin University is that the admissions process is free and students do not need to pay an application fee to gain acceptance. Graduate students who want to apply to Franklin University will also need to submit an online application, and students may also qualify to bypass the GMAT requirement if they have a GPA of at least 2.75 in college. To gain admission as a graduate student, applicants must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited university. Applicants to the DBA program must have a master's degree from a regionally accredited school, at least 30 hours of graduate-level coursework in business classes, and a cumulative GPA in graduate school of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Tuition for undergraduate students at Franklin University is $526 per credit, and current service members can receive a reduced tuition rate of $250 per credit. Other costs students may pay as an undergraduate student at the university include costs for placement tests, graduation, internships, and initial processing fees. Graduate students will pay $670 per credit, as well as a handful of other fees that may come into play during various semesters of a student's time at the university. Some programs and classes have unique fees like several of the nursing courses, which require an additional fee of $250 per course. There are also some e-book charges that students may pay if they choose an electronic textbook instead of a traditional textbook. The cost for doctoral programs at the university is $748 per credit, and students may pay a few other fees for graduation and electronic textbooks.

Students who want to qualify for aid from Franklin University will need to submit their FAFSA form, as well as consider applying to various private organizations for scholarships and grants. A variety of types of federal assistance are available to students like Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOGs), and Federal Direct loans. Students may qualify for unsubsidized loans, which accrue interest during enrollment, as well as subsidized loans, which don't begin accruing interest until the student has exited school. Students will receive a financial aid award letter after successful application to the university and submission of a FAFSA form. Students are encouraged to explore private, state, and institutional options to help pay for degree programs at Franklin University.

Online Doctor of Business Administration

The online Doctor of Business Administration at Franklin University is designed to teach students how to conduct advanced research to solve today's difficult business problems. The program also teaches students a variety of business-centric competencies to help graduates apply those skills and theories to real-world organizational issues. Some of the topics under discussion will include technological innovations, an increasingly diverse workforce, government intervention and regulations, and the influence of global markets on the political and economic health of organizations. In addition to meeting the minimum standards for admission, the work history, references, and personal qualities of candidates will be considered during the application process. Knowledge gained in the program will help students improve a company's customer satisfaction metric, institute continuous innovation, and address leadership issues.

The degree is labeled as "team-based," and students will work closely with faculty members and other students in a supportive online environment. Students will have access to a faculty adviser, as well as a graduate advisor and a significant library of information. Students can transfer up to 24 credits into the program when they apply, which can help the student finish their doctorate in less than three years. The university also labels its dissertation as a "no fear" experience where students are walked through the dissertation with ample support, guidance, and mentoring. Students will complete 58 semester hours in the program which will include research core classes, electives, classes in the student's area of study, and the dissertation. Research core classes include Writing Foundations, Introduction to Statistics with SAS, and Research Methods & Design.

Some of the areas where students can concentrate their efforts while enrolled include Organizational Behavior, Ethics, Management, and Leadership. Students can select classes like Development of Management Theory, Organizational Leadership, Ethics & Social Responsibility, and Strategic Thinking, Decision Making, & Innovation. Once students reach their dissertation, they will undertake a comprehensive exam and begin writing their dissertation. At the conclusion of the dissertation series, students will defend their dissertation or complete a capstone study. Students are allowed to take more than the scheduled three semesters of study to complete the dissertation and may enroll in a Study Continuation if they need to take a semester away from the program or a one-term break from study.