Golden Gate University

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Updated August 7, 2020

Golden Gate University appears in our ranking of the 10 Most Affordable Doctorate in International Business Online 2018.

Golden Gate University is a university named for the Golden Gate Bridge, which is close to the university's campus in San Francisco. Founded in 1901 as the YMCA Evening College, it opened as a small college that offered opportunities for male students who wanted a college education. Classes were only available at night to accommodate the schedules of enrolled students. This school later evolved to include a law school that educated a large number of the lawyers practicing in the city at the turn of the 20th century. Citing its vast array of degree programs, the college became Golden Gate College in the early 1920s. The school earned university status in 1973, which led to its current name.

Also called GGU, the university primarily offers graduate programs and degree programs for students in their later undergrad years. It has four schools, including the Edward S. Ageno School of Business and a Bruce F. Braden School of Taxation. The GGU business school offers both undergrad and graduate degree programs as well as one of the only Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programs in the state. Around 5,300 students attend GGU every year. The university ranks as one of the best colleges in the San Francisco area.

Golden Gate University Accreditation Details

GGU has regional accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and its Senior College and University Commission (SCUC). This means that it has the authority to award its graduates degrees once those students meet all their degree requirements. Also called institutional accreditation, WASC accreditation allows the university to accept the credits that students want to transfer into the DBA program and give those students financial aid packages based around their needs. While the university does have some specialty accreditation, that type of accreditation only applies to its law school and legal programs.

Golden Gate University Application Requirements

Though the university's DBA program is open to both domestic and international students, prospective students must use the application designed for them. They will pay a fee of at least $85 when they submit the application. The application is available on the university's website, but students must meet other requirements and submit documents to the school.

GGU looks for students who have a graduate degree in business from a college or university with regional accreditation. It also requires that students have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher in all the graduate courses they took, including any classes outside of the business field. Students with only a bachelor's in business can apply to the program too. Those students must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher in their undergrad programs. Students with only a bachelor's degree have the opportunity to earn both an MBA and a DBA from GGU.

Incoming students must submit transcripts that show they took either Data Analysis for Managers, Economics for Managers or an equivalent course. Their transcripts must also show their cumulative grade point averages and the dates that they completed their degrees. Students will submit their resumes too, which the university will use to determine if they have the amount of professional experience required for this program. GGU asks for a personal essay of around 1,000 words that explains why the student wants to study at GGU and his or her reasons for earning a DBA. Students must also submit three letters of recommendation. They can submit the letters on their own or have their references submit those letters.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Each course in the DBA program is worth four credits. Instead of charging students a rate based on the credits that they take, the university charges students a flat rate of $4,700 for each course that they take in this program. Students who want to take classes in other disciplines or from other degree programs will pay a different rate for those classes. The university also asks students to pay any costs connected to traveling to the campus or to conferences and for any supplies that they might need.

GGU offers different types of funding for DBA candidates who take classes on its campus. They can work as research assistants and help their professors with research projects, but they can also work as teaching assistants and teach undergrad business classes. Some students may want to work as resident advisors and live on the campus too.

Financial aid for doctoral candidates can include federal funding as well. They can borrow money in the form of a PLUS loan or a standard student loan. The government only allows students to borrow a set amount of money over the course of their college years. Private lenders offer loans for college students too. These loans allow students to borrow money, even if they only enroll on a part-time basis.

Online Doctor of Business Administration

Golden Gate University offers one of the best Doctor of Business Administration programs in the nation. All the professors working in this program have a high level of experience and provide students with the fundamental knowledge that they need. Students have the chance to meet with their teachers and take classes in the financial district of the city. Many of the enrolled students work near the campus.

The program features both a foundation core and a business core. Doctoral Writing and Research Methods, Qualitative Research and Analysis and Quantitative Research and Analysis are the courses that comprise the foundation core. The business core is worth 28 credits and includes classes such as Business, Government and Society and Marketing Management. Though the university gives students the chance to study some of the more popular areas of business, it also allows students to take electives that relate to international business. Students can also take an Independent Study course and study a specific aspect of international business or take a Special Topics in Business Administration course. Though the topic of this course changes each semester, it often addresses international issues.

To earn a DBA, students must take at least 12 credits of dissertation research classes. They must take multiple seminars and pass a comprehensive examination before selecting a dissertation topic. Students then receive credits for the research and writing that they do. Golden Gate University requires that students submit their dissertations and present their work to the business school before granting them degrees.

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