Metropolitan State University

Metropolitan State University appears in the ranking of the 10 Most Affordable Doctorate in Management Information Systems Online.

Located in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, Metropolitan State University is a public school that often goes by the name of Metro State. Established in 1971 as a small school called Minnesota Metropolitan State College, it offered educational opportunities for nontraditional students, including adults with full-time jobs and students who took time off before going to college. Just 50 students enrolled in the college that first year. The school served as a senior college and accepted students who already had college credits. Students completed their junior and senior years through the college. This changed in 1994, which was when the college added traditional undergrad programs to its curriculum. Students had the chance to take all courses through the college, which led to it becoming Metro State.

Metro State now has one campus in the Twin Cities and several other campuses in smaller areas of Minnesota. It follows a traditional semester schedule that allows students to take classes in the fall, spring and summer. The university expanded its course offerings and added more graduate programs and later doctoral programs to its curriculum. Students can now study online and earn their degrees through the university's virtual campus. The university still enrolls a large number of nontraditional students each year, though it offers more traditional daytime classes too. Enrollment at Metro State now tops more than 11,000 students.

Metropolitan State University Accreditation Details

Doctoral students may not care as much about accreditation as undergrads do, but all students should ensure that their colleges at least have regional accreditation. The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCACS) granted Metro State regional accreditation. Not only does NCACS accreditation make it easier for students to apply for financial aid, but this form of accreditation also allows them to transfer credits into a higher education program. Metro State also has accreditation for all its business degree programs at the top three levels from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Metropolitan State University Application Requirements

It's important that prospective DBA candidates check the application and admissions requirements that Metro State has in place for incoming students. Any student interested in applying must have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree or an equivalent graduate business degree. The university expects students to have at least 20 credits of graduate level work completed in key areas, including project management, management information systems, organizational behavior and organizational strategy. Students will also find it helpful to take courses in economics, finance and accounting in grad school. The university also looks for students who scored in at least the 71st percentile on one of the two standardized tests for business school and students who maintained a grade point average of at least 3.0 in a grad school program.

Students must submit an application before one of the three deadlines: November 15, March 15 or June 1. The university will review applications and admit students into the next available cohort. Students must set up a Minnesota State Star ID account and use the online application, but they can also submit a paper application. They will pay a $20 application fee and submit their official college and grad school transcripts. Students can then complete one of two options. The first asks for a GMAT or GRE score, resume, two professional references and a goals statement or essay. They can select option two and submit a resume, two professional references and two essays of 1,000 words. Those who select option two must also have a doctoral math degree from the university or another online school.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Metropolitan State University prides itself on offering affordable rates for its students. Both graduate and doctoral students pay just $389 per credit hour if they are also residents of Minnesota. Nonresidents pay a slightly higher rate of around $778 per credit hour. The university also charges fees of $35 per credit hour. Students taking online classes will pay the online rate, which is the same for both in-state students and nonresident students. Any online student will pay around $511 per credit hour plus the same fee charges. Students also have the chance to do independent study projects through the university. Those courses cost around half of what standard classes do.

Any student who needs financial aid should complete the FAFSA around the same time that they submit their applications. Student loans for doctoral students are available from the government. The government bases those loans on the age of the student and whether the individual borrowed unsubsidized loans in the past. It does not base loans on the student's unique needs. Students can also apply for some of the alternative loan programs that are out there, though these loans generally charge higher interest rates. Metro State encourages students to check out its scholarship programs too.

Online DBA Program

Metro State gives DBA candidates up to seven years to complete the program once they enroll and sign up for classes. The university requires that students take at least seven prerequisite classes and receive a B or higher in each of those courses. Students who did not take these classes or took some and received a lower grade must retake those courses through the university. Metro State also expects students to complete at least 52 credits of work beyond the graduate level. It will accept some graduate and doctoral courses that students took on other campuses for credit towards this degree.

To earn a Doctor of Business Administration online, students must complete two different phases. The first is phase one and features nine classes that are worth a total of 36 credits. Foundations of Research Inquiry, Applied Business Statistics and Analytics, Applied Research Projects Design and Information Technology: Issues and Strategy are a few of the classes in phase one.

Once students take these classes, they must take and pass a comprehensive exam before they can move onto phase two. This exam is quite detailed and asks questions from all the areas they studied in their doctoral classes. Phase two also requires that students do some type of applied research project and that they finish their dissertation work. Students must present their dissertations and defend their work before earning their degrees. Metropolitan State University calls those in phase one DBA students and those in phase two DBA candidates.