Skip to content
Online BusinessSchools
Indiana University Bloomington logo

Indiana University Bloomington · Kelley School of Business (Kelley Direct)

Kelley Direct Online Executive DBA

DBAEDBAEnglish-taughtExecutive Doctor of Business Administration

Overview

An online Executive Doctor of Business Administration focused on strategy and leadership: 69 credits without an MBA or 42 credits for MBA holders, with two required in-person EDBA residencies and a thesis project.

Official program name
Kelley Direct Online Executive DBA
Awarded degree
Executive Doctor of Business Administration
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Degree level
Doctoral — DBA (professional doctorate)
Awarding institution
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Location
Bloomington, Indiana, United StatesWhere the institution or the unit that runs the program is based. Study is online; this is not a residency requirement and does not decide whether you may enroll.
Subject
Credits
69 credits for non-MBA applicants; 42 credits for Kelley Direct alumni or MBA holdersUS credit hours — not directly comparable with other credit systems.
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Duration
2 years with full credit transfer; 3 years without MBA
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Start terms
Fall 2027
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Language of instruction
EnglishEvidence: the program is offered and assessed in English as published; a module-by-module language statement is not published.
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Why this program is listed

Professional doctorate presented as an online EDBA with required in-person residencies; US institution.

Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We list English-taught online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in business subjects, awarded by institutions with legal recognition in their country. Eligibility rules

Online format and attendance

“Online” is not one format. Delivery, campus attendance, placements, schedule and time zones are shown separately, each only as the institution states it.
Academic delivery
Online + required attendanceTeaching is online, with required campus visits, residential weeks, in-person exams or an in-person defense.Teaching is online, with required campus visits, residential weeks, in-person exams or an in-person defense.
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Campus visits
Campus attendance required
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Placement / internship
Placement requirement: not verified
Class schedule
Not verified
Study intensity
Not verified

Attendance, exams and travel as published

  • Residential week / residency Required

    Special Topics In-Residence I (BUKD-X703): late October in Bloomington, Indiana, at the start of the program.

    once · Bloomington, Indiana

    Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

  • Residential week / residency Required

    Special Topics In-Residence II (BUKD-X713): summer term of the second year; begins the thesis project.

    once

    Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

  • Residential week / residency Required

    Students taking the 27 MBA-level credits also complete the two MBA in-residence experiences (BUKD-X503 Kelley On Campus in Bloomington, BUKD-X513).

    Bloomington, Indiana

    Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

Thesis

  • Two statistics/research methods courses and a thesis development course (9 credits), then a thesis project.
    Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Curriculum

Admissions

Required, optional, waiver-available and not-required items are shown exactly as the institution states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.
Credit transfer
OptionalMBA holders may transfer up to 27 credits
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Personal statement
RequiredPersonal statement
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
References / recommendations
Required2 letters — Two recommender forms
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
CV / résumé
RequiredUp-to-date resume or CV for Phase 1
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Interview
RequiredVirtual interview
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
Application fee
RequiredUS$75 — $75 application fee
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Tests

GMAT
Optional
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026
GRE General Test
Optional
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the intake the institution printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its published currency, fee category, academic year and basis. Nothing is converted; figures on different bases or in different currencies are not comparable, and tuition is not the full cost of study.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All online students — Current fall 2026 tuition rateUS$2,300USDper credit · fall 2026Estimated tuitionUS$158,700 = 69 US credit hours × US$2,300 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required attendance, credit transfer reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of study.Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Other published fees

Fee per in-residence experience
US$1,000Mandatory
Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Scholarships and financial aid

Awards published by the institution for this program or for online students at this level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; financial aid availability does not make a program “fully funded”. Scholarships & funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Recognition, accreditation and eligibility

Separate questions: is the awarding institution legally recognized to award this degree, is the business school accredited, and who may enroll in this online program?

Legal recognition of Indiana University Bloomington

  • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

    Institutional accreditation — Accredited · since January 1, 1913 · next review 8/31/2028

    Recognized by: U.S. Department of Education

    Authority in United States

    Source: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

Business-school and program accreditation

No business-school or program accreditation verified. Legal recognition does not depend on it.

Recognition in the institution's own country does not guarantee that the degree is recognized for employment, licensing or further study everywhere. Check with the relevant body where you plan to use it.

International applicants

  • Any applicant who is not a US citizen or permanent resident applies as international; English tests (Duolingo, TOEFL or IELTS) are required unless exempt.Source: kelley.iu.edu · verified October 11, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 11, 2026.
  1. kelley.iu.edu/programs/executive-business-dba/curriculum/index.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  2. kelley.iu.edu/programs/executive-business-dba/index.html — Official program page, verified October 11, 2026
  3. kelley.iu.edu/programs/online/admissions/international-applicants-faq/index.html — Official admissions page, verified October 11, 2026
  4. DAPIP — HLC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — Government dataset (US Department of Education IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026

Something out of date? Request a correction · Represent this school? Claim the profile

Similar programs at other schools

Same degree level and dedicated subject. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Heriot-Watt University

DBA Doctor of Business Administration

DBADBAEnglish-taughtDoctor of Business Administration
Subject: Business Administration
Location: Edinburgh, United KingdomInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Online format: Fully onlineAll teaching is online and the institution states no required on-site activity for this program. · Asynchronous · Part-time
In-person requirements: Optional campus visits
Duration: Duration not verified
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: Rolling admission (as published)
View program

Purdue University Global

Doctor of Business Administration

DBADBAEnglish-taughtDoctor of Business Administration
Subject: Business Administration · Accounting (concentration) · Finance (concentration)
Location: West Lafayette, Indiana, United StatesInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Online format: Fully onlineAll teaching is online and the institution states no required on-site activity for this program.
In-person requirements: In-person requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified · 90 credits (institution's own system)
Tuition: Tuition: US$485 per credit · All online students — Per quarter credit
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program
Grand Canyon University logo

Grand Canyon University

Doctor of Business Administration: Marketing (Quantitative Research)

DBADBAEnglish-taughtDoctor of Business Administration
Subject: Business Administration · Marketing (concentration)
Location: Phoenix, Arizona, United StatesInstitution location, not a residency requirement
Online format: Online + required attendanceTeaching is online, with required campus visits, residential weeks, in-person exams or an in-person defense.
In-person requirements: Campus attendance required
Duration: Duration not verified · 60 US credit hours
Tuition: Tuition: US$760 per credit · All online students — Online
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
View program

Online Business Schools is independent and not affiliated with Indiana University Bloomington. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the institution.