THECB approves McCoy College Doctorate of Business Administration

SAN MARCOS, Texas — The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has approved a new online doctor of business administration (DBA) degree for the McCoy College of Business at Texas State University.

The THECB has announced approval of seven new doctoral programs for Texas State, including the McCoy College online DBA, with the latest made during the board’s meeting in Austin on July 25. 

“The approval of the DBA program represents a monumental leap by McCoy College in providing innovative research-based education to business professionals,” said Dr. Sanjay Ramchander, Dean of McCoy College. “By offering this program online, it will expand educational access for business leaders and address the emerging workforce needs in Texas and beyond.” 

McCoy College will be the first business school in Central Texas to offer a DBA and the only institution in the state to offer a fully online DBA. 

In a LinkedIn post announcing THECB approval of the new doctoral programs, Texas State Provost Pranesh Aswath wrote that this is an exciting time to be at the university, which is committed on the path to research university — or R1 — status. 

“We are gearing up to launch these programs in the near future as part of the significant investment made by our President Kelly Damphousse to help transition Texas State University into an R1 institution,” Aswath wrote. 

“Our faculty can take credit for putting together a bold proposal that aims to be one of the leading professional doctoral programs in the nation. In affirming McCoy College's prominent role in advancing Texas State University’s R1 goals, the DBA program will leverage our faculty expertise in creating new knowledge and strengthen the practice of business and management,” Ramchander said. 

As the program proposal noted, recent growth in the Texas economy, particularly in the Austin-San Antonio corridor, has coincided with a significant increase in businesses moving to the Austin-San Antonio area and the need for experienced professionals in mid- and upper-level management and leadership positions. McCoy College’s new online DBA program incorporates a rigorous analytical framework so that experienced professionals in those leadership roles can solve complex real-world business problems. The program will train students in rigorous, research-focused curricula to enable them to conduct applied research at the highest level. 

Texas Workforce Commission data indicate that the average growth for DBA-related occupations is 18.27 percent in the years 2020-2030. The Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 data indicated that the average 10-year growth rate for DBA-related occupations is 5.3 percent. 

Dr. Diego Vacaflores, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs at McCoy College celebrated the program’s approval in a LinkedIn post immediately after the THECB made its decision. 

“We have a strong talent pool of faculty with extensive training and research to make [the DBA program] successful,” wrote Vacaflores, who spearheaded the proposal. “The program has a state-of-the-art curriculum thanks to the expertise brought to the development of the program by Dr. Emmanuel Alanis, Dr. Sam Lee, Dr. Floyd F. Quinn, Dr. Randall Young, and Dr. Gail Zank. We are extremely grateful for the insight that our alumni gave us.” 

McCoy College will add the online DBA to its successful group of graduate offerings, which until now had all been at the master’s degree level: a master of accountancy (MAcy), several master of business administration (MBA) options, and master of science programs in accounting and information technology (MSAIT), data analytics and information systems (MSDAIS), marketing research and analysis (MSMRA), and quantitative finance and economics (MSQFE). 

The new online DBA program will begin as early as the fall semester of 2025. 

Texas State’s other recently approved doctoral programs include Ph.D. programs in integrated molecular and biophysical chemistry, civil engineering, mechanical and manufacturing engineering, mathematics, engineering management, and construction management. 

“I look forward to the exciting opportunity to work with our faculty, chairs, and deans to launch these as sustainable doctoral programs,” Aswath wrote. ✯

For more information about this story or other news, email Twister Marquiss, manager of marketing and communications for the McCoy College of Business, at twister@txstate.edu.

About the McCoy College of Business 
Established in 1970, Texas State’s business school officially became the McCoy College of Business in 2004 following a transformational gift of $20 million by Emmett and Miriam McCoy. The college, which offers classes in both San Marcos and Round Rock, is accredited by AACSB in both business and accounting, and has graduated more than 44,000 alumni.