You’ve spent years making decisions with incomplete information. Doctoral research asks you to take one of those decisions and study it with evidence. Most people picture that work as a dissertation. In a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), it can also take the form of an applied Doctoral Research Project (DRP).
Both paths are doctoral research. They differ in where the question starts, who the work is written for, and what you hold at the end. This guide explains each one and helps you choose. It uses Doctor of Business Administration as a concrete example.
What is a dissertation?
A dissertation is a long-form report of original research that a student completes to earn a doctoral degree. It poses a research question, reviews what scholars already know, explains a method, reports findings, and argues what those findings mean. A faculty chair or committee reviews the work, and the student usually defends it orally.
Its main audience is other researchers. A dissertation aims to add to the knowledge in a discipline, often by testing, refining, or extending a theory. That’s why dissertations spend significant space on theoretical frameworks and the existing literature. Most business dissertations follow a five-chapter model:
- Introduction: The problem, purpose, and research questions
- Literature Review: What’s known and where the gap sits
- Methodology: Design, participants, data collection, and analysis
- Findings: What the data shows
- Conclusions: What the findings mean and what should follow
What a dissertation question looks like
A dissertation question is framed for a wider field, not one organization. Compare these with the applied examples later in this guide:
- How does perceived organizational support affect turnover intention among early-career employees in service industries?
- How well does the technology acceptance model explain software adoption by mid-level managers?
Both questions could draw data from a single company. The answer, though, is meant to hold beyond it. That reach is what the literature review and theoretical framework have to justify.
Dissertation vs. Thesis
In the United States, “thesis” usually refers to a master’s-level project. “Dissertation” refers to doctoral work. Some countries reverse the terms, so check your program’s handbook.
What counts as doctoral research?
Doctoral research is the broader category. It covers any original, systematic inquiry held to doctoral standards. The dissertation is one format. Applied research projects are another.
Professional doctorates, such as the DBA, often use applied formats. The Council of Graduate Schools draws the line clearly, as quoted in American Public University System’s doctoral handbook. A professional doctorate prepares you “for the potential transformation of that field of professional practice.” A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) prepares you to transform “the basic knowledge in a discipline.”
Management scholars describe the applied starting point as a “problem of practice.” Engaged Management ReView, a journal from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management, publishes research that begins exactly there.
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The doctoral research project: Doctoral rigor applied to practice
The DRP starts with a problem an organization faces. A dissertation usually starts with a gap in theory. That one difference shapes everything that follows. At Crestmont University, the Doctoral Research Project consists of five sequenced courses, DRP 801 through DRP 805, totaling 15 credits. Across those courses, you:
- Define a real business problem and its context
- Review the literature that bears on it
- Design a research methodology
- Collect data and report your findings
- Deliver evidence-based recommendations
Many students conduct their projects within the organization where they already work. The final product is written for decision-makers as well as scholars. It’s designed to end in recommendations a leader could evaluate and act on.
What an applied research question looks like
These examples show the scale of a workable DRP question. They’re illustrations, not approved topics.
- Why do new hires in a regional logistics firm leave within their first year?
- Which factors slowed adoption of a new enterprise resource planning system across three business units?
- How do clinic administrators decide whether to expand telehealth services to rural patients?
Each question names a setting, a population, and a decision. That’s what makes it researchable and useful at the same time.
Doctoral research project vs. dissertation: Side by side
| Doctoral Research Project (DRP 801–805) | Dissertation (GRC 641–645) | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A problem inside a real organization | A gap in existing theory or literature |
| Primary audience | Practitioners and decision-makers, plus scholars | Scholars and researchers |
| Central question | What should this organization do, and why? | What does this add to knowledge in the field? |
| Final product | Findings and evidence-based recommendations | Five-chapter dissertation |
| Ends with | Recommendations for practice | Dissertation presentation and oral defense |
| Credits at Crestmont University | 15 (five courses) | 15 (five courses) |
| Fits | Leaders who want to study a problem they already own | Professionals planning to teach or pursue research roles |
Why the DRP fits many working professionals
Most DBA students keep their jobs while they study. For them, the DRP has practical advantages.
- The problem is already in front of you. You don’t have to search for a topic in the literature. You start with a difficulty you know well, then use research to frame it precisely.
- Context and data are closer. Studying your own organization can simplify access to people, records, and history. You’ll still need written permission and ethics review before you collect data.
- Your coursework and your job reinforce each other. Time spent on research also deepens your understanding of your own workplace. One course at a time, the two stop competing for the same hours.
- The output speaks to decision-makers. Recommendations grounded in evidence give leaders something specific to weigh, not a general theory to translate.
Career stage shapes how these advantages land. A Millennial manager may use the DRP to bring rigor to a first major initiative. A Generation X director may study a problem that has resisted solutions for years. A Baby Boomer executive may turn decades of judgment into a structured study others can learn from.
Related post: DBA in Leadership
When the dissertation is the right path
The dissertation fits a different goal. Choose it if you plan to teach at the university level, publish in peer-reviewed academic journals, or contribute to theory in your field. The five-chapter structure and oral defense are the formats academic hiring committees and journals know well. Neither path is a shortcut. Both require a literature review, a sound methodology, and a defensible argument from evidence.
What both paths share at Crestmont University
Whichever path you choose, the structure underneath stays the same:
- Same degree. Both paths lead to the Doctor of Business Administration.
- Same preparation. Core courses include GRC 600 – Doctoral Academic Study and Writing and GRC 605 – Business Research Methodology and Quantitative Statistics.
- A Comprehensive Competency Assessment before the research phase begins.
- A faculty chair who guides your research from proposal to completion.
- Ethics review. Research with people falls under federal human-subjects rules in 45 CFR 46, known as the Common Rule.
- The same pacing. One six-week course at a time, 100% online, with no residency.
Three common misconceptions
Choosing between a Dissertation and a Doctoral Research Project (DRP) often raises questions about academic rigor, research quality, and professional relevance. While both paths follow the same doctoral standards, several misconceptions can create confusion about their purpose and value. Let’s address three common misconceptions and clarify what each research path really involves.
“The applied project is the easier option.”
It isn’t. The DRP asks for the same literature review, methodology, and evidence standards. What changes is the starting point and the audience.
“Only a dissertation counts as real doctoral research.”
Doctoral research is defined by rigor, not format. Professional doctorates were built around applied inquiry, and both Crestmont University paths lead to the same degree.
“Studying my own organization isn’t objective.”
Insider research is common in applied doctorates. It does require care. You’ll document your role, protect confidential data, and let the evidence lead, even when it points somewhere uncomfortable.
How to choose your research path
Choosing the right doctoral research path depends on your professional goals, research interests, and the impact you want your work to have. Both the Dissertation and the Doctoral Research Project (DRP) offer valuable opportunities to demonstrate doctoral-level expertise, but they serve different purposes. Consider these three key questions to determine which path best aligns with your academic and career aspirations.
Where do you want your research to land?
In a boardroom or operating decision, the DRP fits. In a journal or a classroom, the dissertation fits.
Do you already have a problem you want to study?
If one comes to mind quickly, that’s a strong signal for the DRP.
What role do you want next?
Faculty and research roles favor the dissertation. Executive, consulting, and leadership roles align with the applied project.
Resources to help with your dissertation or research project
Strong support makes a long project manageable. These sources are reliable starting points for either path:
- Your faculty chair. Your chair is your first resource for scope, method, and feedback. Set a regular check-in rhythm early.
- Purdue OWL Graduate Writing — guidance on literature reviews, academic style, and long-form organization from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab.
- APA Style — the citation and formatting standard many business programs use, published by the American Psychological Association.
- Your university library. Library databases give you access to peer-reviewed journals and dissertation collections.
- HHS Office for Human Research Protections — federal guidance on research ethics and informed consent.
Where to find an example of a dissertation
Reading two or three finished studies is one of the fastest ways to understand the format. Start here:
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. The largest collection of graduate research, usually available through a university library. See Kettering University’s guide for how libraries provide access.
- Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD) — a search index of openly available theses and dissertations from universities worldwide.
- University repositories. Many universities publish dissertations online, such as the University of Tennessee’s TRACE repository.
Search “Doctor of Business Administration” plus a topic in your concentration. Read the abstract, table of contents, and methodology chapter first. Those three sections show how a researcher scoped the problem and built the study.
Your next step
You already know which problems in your organization deserve a closer look. Doctoral research gives you a structured way to study one, whether you write a dissertation or complete a Doctoral Research Project. Review both research paths and admission requirements on Doctor of Business Administration program page. Then talk with an Executive Enrollment Advisor about the question you’d bring.
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