Institute of Doctoral Studies

Institute of Doctoral Studies

In today's competitive market, the demand for specialized knowledge is ever-growing. Take the next step in your career by earning your doctoral degree from FordBridge University.


Our Institute of Doctoral Studies offers several doctoral studies programs, from a Doctor of Business Administration to an online Executive Doctorate in Applied Economics or Executive studies in Applied Communication. Learners apply their research, critical thinking and analytical skills to solve real-world problems in areas such as business, leadership, and economics.

From day one, you are placed on an accelerated path. Our dissertation process is embedded into conventional coursework to help you move quickly toward graduation, with a supportive learning community to keep you engaged. Work closely on your doctoral studies with faculty to pursue your unique goals, and enjoy a variety of convenient learning formats. Attend class on campus, in the evening or online, and benefit from a curriculum designed by experts in their fields. The Institute of Doctoral Studies supports graduate students and institutes in their programs, promotes graduate student research and scholarly work, refines and develops graduate programs’ policies, and supports new program development.

The Institute of Doctoral Studies seeks to engage learners in the process of becoming scholar-practitioners by deliberately invoking design principles that create a scaffold, embedded curriculum grounded in adult learning theory. The Institute of Doctoral Studies provides structured, integrative, learning-centered doctoral programs that encourage reflective thinking from learners and collaborative interactions among learners and faculty. Our programs of study balance rigorous, meaningful and reasonable quantity of work with an overall design which leads learners to their ultimate goal of completing the dissertation. In addition to the learning design, IDS is committed to excellent learner support as part of its ongoing focus on learner success.

FordBridge enforces a strict and defined set of standards that challenge our scholars to practice ethical research. The principles that define our practices include those of the International Research Act, which ensures the protection of humans involved in research; the Belmont Report, which specifies basic ethical principles and their application in research; and the mandatory research ethics training before applying for Review Board approval. Our uncompromised standards continue to facilitate excellence in field advancement and underscore the ethical code for which our university is known.


Business administration, communication practice, and an executive doctorate are only a few of Fordbridge University's doctorate programs, preparing you to face critical challenges within the work environment. Throughout our executive doctoral degrees, we also provide emphasis on opportunities that range from behavioral health and value to industrial and organizational psychology. Develop your passion for your field of study and prepare for leadership within your profession and community.

The Institute of Doctoral Studies allows you to pursue accelerated doctoral degrees within a collaborative community of institutions and scholars. The dissertation process begins early in each program, helping you move quickly toward completing your doctoral degree. Our executive doctorate programs are designed in collaboration with authorities in their respective disciplines. Whether you choose one of our online degree programs, we encourage you to benefit from helpful research assistance, close mentoring and exceptional grant opportunities.

Research is a cornerstone of the Institute of Doctoral Studies, empowering learners to collaborate and advance within all fields. Through a continual dialogue regarding research and ethics guidelines, we serve the advancement of FordBridge University's doctoral programs and other academic communities. Explore our resources, designed to suit your needs and interests, including the Center for Innovation and Research, the Management & Applied Economics Review and FordBridge's Institutional Review Board.

What is qualitative versus quantitative research? Research Ethics

Qualitative research is less structured and answers open-ended questions, providing subjective results that reveal bias but seek to explore and explain. Quantitative research, on the other hand, seeks to confirm a hypothesis and often uses numbers and statistical results. Quantitative research typically answers closed-ended questions, and is typically documented using objective language.

At the Institute of Doctoral Studies, we value both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Depending on your degree and your dissertation, you may find that using one method is more appropriate than the other.

The Review Board ensures that all FordBridge -conducted research meets the highest ethical standards and complies with federal regulations. The Review Board provides timely and efficient processing, review, monitoring, tracking and reporting of all research protocols and Review Board activities, and requires that all research conducted by researchers within the FordBridge community meets the following requirements:

Protects human participants.

Develops and sustains an ethical research environment.

Ensures that researchers are qualified.

Ensures that research has the potential to add value to the academic community and society.

All researchers within the FordBridge community who aspire to conduct research at FDB must submit their request to the Review Board using the appropriate form. Guidelines for FDB researchers are provided in the Review Board Handbook.