Mumbai : India is rapidly emerging as a major contributor to the global demand for flexible doctoral education, with 67 Indian professionals joining the worldwide cohort of 183 Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) graduates from Golden Gate University (GGU), San Francisco, through its partnership with upGrad.
The graduating cohort, representing professionals from 27 countries, includes senior leaders and executives from industries such as technology, manufacturing, consulting, education, telecom, BFSI, and the social sector. Thirty Indian graduates attended the commencement ceremony held in San Francisco on May 6, 2026, while the remaining learners are expected to complete the program later this year.
The milestone reflects the increasing preference among working professionals for flexible, research-oriented executive education pathways that enable them to pursue doctoral qualifications without pausing their careers.
Commenting on the achievement, Myleeta Aga Williams, International CEO, upGrad, said: “What this cohort represents is proof that when you build doctoral education around the reality of how senior professionals live and work, the quality of the research that comes out is extraordinary. These graduates have applied scholarship to the real problems of their industries. Their work is practical, usable, and in many cases already having a measurable impact on the organisations and communities they serve.”
According to learner insights from the program:
- 50–67% of learners cited AI-led workplace disruption and the need to remain professionally relevant as the primary motivation for enrolling
- 40–55% pursued the DBA to accelerate progression into senior leadership, board-level, and C-suite roles
- 40–70% enrolled to develop strategic AI fluency and gain executive-level understanding of emerging technologies and digital transformation
- 30–55% viewed the doctorate as a pathway toward teaching, consulting, entrepreneurship, or advisory careers
- 25–40% cited career stagnation and limited upward mobility as key triggers for pursuing doctoral education
- 25–35% described the DBA as a long-term personal aspiration made achievable through flexible online learning
- 15–25% pursued the program to strengthen global career mobility and earn internationally recognised academic credentials
The doctoral research undertaken by Indian learners highlights growing industry interest in applied business innovation and technology-led transformation. Dissertation themes explored by the cohort include AI-driven marketing transformation, Large Language Models (LLMs), agile software project delays, digital public infrastructure, manufacturing data systems, and women’s leadership in supply chains.
The cohort also included professionals working on research linked to social impact and accessibility-focused themes, indicating wider adoption of doctoral education beyond traditional academic and corporate domains.
Program analysis further revealed that the flexibility of online doctoral learning — including recorded sessions, remote dissertation support, and accessible digital infrastructure — has enabled greater participation from experienced professionals balancing leadership responsibilities, careers, and higher education simultaneously.
The increase in participation from Indian learners comes amid rising global demand for executive and lifelong learning pathways, particularly in fields connected to AI, organisational leadership, digital transformation, and applied business research.