Mumbai, May 14: India is emerging as a key contributor to the growing 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, San Francisco, through its partnership with upGrad.
The graduating global cohort spread across 27 countries includes senior professionals from industries such as technology, manufacturing, consulting, education, telecom, BFSI, and the social sector. Thirty of the Indian graduates attended the commencement ceremony held in San Francisco on May 6, 2026, while the remaining learners are expected to complete the program through the year.
Commenting on the milestone, Myleeta Aga Williams, upGrad International CEO 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.”
The development reflects a broader shift among working professionals towards flexible, research-driven executive education pathways that allow learners to pursue doctoral qualifications without stepping away from their careers.
Key learner insights include:
- AI-led workplace disruption and the need to stay professionally relevant emerged as the strongest enrolment driver, with 50–67% of learners citing it as a primary motivation
- 40–55% of learners pursued the DBA to accelerate progression into C-suite, board-level, and senior leadership 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 towards teaching, consulting, entrepreneurship, or independent 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-standing personal aspiration made achievable through flexible online learning pathways
- 15–25% pursued the program to enhance global career mobility and earn internationally recognised academic credentials
The doctoral research emerging from Indian learners reflects growing industry interest in applied and business-led innovation. 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 pursuing research in social impact and accessibility-focused themes, signalling wider adoption of doctoral education beyond traditional academic tracks.
According to the program analysis, the flexibility of online doctoral learning including recorded sessions, remote dissertation support, and accessible learning infrastructure has enabled greater participation from experienced professionals balancing work, leadership responsibilities, and higher education goals simultaneously.
The rise in participation from Indian learners also comes amid increasing global demand for executive and lifelong learning pathways, particularly in areas linked to AI, digital transformation, organisational leadership, and applied business research.