DBA

The Doctor of Business Administration is a Doctoral level, research-based qualification, designed to enhance trans-disciplinary professional practices in management via the application and development of theoretical frameworks, methods and techniques. A DBA places emphasis on highly relevant, workplace-based research which is relevant to the student’s field of expertise rather than narrowly defined theoretical research.

The professional doctoral program produces a qualification which, whilst being equivalent in status and difficulty to a PhD, is more appropriate for those pursuing professional rather than academic careers. The DBA program’s combination of deep practice-based learning and research is highly beneficial to professionals allowing for the immediate integration of actionable knowledge and critical thinking skills. The core curriculum of the DBA program consists of contemporary management topics such as organisational change and development, leadership and managerial decision making. Alongside these core modules, students write a Doctoral Development Plan (DDP) reflecting on their development as doctoral practitioners and researchers.

The DDP helps students obtain doctoral-level professional knowledge and the critical thinking skills needed for leading businesses and organisations. Students complete their qualification with an original thesis based on a critical project undertaken in their organisation. Unlike traditional academic thesis for PhD research, this thesis is designed to produce new, actionable knowledge for immediate use. The Doctor of Business Administration is designed with the understanding that most senior and middle managers will change positions and organisations throughout their career. By focusing on building critical reflection, critical thinking, and doctoral-level skills, students graduate with knowledge and expertise which they can apply to a variety of organisational and managerial settings.