Business Administration

To be considered for study for the Doctorate in Business Administration you must meet the following entry requirements:

All candidates

Candidates should be professionals with significant managerial experience at a senior level. Individual applicants with prior professional experience and a strong industry background may be considered for the programme (however this is subject to the individual having access to data which will inform the practice-based research project). Individual entrepreneurs may also be considered and will be provided advice and guidance by the Award Leader of the appropriateness of the course and how students may approach the modules and the research project.

Applicants will be expected to have attained at least one qualification at a L7 level with a 50% pass or equivalent (Masters/MBA/MRes/MPhil).

In exceptional circumstances, applicants who do not meet the above criteria but have an outstanding under-graduate degree along with significant professional experience will also be considered. 

Additional requirement for international candidates

An English language qualification of IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each band or equivalent is required from international candidates.

Current (not more than 2 years old at the time of application) TOEFL/GMAT/GRE scores will also be considered.

All candidates will be interviewed to assess their suitability which will include the understanding of their broad research theme. The candidates will be provided with appropriate information, advice and guidance.

The programme is designed to give you the freedom to develop your own ideas and interests, whilst benefiting from the shared experiences of your peers through small study groups. The philosophy of the programme is based on the belief that this level of management education is based on three inter-related objectives: 

• The provision of an academically challenging and stimulating curriculum.
• The application of the curriculum to an appropriate managerial and professional context.
• The development of your personal and professional effectiveness, and your continuing ability to be a successful reflective management practitioner.

The overarching objectives are thus to:

• Enhance your ability to question, analyse, critique and theorise through the undertaking of a programme of research, and so develop your professional management practice.
• Provide sound training in the design, execution and analysis of research to enable you to complete a thesis and potentially other academic publications that represent original contributions to the practice of management and thereby business and management knowledge.
• Recognise the relationship between management research and the professional practice of management within business organisation.
• Facilitate and foster your ability to question and challenge received wisdom in business and management arena, and consider how learning is translated into management practice, and practice into business and management theory.
• Build a rich community of reflective business and management practitioners.

The parallel strands of professional development and management research training offered by the DBA are designed to provide mutual enhancement of theory and praxis within the learning experience.

The DBA is planned to develop your professional and research skills and encourage the application of original thought to management practice.  It is concerned with professional development through knowledge creation and will benefit both the individual career of the successful graduate, as well as the profession and organisation in which you are, or may in the future be, employed.  You will be able to employ your new knowledge and skills across a wide range of professional occupations, especially those where critical thinking and knowledge creation in relation to professional tasks is necessary and highly valued.