Course overview
Today’s global business environment is disruptive and dynamic, posing various organisational leadership challenges. Our DBA programme gives you the knowledge and skills you need as a business leader.
Engage deeply with your organisations, critically reviewing and researching workplace-based attitudes and practices, and applying your learning to improve outcomes and solve problems responsibly and sustainably. Gain a comprehensive, research-intensive and high-level education, enhancing your managerial practice.
You co-create and interpret new, actionable knowledge through original research at the forefront of an area of practice or academic discipline, combining advanced study with professional experience.
All DBA lecturers are research-active and able to supervise academic and practical research topics, with a range of expertise including human resource management, organisation behaviour, innovation and marketing.
Course details
Course structure
Core modules
This research-based module guides you through conducting real-world research under the supervision of two experts, generating academically and practically impactful knowledge. You complete a doctoral-level thesis of approximately 40-50,000 words and participate in a viva voce to defend your work. Both are required for the Doctor of Business Administration award, along with submitting satisfactory ethical clearance.
Critical Issues in Policy, Organisation and Management Research
Examine interdisciplinary approaches to research in policy, organisation and management, using theories and methods from fields like political science, economics, sociology and public administration. Build skills to critically evaluate policy and organisational challenges through analysis of diverse literature and research methods. Learn to synthesise existing knowledge, assess data and develop frameworks to produce literature reviews that support evidence-based policymaking, enhance governance and deepen scholarly insights.
Interdisciplinary Research Design for Doctoral Students
The module incorporates diverse traditions within social sciences, introducing a range of research philosophies and methods. You gain the foundational understanding you need to critically engage with literature and make informed methodological choices in your research, including considerations of data analysis and ethics.
Modules offered may vary.
How you learn
This course focuses on preparing you for success in the global workplace, by making you research-active, future-ready, globally-connected, socially and ethically engaged, and digitally empowered.
It is underpinned by a focus on industry, employers and practice. Project-based learning is core, drawing directly on industry projects, real-world scenarios, employment/enterprise experiences, and global initiatives.
You are assigned at least two module supervisors who you meet with regularly for support, guidance and progress monitoring.
How you are assessed
Assessments draw directly on industry projects and real-world scenarios where appropriate and reflect professional body requirements. They are inclusive and have been developed to consider the needs of students with protected characteristics.
Throughout the course, you are regularly informally assessed and provided with feedback, allowing you to identify areas for improvement. You are assigned a supervisor to offer guidance for developing practical work. You also attend the annual doctoral colloquium, where you present your work and get feedback from fellow scholars and other academic experts.
You also participate in a mock verbal exam, known as a viva voce, to develop confidence in defending your work.
Each module has specific formal assessment criteria and offers an opportunity for feedback:
- The first module is a critical literature review of 7,000 words.
- The second module is a research proposal of 7,000 words.
- The third and final module is the doctoral-level research thesis, assessed through the DBA defence viva process. Following the viva, you are given detailed feedback and recommendations for changes in your final thesis. The examiners later review these changes, and following implementation, you are recommended for the award.
Entry requirements
You must have a master's degree in a subject relating to business and/or management, as well as over 3 years' management experience and an appropriate position in the workplace.
If your first language is not English, you need to satisfy the English language requirements which are a minimum overall score of 6.5 IELTS and 5.5 in each area.
You must also complete a short research proposal. Please find our research proposal template and research proposal guidelines.
We recommend allowing one month to create your research proposal before application. It's best to download the template now. Your proposal must be submitted using this template or it will not be accepted.
International applicants
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
What you need
To access the on-campus facilities you need a HTML5-capable web browser on a computer such as a Windows, Mac, Chromebook, or Linux computer. HTML5-capable web browsers that can be used include the following:
- Google Chrome
- Mozilla Firefox
- Safari
- Microsoft Edge
For some sessions you can also access sessions on the following browsers and devices:
- Chrome or Safari on an iPad (iOS 11 or later)
- Android (Android 8 or later)
- Microsoft Surface Pro (Windows 10) tablet
Don't have your own device yet?
Don't worry - we have a bank of devices available for you to loan whenever you are on campus.
You can also access Adobe Creative Cloud - a suite of 20+ world-class, industry-standard creative apps including Photoshop and InDesign.
Employability
Career opportunities
Typically, graduates move into senior management and strategic leadership roles, internal consultant/project leadership roles or external consultancy roles. Applicants are expected to be relatively senior business-based professionals at the point of entry, so while the course allows you to build on existing experience and skills, it develops you further as a research-informed leader.
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
Select your country:
Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.