Professional Doctorate in Business Administration

Entry requirements

A postgraduate level qualification or equivalent in an appropriate management related subject. All applicants require a minimum of three years relevant business and management experience. Evidence of recent Continuing Professional Development or leadership experience in a relevant area of business and management/management science will also be considered. All shortlisted applicants are subject to interview.

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The DBA is our flagship programme in business and management at Portsmouth Business School. It has been designed for private and public sector management professionals who wish to advance their careers by studying and researching for a doctoral degree in business and management. It allows students to conduct applied, practice–oriented research on topics that are directly relevant to their employing organisations and provide benefits both for their own careers as well as for the employers.

DBAs are increasingly recognised as valuable alternatives to the traditional PhD doctoral research degree that is mostly much more theory-oriented and less applied to concrete organisational problems and needs. The DBA also includes an intensive taught phase that prepares students in considerable depth for the empirical research that they undertake – usually in the organisation where they are currently employed at a senior/executive level.

Find out more about this course and our facilities by attending one of our regular open evenings where you can meet teaching staff and current students.

• DBA information for applicants
• Our current DBA students

WHAT WILL I EXPERIENCE?

The DBA offers students the opportunity to:

• Experience a unique approach to intellectual inquiry emphasizing the integration of theory and practice
• Conduct practice-oriented research
• Contribute to applied management knowledge
• Develop intellectually and personally as an individual, as an executive and as a contributor to the professional community
• Gain a prestigious doctoral degree achieved through a rigorous, structured and comprehensive educational experience

IS IT FOR ME?

Designed for those who wish to conduct a programme of research pertaining to their current organisation, study occurs alongside professional practice, providing a framework for the demonstration and development of advanced professional knowledge and skills. Relevance to the professional environment is a pivotal feature and reflection on business and management practice is integral to the learning process.

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES MIGHT IT LEAD TO?

The DBA is aimed at senior professionals with postgraduate qualifications who wish to:

• take their management and professional development to new levels
• add to their professional body of knowledge
• further develop their own management careers

The research focus of the DBA addresses real business issues, with the results providing professional outcomes that are of direct relevance to your organisation. Research is both theoretical and practical. The DBA thesis is comparable to a PhD in terms of effort, rigor, contribution to knowledge, supervision and assessment.