Doctor of Business Administration

Business professionals looking to supercharge their specialist expertise and leadership in their field need look no further than a Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA).

The 3 year DBA is a professional degree for business practitioners that will build on your experience in the sector and extend your critical thinking and applied research skills to the highest level. This course is specifically designed to allow you to initiate, develop and implement your own research project to have an impact on your sphere of practice.

Under the mentorship of an academic supervisor, you will consider appropriate research methodologies, develop a research proposal, undertake a critical literature review and prepare a thesis which will be considered by internationally recognized experts in the field.

Completion of the Doctorate of Business Administration is a compelling signifier of your achievement in applied research and important contribution to new knowledge in your area.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the DBA may work in a variety of high-level managerial and research positions in private and public sector organizations.

Major Areas of Study

While this course has no majors it does include postgraduate studies, notably in the critical literature review, introduction to research methods, qualitative or quantitative methods and research proposal development along with thesis research units relevant to the DBA.

Assessment methods

The coursework assignments incorporate progressive assessment. Candidates are assessed in each unit on the basis of written and oral assignments. These may be literature reviews, reports, presentations, case studies, research studies and/or plans. Full details of assignments are contained in the Unit Information Guide for each unit.

The candidate will undertake the Doctoral thesis over two blocks of eight thesis units. Once enrolled in the first thesis unit, the candidate will serve a confirmation period no longer than six months full-time equivalent. The confirmation of candidature includes a literature review with a detailed exposé of the research issues, as well as a proposed methodology.

The research project will be conducted in full over the 16 thesis units. Upon completion of the final thesis unit, the candidate is expected to submit the research thesis for examination by two independent and internationally recognized experts in the relevant field of research.

Teaching methods

On-campus students experience face-to-face contact with supervisors and other Doctoral candidates. Some units offer online activities, classes, pre-recorded and/or live lectures. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit.

The online study option is interactive and strives to promote collaboration and a sense of community. Students may receive online pre-recorded and/or live lectures, electronic study materials, online discussion forums and virtual classes. The method of teaching may vary from unit to unit.

In both the on-campus and online study modes, a strong professional relationship between candidates and their supervisors will be fostered.