Course summary
The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a professional doctorate with the same status as a PhD. It is the highest qualification available in business and management, designed for senior professionals who wish to advance their careers by developing their academic research and critical thinking skills. The Northampton DBA is a part-time programme that typically runs over four years. The first two years are structured around facilitated modules that provide the foundations for the research project, the main element of the DBA. This research project needs to make a significant contribution to professional practice by developing existing theories and knowledge. Why the Northampton DBA? The DBA provides the opportunity for you to cultivate the skills needed to find better solutions for intractable problems and develop new paradigms for the increasingly complex, turbulent and interconnected business environment. It does this by:
- honing your critical thinking and analytical skills to identify the core or ‘real’ issues
- refining your capability to evaluate evidence on which to base decisions
- developing your ability to produce robust and reliable research
- improving the clarity with which you present and support arguments
- providing the understanding for you to question ideas and options appropriately
Assessment method
A combination of written assessment including essays, portfolios, reports, data analysis as well as individual presentations and group discussions will be used. These are designed to support your learning and develop the skills required to implement your ideas at doctoral level. The research project is assessed in the same way as a PhD by a written thesis and a viva voce examination. The thesis will be examined by an internal examiner from the University of Northampton and an external examiner who is selected for subject knowledge and comes from the wider academic community.
Entry requirements
Applicants will need to met all of the following criteria: hold a Masters degree in a business-related subject, completed within the last ten years. (Exceptionally a long standing career in senior management with evidence of significant achievement coupled with a good first degree can be considered for APL); have a minimum of five years’ relevant work experience, at least some of which should be at senior level; be employed in a leadership/management role capable of supporting the achievement of the programme learning outcomes, including the thesis; an overall IELTS score (or equivalent) of 7.0 with no component less than 6.5.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Additional fee information
The Fees for 2020 have not yet been announced
Provider information
University of Northampton
The University of Northampton
Waterside Campus
University Drive
Northampton
NN1 5PH