Doctor of Business Administration (BMRI) DBA

The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme is aimed at senior managers with significant industry or organisational experience who wish to develop a particular area of practice through undertaking a sophisticated and in-depth study to achieve the highest level of attainment in their field. The DBA is a professional doctorate; professional doctorates recognise professional practice knowledge as having academic standing and equivalence. This is an applied alternative to a PhD and the highest degree one can undertake in the UK.

It differs from a PhD in two respects; the focus on practice-based research and the integration of taught components. It differs from an MBA in both the specialist focus on one area of practice and the intensive level of research undertaken. The DBA focuses practice and research and as such, the taught elements of this programme are based on the development of those research skills that are particularly relevant to researching practice.

The programme is designed to accommodate the fact that many of the students, though experts in their field, will have been away from academic study for some time. It aims to support students to successfully complete the degree by equipping them with the philosophical, theoretical, ethical, practical and methodological expertise necessary to undertake independent research at a high level commensurate with that required to achieve a doctorate. Supervision and teaching are delivered by leading experts in their field, providing a dynamic and stimulating environment that enables participants to make an original contribution to professional knowledge, policy and practice.