Business, Accounting & Management

• Teesside University Darlington only
• 4 years
• Enrolment date: September
• Admission enquiries: 01642 342804
• E: tbsug@tees.ac.uk

Please note: this programme runs on a part-time, block delivery basis only.

The DBA is a professional doctorate equivalent to a PhD but with a strong emphasis on applied research. It enables you to make a significant contribution to the enhancement of professional practice through the application and development of theoretical frameworks and perspectives.

Studying for a doctorate on a block delivery basis is challenging, so our DBA programme is designed to provide the best possible support to students. The programme involves six taught modules, which provide the theoretical and interdisciplinary foundations necessary for undertaking research at doctoral level.

The modules are delivered in 3-day blocks over the course of the programme to support students in developing a doctoral thesis of 40-45,000-words, which is assessed by a viva voce examination. Examples of previous DBA theses include studies of individuals' commitment to their own personal development, change in a public sector organisation, and transnational partnerships.

What you study

Doctoral students approach their work in different ways; however, in developing the DBA programme we felt there was a typical sequence of development which could be supported by taught modules. On this programme, you begin by learning how to engage with academic literature at a doctoral level, before formally reviewing the research that is relevant to your proposed study. You are then required to design a study, overcoming some complex philosophical issues about what we can learn from the data we obtain. Finally, you must analyse and present your data, write up your study and prepare to defend it in an oral (viva voce) examination. This typical sequence maps onto the six taught modules, which run during the first three years of the DBA. We expect you to start the programme with a proposed thesis in mind and develop it over the course of three or four years, supported by both these taught modules and your supervisors.

Entry requirements

The DBA is designed for people who have achieved, or expect to achieve, senior organisational positions and/or who wish to enhance their analytical and research skills and knowledge. Applicants should have a relevant master's-level qualification, or equivalent, together with a minimum of five years' managerial experience. All prospective students will be interviewed.

For additional information please see the undergraduate and postgraduate entry requirements in our admissions section

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