DBA

Doctor of Business Administration

The Doctorate of Business Administration is a professional doctorate designed for senior managers aiming to develop higher research skills that can be used to make informed, strategic decisions within their organisation.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

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It supports senior leaders to become critical thinkers with the ability to apply theoretical knowledge in an applied setting to make real change. Offered on a full or part-time basis, USW’s DBA is an excellent choice for individuals wishing to undertake doctoral study while in full-time managerial positions.

DESIGNED FOR

The University of South Wales DBA has been developed for senior managers who wish to use empirical evidence to formulate corporate strategy through a programme of robust research, contextualising practice within the body of academic theory.

Career Paths

  • Consultant
  • Academic
  • Higher level management
  • Director or Board Member
  • Researcher

Skills taught

  • Critical thinking
  • Research skills
  • Strategic thinking
  • Problem-solving
  • Philosophical understanding

Module Overview

The DBA has two distinct levels, level 7 (Masters) and level 8 (Doctoral).  Level 7 consists of 120 taught credits and a 60 credit, independent research report, which allows transfer to the thesis (Doctoral) stage

The content for year 1 sets the scene for doctoral study and incorporates three modules part-time, or six modules full-time.  The candidate will refine their original research proposal in conjunction with supervisors, gain a grounding in research methods, and consider the theoretical underpinnings of their chosen research topic. 

The Nature of Research
Starting with identification of an appropriate research question, this module equips the candidate with the knowledge to approach doctoral research in an informed manner. 

Doctoral Research Methods 
Within this module, candidates work through the process of designing a research strategy, considering their own research approach, ethics, and access. 

Professional Skills
Professional Skills will allow the student to adopt appropriate tools and develop knowledge to conduct an analysis of the academic literature surrounding their research question.  

Year two (part-time) will allow a focus on either qualitative or quantitative data gathering and analysis. The second year’s study (part-time) will culminate in the writing of an independent research project which is a prerequisite to progressing through to the doctoral level thesis. 

Qualitative Research 
Choose between this and Quantitative Research. Students will be equipped with an understanding of the rationale for and appropriate use of qualitative methods and the skills to conduct research in this vein. 

Quantitative Research 
Choose between this and Qualitative Research.  Students will be equipped with an understanding of the rationale for and appropriate use of quantitative methods and the skills to conduct research in this vein.

Theory into Practice
This module allows the application of theory to the candidate’s professional environment or organisation. 

Independent Research Project 
This module is the equivalent of a master’s thesis, The output for this module is an extended piece of academic writing similar to a master’s thesis without the ‘findings’ element.

Years three to six will be focused on the thesis write-up stage, with input from an experienced supervisory team.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements

Applicants for a Professional Doctorate are expected to have experience of relevant professional practice, access to a suitable professional context in which to conduct their research, and any qualifications as required by a specific programme.  This is in addition to a UK Masters or 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent).

Additional requirements include:

All applicants must be able to access organisations to conduct their research. This will normally be your employing organisation but may include others. Access to support for the research study is essential in terms of initial selection and for the duration of the programme.

Applications must include two references on headed paper from your referees which should be uploaded as a supporting document. Please note, we can not accept applications without these two references. At least one referee should be able to comment on your academic/professional ability. References provided by relatives are not acceptable.

You are required to provide a detailed doctoral research proposal prior to the acceptance stage. All applications will be considered by the University’s Research Applications Panel. Once your research proposal has been submitted and approved, you will be subject to a formal interview; this may be a panel interview.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 4 overall and a minimum of 4 in each component or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment. 

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

All taught modules are delivered in a six day long delivery (Monday to Saturday inclusive), followed by recall sessions as the assignment deadlines approach.  Each module results in the production of an assessed piece of work which allows ultimate progression to the thesis stage.  The thesis stage of the DBA is a substantial research-based document resulting in an independent doctoral submission of circa 100,000 words.  The thesis is examined by viva voce following submission.

Teaching staff

The DBA is taught by senior academic staff, all of whom are suitably qualified, experienced and research-active in their own fields.

Careers and Employability

Possible career paths

Career enhancement to strategic levels in organisations is often sought by successful DBA candidates. DBA graduates have the ability to create and interpret new knowledge through original research. They produce first-class original research of publishable quality that sets them apart from other managers. This encompasses robust design, implementation, execution, and dissemination. This research also makes significant contributions to practice on many levels, within organisations, on an industry level, and on a policy level. Many of our DBA graduates have progressed to senior positions in public sector, private sector, and academia.

Careers support

The University’s Career Services offers a range of advice and guidance to students, and references to the services available to all listed at southwales.ac.uk/careers will be added to the course website by default. However, if there are other important course or subject specific initiatives run at local a level, there is an opportunity to add further details here. Whether this includes connecting with professionals, industry experts or mentors, or strategies to enhance their competitiveness and aspirations in the job market, further details will provide prospects with the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to commit to applying. 

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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Postgraduate fees and funding
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Pontypridd Campus, Treforest
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How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.