© Teesside University: Postgraduate courses: Doctorate Business Administration (DBA) (Online)
Business Administration (DBA) (Online)
Doctorate
Full-time and Part-time Business Management &
Enterprise
Full-time Part-time
2022/23 entry 2022/23 entry
Fee for all applicants Fee for all applicants
£19,740 (£940 for each 20 credits) £19,740 (£940 for each 20 credits)
More details about our fees More details about our fees
Length: 27 months Length: 4 years
Attendance: Online Attendance: Online
Start date: October and March Start date: October and March
Semester dates Semester dates
Enquire now Enquire now
Apply now (full-time) Apply now (part-time)
Apply now (full-time) Apply now (part-time)
Please choose the relevant option below: Please choose the relevant option below:
Apply online (full-time) for UK applicants Apply online (part-time)
Apply online (full-time) for international applicants
Get in touch
UK students
Email: onlinelearning@[Link]
Telephone: 01642 738801
Online chat
International students
Email: internationalenquiries@[Link]
Telephone: +44 (0) 1642 738900
More international contacts
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© Teesside University: Postgraduate courses: Doctorate Business Administration (DBA) (Online)
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© Teesside University: Postgraduate courses: Doctorate Business Administration (DBA) (Online)
Course overview
Today’s global business environment is disruptive and dynamic, posing a range of leadership challenges for
organisations. You develop the knowledge and skills required of business leaders within the complexities of the fourth
industrial revolution, on this 100% online DBA course.
You learn through a combination of virtual live and pre-recorded sessions, allowing you to manage your studies at a time and
location to suit you, and around your existing professional commitments.
You become a research-informed business leader who is able to apply best practice within your organisation and in your own
managerial practices. The interaction between theory and practice provides you with a range of perspectives that add value in
terms of business effectiveness, efficiency and capability. You reflect upon your own personal skills and engage in dialogue with
global peers, to challenge your assumptions and transform your professional practice.
Working autonomously, but with support from your supervisory team, you build on previous knowledge and experience, gaining
the confidence in academic research to undertake doctoral-level study.
You select a research topic aligned to your personal and professional objectives. Examples of previous research include studies
of commitment to personal development, changes in public sector organisation, and the impact of organisational culture on
efficiency.
Course details
The course offers a stimulating and well-balanced integrated curriculum that places emphasis upon developing the skills and
knowledge of those individuals who aspire to achieve senior organisational positions within their business or industry setting. You
will develop your personal, professional, critical thinking and reflective skills to prepare you to manage, lead and transform your
organisations.
The course comprises three modules. You start by getting your bearings with research, then learn how to engage with academic
literature at a doctoral level, before formally reviewing the literature relevant to your proposed study. You are required to design a
study, which brings to the fore some complex philosophical issues about what insight we can gain from the data we obtain. You
then analyse and present your data in a meaningful way. Finally, you write-up your study in the form of a thesis and prepare to
defend it at an oral (viva voce) examination.
Course structure
Core modules
Applying Management and Organisational Studies Research
This module is structured around three key interrelated themes:
1. internationalisation and globalisation
2. organisational practices
3. theory of management.
You develop a critical appreciation of contemporary issues in organisation behavior and development and apply research skills to
produce a literature review signposting a preferred theoretical underpinning.
Due to the nature of this module and its focus on emerging management issues, the content may change year-on-year.
However, typical content is likely to include organisational development, change theory, comparative management theory, talent
management and reflective practice.
DBA Advanced Independent Study
The module requires you to draw creatively and critically upon your academic studies to develop and apply a specific piece of
research to the organisational and/or professional discipline setting. In addition to incorporating the usual doctorate-level critical
literature and methodological review, this module examines, evaluates and makes recommendations relating to current and
possible future professional practice, demonstrating a contribution to the development of new knowledge within the appropriate
professional field.
Research Methods for Doctoral Students
This module provides a thorough introduction to management research and forms the basis for research training for doctoral
students in business and management. You are introduced to a breadth of research philosophies and methodological
approaches to give you a sufficient understanding to engage critically with the literature and make informed methodological
choices in your own research projects, taking into account data analysis methods and any ethical issues and considerations. The
aim is to achieve a balance between generic coverage of relevant material, and bespoke workshops which respond to your
specific needs in terms of the research methods you propose to use in your study. This module also acts as bridging module
between master’s and doctoral level.
Modules offered may vary.
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© Teesside University: Postgraduate courses: Doctorate Business Administration (DBA) (Online)
How you learn
The DBA programme makes best use of technology towards affording learners a high quality meaningful learning experience that
captures the realities of the dynamic and disruptive professional world, and to find solutions towards addressing some of the
global and social challenges.
We are ambitious for you, and aim to develop you to become future ready as global citizens, who use the learning from the
course to develop intellectual curiosity, creativity, and research action and use the knowledge and skills gained towards
addressing social and ethical grand challenges of our times in the field of business.
The DBA has been designed to be flexible in its delivery to ensure it meets the needs of the busy professional. Content is broken
down and introduced over the duration of each trimester to ensure deep learning takes place. As such, methods used to facilitate
learning will be both synchronous and asynchronous and will include:
interactive video materials
virtual classroom activity
individual and group tutorials
readings and accompanying interactive exercises
online discussion forums
virtual action learning sets
pod/vod casts, with accompanying tasks
case study analysis.
Whilst you will be enrolled within a cohort of peers, you will also benefit from cross-cohort learning experiences - an approach that
will ultimately enrich your student experience and enhance your ability to become a self-directed and autonomous learner. You
engage with module content – such as video lectures, reading and online tasks – independent of other learners. However, you
are also expected to collaborate, network and immerse yourself in group learning activities and forums through online
collaboration tools designed to support peer-to-peer learning.
Using future facing learning and teaching strategies, the course will facilitate your progression towards becoming a
digitally-empowered autonomous learner, connecting students on a global scale. The skills, knowledge and collaboration between
students and their tutors will ensure that you will be future ready and in a position to make high level impact within their
respective organisations.
How you are assessed
The course adopts a range of formative and summative assessment methods to suit the demands and requirements of the
contemporary business workplace. These include: research reports; literature reviews; case study analysis; individual
presentations; self-diagnostic assessments; reflective analysis; research proposal and thesis.
Formative Assessment:
Formative assessments will be administered via the VLE platform through relevant discussion forums and peer engagement;
quizzes; doctoral colloquium etc. Formative feedback will be given on a regular basis and you will be given the opportunity to
receive feedback ahead of each summative assessment opportunity. All summative assessment methods for online students
mirror those experienced by the on-campus and blended-based students.
Entry requirements
The DBA (Online) 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.
A master's degree. Applicants should have a master's degree in a subject that has aspects that relate to business and/or
management.
+3 years' management experience. All applicants should have a minimum three years' managerial experience.
Research proposal. All applicants are required to complete a short research proposal. Please find our research proposal
template. We recommend allowing one month to create your research proposal (prior to application). It's best to download
the template now.
English language. Applicants whose first language is not English will need to satisfy the English language requirements
which are a minimum overall score of 6.5 IELTS, and 5.5 in each band.
All prospective students will be interviewed. Applicants must show they have recent and relevant study or practice in the field of
business and/or management.
The interview will normally explore:
Reason for your application
Work experience
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© Teesside University: Postgraduate courses: Doctorate Business Administration (DBA) (Online)
Previous postgraduate qualifications
Research experience
Research areas of interest
All aspects of the research proposal e.g. proposed, project aim, identified research gap, literature review, research
methodology and research contribution to knowledge
Anything else deemed appropriate by the tutor connected to the proposed research
For general information please see our overview of entry requirements
International applicants can find out what qualifications they need by visiting Your Country
Employability
Career opportunities
Typically graduates move into senior management and strategic leadership roles, internal consultant/project leadership roles or
into external consultancy roles. DBA applicants are expected to be relatively senior business-based professionals at point of
entry, so whilst the course will allow you to build on your existing work experience and skills, it will develop you as a
research-informed business leader who is able to apply best practice within your organisational context and towards your own
managerial practices.
Information for international applicants
Qualifications
International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.
Select your country:
Choose
Useful information
Visit our international pages for useful information for non-UK students and applicants.
Talk to us
Talk to an international student enrolment adviser
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