Program Overview

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a doctoral degree that addresses research in business and management. The programme enables business leaders to build the skills to design and deliver research that makes an impact, strengthen the ability to solve complex business problems, and conduct in-depth analysis of a relevant topic to develop a comprehensive thesis.

Key Highlights

• Start Date: January, April, July, October
• Campus: 100% Online
• Credits: 180 ECTS credits
• Duration:
  • Full-time: 36 months
  • Part-time: 54 months
• Language: English
• Accreditation: MFHEA
• Level: MQF/EQF - 8
• Fees: £11,000 per year (Years 1-3)
• Awarded By: LSBF Malta

Programme Highlights

• Acquire a critical understanding of the nature of advanced study and research methods to enable them to display mastery of a complex and specialised area of knowledge and advanced skills to conduct research.
• Create and interpret new knowledge that contributes to professional practice and organisational development.
• Apply and develop advanced research techniques and methodologies appropriate for complex business challenges.
• Work independently to analyse and address complex and unpredictable issues in professional environments.
• Enable candidates to design and implement practice-based research projects that drive organisational innovation and change.
• Develop advanced scholarly-practitioner capabilities that combine rigorous doctoral research with strategic leadership and organisational impact.

Learning Outcomes

• Critically evaluate and justify the selection of advanced theoretical frameworks to address complex, multi-faceted professional challenges.
• Synthesise diverse, multi-disciplinary research to formulate novel conceptual models that address dynamic organisational and jurisdictional complexities.
• Critically assess and contextualise advanced research methodologies to ensure valid and reliable evidence generation for applied solutions.
• Create and structure scholarly knowledge and complex analytical findings into clear, defensible, and actionable strategic narratives suitable for immediate executive and policy-maker comprehension and implementation.
• Systematically analyse the intersection of internal and external factors contributing to executive failures, dissecting limitations in current professional practice.
• Critically evaluate and navigate the complex ethical, governance, and legal frameworks that govern applied research within diverse professional and international jurisdictions.
• Demonstrate mastery in skills such as the selection and analysis of research, writing, design, development, and sustainability of the argument manifested in innovative scholarly research and defended in a viva voce examination.
• Respond to technological, social, and cultural issues and address the needs of a knowledge-based society through an original research project.
• Demonstrate expertise in critical evaluation and analysis with incomplete or limited information to design original solutions to problems in new or unfamiliar professional environments.
• Conduct a significant research project on an organisation, industry, or country depending on the nature and scope of the chosen research topic.
• Demonstrate understanding of how to translate theory or research into practice with the purpose of articulating and defending actionable recommendations.
• Design and implement innovative solutions to complex organisational challenges, demonstrating originality and practical impact.
• Articulate complex, evidence-based research and strategic recommendations with executive proficiency across diverse professional and scholarly contexts, utilising written, oral, and visual communication strategies to effectively influence and facilitate organisational change at the highest levels.
• Design and lead organisational and market transformation strategies by critically evaluating and leveraging advanced digital competencies to generate new, evidence-based knowledge.
• Graduates will meet all requirements for doctor of business administration qualification standards for global recognition.
• Communicate expertise to a wide audience including peers and the general public, through disseminating the findings of their research project using different methods such as national and international publications and participating in specialist fora.

Programme Structure

Part-Time

• Term 1: Management Theory and Practice
• Term 2: Foundations of Management Research
• Term 3: Research Methods
• Term 4: Academic Writing and Dissemination of Research
• Term 5: The Reflective Practitioner
• Term 6: Research Design and Ethics
• Term 7-18: DBA Thesis Note: Each term lasts 10 weeks and each academic year has four terms.

Entry Requirement

Qualification

• One of the following:
  • Bachelor's degree + Master's degree/Level 7 postgraduate qualification/MBA or professional qualification (ACCA, CIMA, CFA, CPA) + 3 years professional experience in a mid-level management position or higher.
  • Applicants who do not meet the stated entry requirements may apply via our Mature Route. You will be asked to provide evidence of five years' managerial work experience (middle or senior level), plus transcripts of your highest qualifications achieved to date. Applications via this route are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
  • RPL entry: Bachelor's degree + non-Level 7 academic or professional qualification (certificate or diploma) + 5 years of professional experience at a managerial level.

Application Documents

• Applicants who do not hold or have expired acceptable English test can have their proof of English assessed based on a minimum of 3 years of professional work experience in an English-speaking work environment, supported by a reference letter. These applicants' acceptance may be subject to successfully completing an English interview with LSBF's Academic team.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must demonstrate relevant post-secondary level education.
• Applicants should provide evidence of substantial working experience related to the field of study.

Application Process

• Submit an RPL application along with documented evidence of your educational background and work experience.
• Each application is reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the LSBF Academic Admissions Board.

Consideration Factors

• Relevance and duration of work experience.
• Academic achievements and any professional development undertaken.
• Ability to contribute to and benefit from the program based on your experiences.

Language

• One of the following:
  • IELTS 6.0 or equivalent; or
  • Post-graduate degree in English; or
  • Bachelor's completed in English; or
  • Three years of work experience in an English-speaking environment (subject to approval by admissions board)