Program Overview

DBA Program

Overview

The DBA program is designed for working professionals who want to further their career with a doctorate. Its primary objective is to produce graduates who will advance their professions and expand knowledge and awareness of contemporary strategic issues and practices. DBA is a combination of two qualifications at C3S Business School – UK OfQual approved Level 8 (equivalent to M Research/MPhil/ Doctoral Foundation) and Swiss EduQua approved DBA.

Why DBA?

Organizational Impact

The accelerated DBA is a high-quality, doctoral-level, research degree that has real impact in organizations and on wider policy and practice. It is undertaken by those who are focused on practice-based careers. You and your organization will benefit from dedicated research on a major, often critical, organizational issue. This should have a significant impact on your organization’s management thinking, approach, processes, and profitability.

Personal Impact

The Executive DBA is designed to provide you with a range of transferable personal and professional skills as a basis for continuing professional development. You will develop personally by engaging in the learning required to progress through the doctorate.

Program Structure

How is this DBA program structured?

Our unique educational approach takes you beyond business to study every topic through a global lens, master working cross-culturally, leverage disruptive technologies to shape the future, and develop the deep self-awareness needed to lead effectively and with confidence.

Essentially, this C3S Business School accelerated DBA program is a mixture of online and residential coursework and interaction, combined with a supervisor-guided dissertation project. It is structured in a way that it can be completed in one year with a focus on the coursework components in the first six months and the final thesis writing (40,000) in the next six months.

Coursework Stage

The course stage will equip you with the knowledge and expertise needed not only to earn the UK Ofqual accredited Level 8 qualification but also develop the topic of your thesis and your understanding of the research process.

• Level 8 comprises 8 units/modules to be studied, but a DBA aspirant is exempted from 5 units based on mapping of relevant work experience.

Thesis Writing Stage

Our online resources, tutorials, workshops, and other learning processes strongly lay emphasis on Research Methods. This component presents the first step in a basic review of the nature of research and methods for business and management doctoral students.

Eligibility Criteria

• A Master’s degree, the UK Ofqual approved Level 7 vocational qualification, or equivalent international higher education degree
• At least 3 years’ managerial experience

OR

• A Bachelor’s degree, the UK Ofqual approved Level 6 vocational qualification, or equivalent international higher education degree
• At least 6 years’ managerial experience

Fees

• Application Fee: €300 (non-refundable, paid with application)
• Tuition Fee: €6,500/Year

Salient Features of DBA program

• Fastest route to a DBA, can be completed in 24 months.
• It combines regulated qualifications of approved awarding bodies of the UK and Switzerland – England Ofqual Level 8 pathway leading to Swiss EduQua approved DBA.
• Study only 3 units for Level 8 certification and get exempted for 5 units based on mapping of relevant work experience.
• Most affordable fee and scholarship/bursaries to deserving scholars.
• Campus Immersion: 2-12 weeks residential option available at C3S Business School Barcelona, Spain Campus.
• Opportunity to publish in peer-reviewed journals and reputed business publications, attend academic seminars and symposiums, and specially designed webinars keynoted by industry captains and leading professors, etc.
• Be supervised by leading professors and industry captains from across geographies.
• Opportunity to incubate, copyright, and patent your research.
• Avail industry consultancy and academic opportunities, ranging from teaching to moderation.
• You will develop networks and provide a firm foundation for further career development, or a major career move. Employers benefit from supporting candidates for the DBA by attracting, developing, and retaining key talent and building knowledge for competitive advantage.
• By conducting original research in their specialist area, candidates are able to further their careers and build expertise to contribute to grow competitive advantage and differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
• Develop a sound understanding of the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of your chosen area of research into business and management.
• Have a detailed understanding of applicable techniques for research and advanced academic and management enquiry.
• Create and interpret knowledge through original research. Enhance both your performance as a reflective practitioner and your professional practice.
• Develop personal, consultancy, and research competences to undertake rigorous research at an advanced level. Also, to contribute to theory and practice in business and management.

DBA FAQs

• Do you have Supervision?
  • Yes, in the same way that a traditional PhD student will have a primary supervisor to oversee your project.
• How does Assessment Work?
  • The body of work that you submit will be read and assessed by two examiners that are experts within your subject area of research. This will be followed by the viva examination with the two examiners, in line with the conventional PhD approach.
• What kind of publications can I use in my Portfolio?
  • Universities will have specific guidance about factors such as how many publications you can include in your portfolio and there may be some restrictions on when they should have been published.
• What if my paper gets rejected?
  • For doctoral candidates just developing their new identities as researchers, rejection can be difficult to take. The reality is that even experienced academics deal with rejection at some time, perhaps more often than they might like to admit!
• What if my papers don’t flow as a thesis?
  • There are particular difficulties in developing a single submission based on multiple publications, each with their own focus, style, and format, and, as we recently explored, there are a number of favoured options for structure.
• What are the Advantages?
  • A clear advantage of DBA is that you’re submitting your thesis that has already gone through extensive assessment at C3S Business School. This means that by the time you come to defend your work at a viva voce with the degree-granting body, it’s much easier.