Program Overview

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The degree of Doctor of Business Administration is awarded on the basis of submission of a thesis and the completion of coursework consisting of six papers. The coursework is an integral and constitutive part of the thesis research of the degree.

The thesis should give evidence of the candidate’s ability to carry out research, that the candidate has shown originality and independence and that the candidate has made a significant contribution to applied knowledge in the particular field. It is expected that some of the work in the thesis will be worthy of publication.

The programme is offered through a combination of Distance Learning and on-campus workshops in English from the University of Otago, Dunedin, and in English with Chinese translation from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Candidates studying through Shanghai Jiao Tong University must attend a one-week orientation workshop in Dunedin at the beginning of their first academic year. All candidates must attend a four-day residential school, at an approved location*, at the end of specified papers in the coursework component.

*Approved locations for residential schools shall normally include Dunedin, Shanghai (for candidates studying through Shanghai Jiao Tong University), and any further specified locations, subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce). For each year, the approved locations shall normally be confirmed prior to the opening of enrolments for individual papers.

Dr Sarah Carr

DBA Programme Director

Otago Business School

Tel:+64 3 479 8573