Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA)

Program Overview

Programme Highlights

World Class Faculty and Thesis Supervisors

A combination of established academics and researchers from both China and Europe, providing students opportunities to examine, critique and appreciate the best research practices through a global perspective

Structured Research Journey

A 3-stage structured framework to ensure that students acquire all the necessary skillsets, knowledge systems and core competencies to complete their thesis

Dynamic Thinking and Peer Group Interaction

Small group interactions and activities are designed to stimulate mutual critique and challenge existing business theories and literature in order to form new interpretations of knowledge that are most relevant to current contexts.

Industrial Visits and Exchanges

UBI’s DBA programme provides students opportunities to organise industrial visits to their peers’ organisations to learn more their strengths, qualities and best practices.

Programme Structure

Stage 1

• Complete 8 compulsory modules
• Complete 2 elective modules (from a selection of 5 modules)
• Complete each module’s individual coursework report or group project report

Stage 2

• 8 compulsory doctoral research workshops
• Submit thesis proposal
• Obtain ethical clearance for research
• Pass proposal defence

Stage 3

• Independent research
• Consultations with thesis advisor
• Complete & submit thesis
• Mock thesis defence
• Pass thesis defence

Core Modules

1. Corporate Innovation and Strategic Management Research
2. Macroeconomic Policy Analysis
3. Financial Market Research: Financial Decisions under Changing Environment
4. Epistemology for Management Research
5. Doctoral Research Design
6. Methodology for Applied Business Research I: Research Model and Theory
7. Methodology for Applied Business Research II: Quantitative and Qualitative Research
8. Doctoral Research Fundamentals and Literature Review

Elective Modules

1. Business Model Design and Innovation
2. On Innovation: the Perspectives of Analogy of Eastern & Western Civilization
3. Doctoral Research into Investment Behaviour

Application Requirements

Applicants for the DBA programme should meet the following requirement:

• MBA / EMBA or a Master's Degree
• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent qualification
• A minimum of 6 - 10 years of full-time management experience

Programme Registration

• The DBA programme is a part-time 3 years programme comprising coursework, doctoral workshops and a thesis. The programme is taught in Mandarin at our Shanghai campus.
• UBI offers two intakes for the DBA degree programme: one in July and one in November.

Programme Validation

All UBI Business School programmes are validated by Middlesex University London, an institution with a distinguished heritage of excellence and innovation in higher education.

It is one of the top 100 Young Universities in the World and top 10 transnational universities in the world. This is a programme developed, delivered, and assessed by UBI Business School, and quality assured by Middlesex University.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• Overview: The UBI Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) is a high-quality and practice-focused research program designed for executives who aim to advance their careers in management or consulting.
It seeks to blend scholarly accomplishment with a practical application of theory to develop leadership and other competencies.

Outline:

Stage One: Coursework on Research Methodology (12 months)

• Learning takes the form of classroom teaching, discussions, and independent reading.
• Students complete 12 compulsory modules, each worth 10 credits, and submit individual coursework reports for each module.

Stage Two: Independent Research and Thesis Writing (13 months)

• Students participate in a series of doctoral workshops organized by UBI DBA faculty members, further exploring research considerations introduced in Stage One.
• They complete 8 compulsory doctoral research workshops, submit a thesis proposal, obtain ethical clearance for research, and pass a proposal defense.

Stage Three: Thesis Proposal Presentation and Final Defense (12 to 20 months)

• Students conduct further independent research and begin drafting the dissertation.
• They consult with their DBA dissertation advisor, complete and submit the dissertation, and pass the dissertation defense, justifying the research assumptions, data, and outcomes.

Core Modules:

• Corporate Innovation and Strategic Management Research
• Macroeconomic Policy Analysis
• Financial Market Research: Financial Decisions under Changing Environment
• Epistemology for Management Research
• Doctoral Research Design
• Methodology for Applied Business Research I: Research Model and Theory
• Methodology for Applied Business Research II: Quantitative and Qualitative Research
• Doctoral Research Fundamentals and Literature Review

Elective Modules:

• Business Model Design and Innovation
• On Innovation: the Perspectives of Analogy of Eastern & Western Civilization

Teaching:

• World-Class Faculty and Thesis Supervisors: A combination of academics and researchers from China and Europe provide global perspectives and support students in examining and critiquing research practices.
• Structured Research Journey: A 3-stage framework ensures students acquire necessary skills, knowledge, and competencies for their thesis.
• Dynamic Thinking and Peer Group Interaction: Small group interactions and activities stimulate mutual critique and challenge existing business theories and literature.