Program Overview

Doctor of Business Administration

The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a professional doctorate program designed to educate senior executives to be "scholar-leaders" who can apply research findings to solve real-world management problems.

Introduction

The program aims to integrate academic study and management practice, forming a significant part of an individual's business career. It has been designed to help students advance their knowledge, skills, and intellectual abilities.

Programme

• Programme Code: 02007
• Stream Code: DFA (Full-time), DPA (Part-time)
• Mode of Study: Mixed-mode
• Normal Duration: 2 years (Full-time), 3 years (Part-time)
• Programme Intake: Around 20
• Credits Required for Graduation: 52
  • Coursework Subjects (25 credits)
  • 2 Residential Workshops (1 credit for DBA Residential 1 and 2 credits for DBA Residential 2)
  • A Thesis (24 credits)

Admissions

• Entrance Year: Sept 2026
• Local Application Deadline: 15 Jan 2026
• Non-Local Application Deadline: 15 Jan 2026

Programme Leader(s)

• Programme Director: Prof. Hung Yick-hin, BSc, MSc, MEcon, PhD
• Deputy Programme Director: Prof. Raymond Wong, BA, MBA, DBA, RSSC

Remarks

• Mode of Study: The PolyU DBA is a mixed-mode program, allowing students to pursue their studies with either a full-time or part-time study load.
• Duration of Study: Students who wish to extend their studies beyond the normal duration should submit an application to the Faculty of Business for consideration.

Aims and Characteristics

Special Features

• Earn a professional doctorate
• Transform knowledge and experience into a practice-based academic framework
• Trust the experience: 30 years of shaping business leaders, with the largest DBA alumni community in Hong Kong and on the Chinese mainland
• Choose the preferred study mode: 2 years full-time or 3 years part-time
• Gain an understanding of the impacts of digital technology and develop an appreciation of digital transformation to strengthen leadership and performance

Programme Aims

The program aims to educate senior executives to be "scholar-leaders" who can apply research findings to solve real-world management problems. It has been designed to integrate academic study and management practice, forming a significant part of an individual's business career.

Learning Objectives

On completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. General Business Knowledge: Broaden, update, and deepen their knowledge of business administration in general, with an appreciation of digital transformation in the business world
2. Specialist Knowledge: Acquire in-depth knowledge of a specialist area, including some basic understanding of the impacts from digital technology
3. Applied Research: Sharpen their ability to conduct original applied research and ethical awareness in business administration, laying the foundation for lifelong learning within Hong Kong and global contexts

Characteristics

• Accreditations: The Faculty of Business was accredited by AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) in 2010 and by EQUIS (EFMD Quality Improvement System) in 2007
• International Collaborations: Collaborations have been established with the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in London, UK

Technology-related Elements of the Curriculum

To help students embrace technological changes and digital transformation, five technology-related elements have been embedded in the program:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Blockchain
• Cloud Computing
• Data Science
• Entrepreneurship

These elements are designed to foster students' awareness of the impact of technology innovations and enable them to handle data and adopt technology to tackle business and organizational issues while enhancing their management and leadership.