With over 150 DBA students, based in Cyprus, Germany and the UK, this programme is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. It forms an important part of the research community with the Faculty of Business, Education and Professional Studies.
This programme is for executives able to engage in major projects inside their employing organisations. It benefits you, makes a contribution to knowledge, and can significantly develop your organisation.
You can address a wide range of research topics from consumer behaviour to management accounting, or behavioural finance to supply chain management or even leadership to production control. The key is that you are able to develop doctoral work that has relevance to theory and practice in whatever area you choose.
The DBA is a structured route to doctoral level achievement, with four modules before the research phase. You achieve an understanding and perception of managerial work that cannot be attained by other means. The DBA provides you with a vocational and professional doctorate that is better suited to your needs, and that of your industry, than a more traditional PhD.
The initial modular element lasts 18 months, after which you present your formal research plan. You then enter the research phase, which takes a further eighteen months (minimum).
Your extended research investigation must focus on a topic of importance to both you and your professional practice. At its conclusion, you present and defend a thesis in viva voce. DBA students achieve the standards demanded for all doctoral-level work.
DBA classes are limited to between 10 and 20 participants who benefit from our focus on their development and a collaborative learning environment.
Collaborative learning ensures you have many opportunities to benefit from the experiences of others – and to share your own..
Our modules
- Reflective Professional Development
This module is a continuous stream throughout the taught phase of the programme. Initially you will be given guidance on personal skills development in a research context. You will work in action learning sets. These provide the main platform for support between modules and throughout the life of your project. Assignments undertaken in the other modules also support this part of the programme, with opportunities for reflection on development in your personal and research skills.
- Systematic Literature Review
This module introduces you to the theoretical frameworks and the many approaches to literature review. Through encouraging a systematic engagement with a substantive body of relevant literature, you are able to critically analyse and evaluate previous research work. This enables you to development your research problem with reference to relevant ideas in your discipline. It also enables you to synthesize ideas at a high level of understanding and begin to create new knowledge through the development of a conceptual framework relevant to your research problem.
- Research Methodology and Methods
In this module you examine the role of research philosophy and methodology in a professional doctorate. You review the approaches, tools and techniques you can use to generate and apply knowledge. The particular methodological schools that characterize management research are reviewed and critiqued to establish the applicability of each to your work. You then consider a variety of methods for making, analysing and using data germane to your intended study. You therefore begin the process of conceiving and designing a substantial research project with scholarly integrity.
- Action and Case Research
This module introduces you to the theoretical frameworks and the approaches to undertaking action and case research. It is also designed to provide you with opportunities to practice and reflect on the tensions that are likely to occur in adopting action or case research in your organization. It assists you to work both within your particular discipline and in a broader research context. The module provides a platform for you to consider your individual values and the ethics of co-operative enquiry based research.
Entry requirements
- Relevant UK Masters degree (or equivalent), or high-level professional qualification.
- At least two years’ post qualification professional practice and ability to demonstrate professional competence of a high standard in the relevant research area.
Der Studiengang wird ebenfalls in den Anlagen der University of Gloucestershire in München angeboten. Wir freuen uns ganz besonders über die intensive Partnerschaft mit dem German Office, der Zweigstelle in Deutschland. Unser gemeinsames Ziel ist es, jeden einzelnen Studenten zur vollen Entwicklung seines Potentials zu befähigen. Möchten Sie dieses Studium in Deutschland absolvieren? Hier klicken für weitere informationen.
Information on DBA cohorts in China can be found at http://www.glos-china.cn