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Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) (Bradford)

Doctorate

Duration
Start date
Location

Suitable for applications.

The internationalisation here tells me a lot about the character of the University of Bradford; it shows that they understand diversity and the international landscape. It reflects positively on both the quality of students and the quality of academics that teach here. Majed, Senior Global Director at Coca-Cola, DBA student

Entry requirements

We welcome all applications for the DBA programme, particularly from applicants whose interests complement the expertise of our Research Centres (Accounting, Finance and Economics; People, Organization and Entrepreneurship; Logistics, Supply Chain and Technology; International Business, Marketing and Branding).

For the DBA, you should have

  • a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree from an accredited institution
  • a minimum of five years’ relevant managerial work experience
  • a research proposal
  • two references (one academic, if possible)
  • a high level of fluency in English

The research proposal

This is an important part of your application. Your research proposal will be used to assess the quality and originality of your research ideas, your critical thinking skills, grasp of relevant literature and the feasibility of the proposed research. It will also be used to identify suitable supervisors, so it is certainly worth devoting time and effort to it.

The research proposal should be between 1500 words and 2500 words. While we do not insist on a definite format, we do recommend you to follow the structure outlined below.

Title: the title should be a succinct summary of your proposed research

Introduction: this section should provide a brief description of the subject area in which the research is to be located in, state your central research questions clearly and explain the reasons for proposed research convincingly. 

Literature review: this section requires a short review of existing studies (particularly those published in research and practitioner periodicals). You need to explain how your research is being driven by the gaps in the existing literature and comment on how your research could be informed by the existing literature both theoretically and practically. A piece of good literature review should demonstrate how the proposed research is linked with previous studies, establish where its specific contributions could lie and show how the intended specific contributions could be materialised through drawing ideas and strengths from the existing research. 

Research methodology: there are a variety of research methods, therefore it is essential that this section provides a clear description of your choice of research methodology (i.e. quantitative or qualitative research) and explain why the chosen one is most suited to your research. This section should also include details of methods of data collection and data analysis and comment on the feasibility of data collection.

Contribution: it is important that DBA research influences and impacts upon both academic theories and concepts, and also business and organisational practices.

Reference: any studies cited in the proposal should be listed at the end of the document using the Harvard style of referencing.

Related links:
Home Office UK Border Agency - for information on visas and immigration for international students. 

English language requirements

The programme is taught, supervised and examined in English, so you must be able to prove your fluency in the language if it is not your first language. If we need evidence of your proficiency in English, you will be required to achieve a minimum score of at least 6.5 on the IELTS test (with no sub-test less than 6.0). TOEFL Test result min 94.

If you do not meet the IELTS requirement, and you have a UKVI approved IELTS, you can take a University of Bradford pre-sessional English course. See the Language Centre for more details. For further information on English Language requirements please see the dedicated international entry requirements page.

Learning and assessment

Teaching combines academic rigour with practicality and relevance to professionals, executives and managers.

The programme integrates applied and theoretical knowledge and, in particular, facilitates the development of new knowledge which is at the forefront of the discipline and organisational/management practice.

Each module builds on the learning achieved in previous modules, so learning is cumulative, and all modules relate to each other.

You will develop an understanding of the issues of translating research into practice - a fundamental aspect of a DBA. You will be expected to reflect on the key issues you are tackling and explore how such findings, if replicated in a bigger study, could be translated into practice.

In the first year of the DBA, the Director of Studies will be the Personal Academic Tutor for each new cohort of students. Once you pass the first three taught stage modules, you will have acquired advanced scholarship and research skills required to create a research proposal. You will work with the DBA Director of Studies on developing your research proposal, and 2 suitable supervisors will be allocated to you, who will become your Personal Academic Tutors.

In the Progression to DBA Research Stage module you will present and defend a detailed 7000-word research proposal, preparing you for the main research stage and ultimately writing a thesis. During the main research phase, you will attend Peer Review Workshops that enhance understanding, provide motivation and support, enable networking, prepare you for presenting your work to non-specialists, give opportunities for the cross-fertilisation of ideas, and will expose you to research from outside your specialist area

This is the current course information. Modules and course details may change, subject to the University's programme approval, monitoring and review procedures. The University reserves the right to alter or withdraw courses, services and facilities as described on our website without notice and to amend Ordinances, Regulations, fees and charges at any time. Students should enquire as to the up-to-date position when applying for their course of study.