UWTSD Home - Study With Us - Professional Doctorates - Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
This programme is subject to re-validation.
The DBA is widely recognised as the pinnacle of qualifications in the world of business and management. The DBA is a professional doctorate which provides a structured programme of study through taught modules at Part I and a research thesis at Part II, closely integrated with an individual’s professional career development.
The essential characteristic of our DBA is that it is practitioner-driven and grounded in complex workplace problems, and doctoral students provide a theoretical understanding and interpretation - often from different and opposing perspectives - of why the problems have arisen and how they might best be addressed.
To enrol directly, please use the application form.
Use the filters to select your preferred campus, London or Swansea. For level of research, select Postgraduate Research.
If you have any questions relating to the DBA application process, etc., please email either international.registry@uwtsd.ac.uk (for International students) or registryadmissions@uwtsd.ac.uk (for Home students).
Request Information
Full-time study: £8650 per year x 3 years (Home students)
Part-time study: £4325 x 6 years
Full-time study: £15000 per year x 3 years (Overseas students)
On completion of the above formal period of study, there is a £500 yearly charge.
Why choose this course?
The DBA will reflect your highest level of commitment to your professional development and empowers you to create meaningful and valuable doctoral-level research which is beneficial to your organisation, sector and yourself.
The programme provides students with both a thorough grounding in the philosophy, principles and practice of business administration and management research and a critical understanding of key contemporary and global issues affecting all types and sectors of business. The term business is used in its widest sense as this degree may also be undertaken by those who work in social enterprises, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations.
Our university is an exciting place of study and has the oldest royal charter in England and Wales after Oxford and Cambridge and we will celebrate our bicentennial in 2022. Our university has both a long history and continuous innovation.
What you will learn
The DBA programme will encourage the development of a wide variety of lifelong learning competencies for students across both Part I and Part II of the programme.
Students will be encouraged to adopt critical thinking of the highest order during their studies, they will be expected to be able to critique and analyse exceptionally high quality academic work in the context of their own research and ultimately synthesise new knowledge and modes of practice.
Reflexivity is a necessary and continual part of the programme, particularly given its highly independent nature and the continual finessing of their research over the course of a number of years.
Students will also need to learn to be adaptable and resilient to be able to manage with what is a complex and challenging programme. The DBA requires a great deal of self-management of an exceptionally large piece of work, this will require excellent time management skills.
Part I: Taught Modules
- Advancing to Doctoral Research Stage (30 credits; compulsory)
- Converting Research into Practice (30 credits; compulsory)
- Critical Literature Review for Doctoral Research (30 credits; compulsory)
- Quantitative Research Methods (30 credits; compulsory)
- Research Principles and Philosophy (30 credits; compulsory)
- Visions for the Future – Theoretical Perspectives on Management (30 credits; compulsory).
Part II: Doctoral Thesis
- Research Dissertation (360 credits; compulsory).
All modules are individually assessed and have been specifically crafted to prepare students for part 2 of the DBA.
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London Campus
Operational since March 2012, the London campus has become a key part of the UWTSD Group. Ideally located within the centre of one of the world’s most famous capitals, students are able to widely benefit from all that the city has to offer.
Knowledge Exchange Symposium at the London Campus – January 2020
Key Information
London Campus:
- Dr Amare Desta
Swansea Campus:
- Dr Annette Fillery-Travis
- Dr Caroline Jawad
- Dr Rachel Cook
- Dr Shehla Khan
The programme requires applicants to have a good Master’s degree that achieved an average grade of 60% or above as an entry requirement. Every consideration is given to all applicants. Three years recent and relevant management experience is desirable.
For international students there is a requirement for an average IELTS score (or equivalent in any other approved test) of 6.0 with a score not lower than 5.5 in any single component.
The DBA programme will prepare students for any field or discipline within management and business giving them the critical thinking skills, analytical capabilities, and enhanced cognitive abilities to be able to succeed in these areas. Also, it will prepare students to be robust and proficient researchers should they choose to enter a career directly in academia.
Additional learning resources, including subscriptions to journals, specific to their research may be required.
Attendance at conferences, optional day trips or fieldwork which would depend on the research topic, travel to and from any events, accommodation at any events may also be required.
Zhenying Yang: "It is my pleasure to share something about my experience with DBA. Just like Ulrich said, 'The benchmark should not be others but yourself and working toward personalized goals.' I think the experience of DBA is an excellent process to conquer oneself and create a new system of individual views so that we can understand the rules and phenomena in business society by ourselves confidently."
Xi Jiang: "The journey of DBA study reveals to me again and again that there is always a new me waiting for me to discover."
Wei Zhao: "I would like to use two words to describe my DBA journey which are ‘reflection’ and ‘patience’. One sentence that I want to say is ‘Keep reflecting and correcting, stay calm and carry on’."
Wanyun He: "I would like to compare my DBA experience to the hot chocolate. I know it's delicious and luscious, but also need to work out a lot to digest it."
Liya An: "I appreciate this DBA journey, and especially my dearest instructors. And I feel I have made great progress with their generous help!"
Yen Thi To: "The London Campus is one of the most upbeat and exciting places to study with experienced and professional staff, as well as knowledgeable lectures, who are there on every step of my learning journey."
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit our Scholarships and Bursaries section.
Please visit our Accommodation pages for more information
Please get in touch with us if you have any questions related to the University or to this course in particular.
