Curriculum

Programme Features

• Achievable in 3 years
• World class faculty
• Supportive collegial learning environment
• Networking opportunity with DBA China Class students who are senior executives in China

Programme Structure

The DBA programme is designed to offer a part-time route to a postgraduate doctoral qualification. The normal duration is 3 years, with a maximum duration of 6 years.

Participants are required to complete 7 compulsory courses, 8 professional development workshops and a thesis. The classes are normally scheduled on Saturdays and/or Sundays.

Participants who have not completed the programme by the end of six years, but have completed all taught courses and workshops and have successfully presented their thesis proposal, will be eligible for the award of a Master of Arts in Management degree.

Programme Content (Total 48 units)

Seven taught courses (click here for brief introduction of the course), total 19 units

1. Strategy Generation (2 units)
2. Strategic Analysis and Decision Making (2 units)
3. Frontiers of Leadership Research (3 units)
4. Corporate Governance and Ethics (3 units)
5. Business Research Methods (3 units)
6. Advanced Statistics and Data Analysis (3 units)
7. Qualitative Approaches to Research (3 units)

Professional Development Workshops (5 units)

A series of professional development workshops is held throughout the 3 years of study, and participants are required to attend at least 8 workshops of their choice. The workshops provide a platform for dialogue with academics, business leaders and prominent experts to explore issues relevant to real-world business.

The DBA Thesis (24 units)

The thesis is the most significant learning experience of the programme. Participants have the opportunity to apply theories learned in the taught courses and to conduct an independent research project examining an important issue. The systematic investigation process will confirm for the participants their ability to conduct independent research, demonstrate their expertise in a chosen area of interest and make an intellectual contribution to the practice of management. The thesis work is written up in English, and the report is 50,000 words in length.  Participants much complete all compulsory courses and present their research proposal before formally proceeding with the thesis, although preliminary reading and discussion of a proposed topic should begin as early as possible.