The degree of Doctor of Business Administration (abbreviated DBA or D.B.A. and equivalent to PhD in Business Administration), is a research doctorate in business administration. The D.B.A. requires coursework and research beyond the masters degree that normally results in a dissertation and possible journal publication that contributes to business practice.
Purpose and recognition The D.B.A. is equivalent to a PhD in Business Administration, except that it tends more towards applied research rather than theoretical research, especially during the thesis writing phase. A few schools, such as Harvard Business School, IE Business School and Boston University School of Management, offer D.B.A. However, U.S. programs typically differ from the widely referred to D.B.A. programs offered elsewhere in the world. These are usually offered on a part-time basis, while e.g. the D.B.A. at Harvard Business School is offered only on a full-time basis.[1] The portion of the program that consists of coursework may be comparable to that of a PhD.[2] However the larger part of the program, consisting of independent research and the writing of a thesis, is geared towards more applied research in D.B.A. programs, with the research making a direct contribution to business practice.[3][4] Another way to see the distinction is that PhDs aim at the creation of new theory, while D.B.A.s aim at applying theory to business problems.[5][6] Contribution[edit] A typical D.B.A. program has a dual purpose: (1) to contribute to both theory and practice in relation to business and management; and (2) to develop professional practice and to contribute to professional knowledge. Both the D.B.A. and PhD in Business Administration are terminal degrees, allowing the recipient obtain a tenure-track position. Structure and format[edit] Typical entry requirements include M.B.A., MSc, or similar masters degrees, or equivalent qualifications in general management, or in a functional field by examination awarded by a professional body. Some universities also ask for significant experience in a managerial or professional supervisory position involving responsibility for strategic issues. The D.B.A. normally requires a significant thesis, dissertation or final comprehensive project including a formal defense and approval by nominated examiners or an officially sanctioned and qualified doctoral review committee. The degree is conferred when all coursework, testing, and written research are completed and reviewed and approved by the awarding institution. D.B.A. candidates may specialize in areas such as management science, technology management, organizational behavior, economics, or finance or other practical fields. Curricula may be offered on a full-time or part-time basis. According to the European higher education standards set by the Bologna Process, it is stated that the normal duration of a doctorate should correspond to 3–4 years of full-time study. D.B.A. program quality[edit] The responsibility for the overall quality of a D.B.A or other doctoral programs resides within the graduate research degrees committees or their equivalent within the university. As such, D.B.A programs must have a specific set of university regulations and must be subject to appropriate quality approval processes. Regulations should include reference to protocols for treating ethical issues in research, including those involving researchers working within the organisation that employs them and/or having access to privileged information. The implementations as above are widely used in Australian Universities, for instance a D.B.A student cannot embark into research phase before passing all his/her courseworks, research proposal and ethics, upon passing proposal stage, he/she still needs to clear ethics from Ethics Committee. Even after completing the dissertation writing, the D.B.A candidate still needs to go through numerous internal moderations of the dissertation before submitting to external examinations (at least two external examiners). For successful candidates in the external examinations stage, they usually need to revise their dissertations before final approval from the D.B.A committee of granting the degree. The research phase is always a tedious and demanding phase. Notable persons with D.B.A. degrees.
Robert F. Bruner – Dean Charles C. Abbott Professor of Business Administration and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia
Clayton M. Christensen - Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School
Scott Cowen — president of Tulane University of Louisiana
Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries - Raoul de Vitry d'Avaucourt Professor of Leadership Development at INSEAD and director of the INSEAD Global Leadership Centre
CK Prahalad - Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor of Corporate Strategy at University of Michigan, Ross School of Business
Michael E. Raynor - Canadian management expert and consultant with Deloitte Consulting LLP, the Distinguished Fellow with Deloitte Research
Lenos Trigeorgis - Real options pioneer; Professor of finance, University of Cyprus
John Quelch - Dean, Vice President and Distinguished Professor of International Management at CEIBS, previously Senior Associate Dean and the Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School
Birger Wernerfelt – J. C. Penney Professor of Management and Chair of PhD Committee, MIT Sloan School of Management
Robert B. Wilson – Adams Distinguished Professor of Management, Emeritus, Graduate School of Business, and Professor of Economics (by courtesy), School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University
Dave Yeske, Co-Founder,[7] Managing Director, Yeske Buie; National President[7] (2003), Financial Planning Association (FPA); Distinguished Adjunct Professor,[8] Ageno School of Business, Golden Gate University