EQUAL, an international organization comprising the 3 leading international accreditation institutions (AACSB, AMBA, EFMD) and some twenty international academic associations in the field of management, clearly defines the difference between a DBA and a PhD. Equal Guidelines for Doctoral Programmes in Business & Management states:

« The main function and purpose of an academic doctorate (e.g., Ph.D.) is to provide the qualification for entering the research community in a field of business and management studies ».

« In comparison to an academic doctorate, a professional practice doctorate aims more explicitly to make a contribution to management practice in industry and society. It offers managers and executives, as doctoral candidates / reflective practitioners, an opportunity to carry out a rigorous and relevant research training programme at the highest level of academic qualification for advanced personal and professional development, while conforming to the “Salzburg Principles”. » (page 4)

The Business Science Institute stands out for the following reasons:

• The quality and diversity of the faculty
• The responsiveness of the administrative and academic support
• The unique follow-up system of relations between doctoral students and professors
• The unique collection of some 40 books, by professors and PhDs, dedicated to the DBA.

Since 2020, the Business Science Institute has offered one of the few internationally accredited DBAs, which is a guarantee of the quality of the programme.

All lecturers are qualified to PhD level.

In discussion with you, your cohort’s academic coordinator, the Business Science Institute Scientific Advisor and the supervisor identified together, who must be a member of the Business Science Institute faculty team, or prepared to join the team (shared values and objectives).

Yes, and you also meet other professors throughout the programme.

First check their research interests correspond with yours and that they publish regularly on this topic in peer-reviewed academic journals. (NB Business Science Institute’s Faculty are internationally renowned and have an active publishing record covering a range of management fields.)

But if you wish to work with a professor who is not on the Business Science Institute team, the Academic Committee will consider their application for approval based on our faculty selection criteria (qualifications; research expertise; supervisory experience; willingness to commit to the Institution and its approach).

No, this DBA is designed to be managed entirely online.

That said, you are very welcome to attend graduation and in-person seminars and share your progress with students on other DBA programmes. It’s really helpful but not essential.

It is unreasonable to expect a practising senior manager to produce a doctoral-level thesis in less than four years, which is confirmed by our observations of almost 400 enrolled doctoral-managers since the start of the programme in 2013.

For practising managers, AMBA & EQUAL consider that a DBA should last at least 4 years.

You can extend the enrolment period, although you will need to re-enrol and pay the associated fees of 2,500 € for one year (2025 rates)