Doctor of Business Administration

Program Overview

The Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program at Liverpool John Moores University is a part-time, blended learning program designed for senior managers. It combines residential workshops, virtual action learning, and distance supervision to enhance professional capabilities and develop research skills. The program emphasizes applied research, impacting the candidate's organization and industry, while also contributing to theory and practice in business and management.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program is a well-established Professional Doctorate at Liverpool John Moores University. It is delivered through blended learning, with a cohort-driven structure that includes four one-week residential workshops, monthly virtual action learning sets, and distance learning supervision. The DBA is designed for part-time study, catering to individuals holding senior management positions who wish to pursue a doctoral-level qualification while maintaining their full-time employment.

Objectives:

• Achieve the highest academic degree while remaining in full-time employment.
• Focus on situational issues from the candidate's own workplace.
• Enhance the ability to develop new knowledge and apply it to a professional context.
• Gain the necessary skills for rigorous research.
• Carry out individual projects that impact the candidate's organization and industry.
• Undertake research within a diverse group of professionals from various nationalities, industries, cultures, and backgrounds.
• Develop skills and meet supervisors at residential workshops in Liverpool.
• Contribute to commercial and academic knowledge.
• Possess a specialist range of problem-solving and decision-making strategies.
• Enhance professional capability and credibility.
• Develop networks and build a foundation for further career development or a major career move.
• Attract, develop, and retain key talent for employers.
• Build knowledge for competitive advantage for employers.
• Become a scholar-practitioner, using scholarly research methods to make an impactful contribution to professional practice.
• Navigate both practitioner and academic worlds to develop strategies for understanding complex work-based problems.
• Engage with the academic body of knowledge to make sense of the intricacies of becoming a scholar-practitioner.
• Develop a sound understanding of the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of the chosen area of research into business and management.
• Carry out original research using advanced academic and management inquiry techniques.
• Enhance professional practice and contribute to theory and practice in business and management.
• Demonstrate a contribution to both theory and practice, impacting the development of a profession and/or an organization.
• Implement research projects that result in financial savings for organizations.

Outline:

Structure:

• The program is structured around a cohort-based approach, with students progressing together through the curriculum.
• The program is designed for part-time study, typically taking four years to complete.
• The maximum duration of the program is seven years.

Course Schedule:

• Year 1: Two residential workshops (5 days each) in Liverpool focusing on research planning, refining the topic, and basic research methods.
• Year 2 and 3: One 5-day residential workshop in Liverpool focusing on research execution (data collection and analysis), dissemination and impact strategy, academic writing, and viva preparation.
• Year 4: Independent study, thesis writing, and examination.

Modules:

• Research Planning (60 credits): Develop research proposals demonstrating the potential for creating new knowledge and using appropriate techniques/methodologies.
• Reflective Research Strategy (20 credits): Plan how to critically reflect on personal, work-based, theoretical, and research practice experiences that contribute to the creation of new knowledge.
• Literature Review (60 credits): Critically understand existing knowledge and theory relevant to the workplace and apply it to the creation of new knowledge.
• Research Methodology (60 credits): Critically appraise research methodology, design, and methods for their appropriateness to the area of inquiry.
• Research Enquiry and Analysis (60 credits): Collect and interpret qualitative and/or quantitative data to support the creation and interpretation of new knowledge.
• Final Thesis (60 credits): Produce a final written thesis and communicate, discuss, and defend ideas clearly and concisely.
• Reflective Research Portfolio (40 credits): Critically reflect on personal, work-based, theoretical, and research practice experiences that contribute to the creation of new knowledge.

Assessment:

• Year 1: Research proposal (approx.
5K words), learning agreement (approx. 3K words), and LJMU Ethical approval form.
• Year 2 and 3: Completion of modules culminating in a written thesis (approx.
80K words), a reflective portfolio, and published papers.
• Year 4: Oral examination of the thesis by two examiners (one from LJMU and one external).

Teaching:

• Teaching Ethos: Learning together and learning apart.
Includes interactive lectures, seminars, research presentations, research cafes, social events, and industry guest speakers.
• Asynchronous Learning Material: Virtual learning material in the form of video lectures, online activities, and discussion forums, complementing the blended learning approach.
• Applied Learning: Virtual Action Learning - a key learning strategy that enhances collaborative questioning, technology utilization, research-based inquiry, and critical reflection.
• Supervision: Provided by full-time, research-active academics at Liverpool Business School with a track record of publications and conference presentations.
Typically, two supervisors are assigned, with the option for a third if needed. Industrial advisors can be added to the supervisory team to represent the interests of practice.

Careers:

• The DBA program is designed to enhance career prospects and provide a foundation for further development or a major career move.
• The program equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to advance in senior management roles.
• The research undertaken during the DBA can be directly linked to the employer's area of business, providing valuable and objective feedback.
• Previous students have used their DBA research to provide high levels of focused, internal consultancy for their employers.

Other:

• Liverpool Business School is a member of the Executive DBA Council (EDBAC) and is committed to fostering excellence and innovation in executive doctoral degree programs.
• The program offers opportunities for global engagement and participation through a collaborative partnership with SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Germany.
• Students can participate in DBA Writing Retreats, both virtually and face-to-face, as well as the Faculty Doctoral Conference.
• Liverpool Business School is a member of AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
• The program is designed to allow full-time professionals from around the world to undertake doctoral studies part-time.
• The program provides the necessary skills, knowledge, tools, and techniques to undertake high-quality research at a doctoral level and contribute to professional practice.
• The School is based in the Redmonds Building, located in the heart of the Mount Pleasant Campus and Liverpool's Knowledge Quarter.
• The School also has a dedicated Management Development Suite in the historic Georgian Quarter of Liverpool.
• The program requires a minimum of two years of managerial experience or five years of other working experience.

Fees access to programme-appropriate software library and student IT support free on-campus wifi via eduroam Additional costs Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of: accommodation and living expenditure books (should you wish to have your own copies) printing, photocopying and stationery PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities) mobile phone/tablet (to access online services) field trips (travel and activity costs) placements (travel expenses and living costs) student visas (international students only) study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations) academic conferences (travel costs) professional-body membership graduation (gown hire etc) Funding Tuition fees You can opt to pay your tuition fees in full at the start of each academic year or in instalments. LJMU Alumni Award The fee reduction will apply automatically to eligible students.