University
University of Otago
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
This course is available
Online
Level of Study
Doctoral Degree
Duration
3 years
Next start date
Expected Jul 2024
Campus
University of Otago
Summary
The degree of Doctor of Business Administration is awarded on the basis of submission of a thesis and the completion of coursework consisting of six papers. The coursework is an integral and constitutive part of the thesis research of the degree.
The thesis should give evidence of the candidate’s ability to carry out research, that the candidate has shown originality and independence and that the candidate has made a significant contribution to applied knowledge in the particular field. It is expected that some of the work in the thesis will be worthy of publication.
The programme is offered through a combination of Distance Learning and on-campus workshops in English from the University of Otago, Dunedin, and in English with Chinese translation from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Candidates studying through Shanghai Jiao Tong University must attend a one-week orientation workshop in Dunedin at the beginning of their first academic year. All candidates must attend a four-day residential school, at an approved location*, at the end of specified papers in the coursework component.
*Approved locations for residential schools shall normally include Dunedin, Shanghai (for candidates studying through Shanghai Jiao Tong University), and any further specified locations, subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce). For each year, the approved locations shall normally be confirmed prior to the opening of enrolments for individual papers.
Entry criteria
Every applicant must either: be a graduate with a bachelor’s honours degree and a postgraduate diploma, or a master’s degree in a business discipline, or in exceptional cases, have alternative equivalent qualifications acceptable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Commerce).
Candidates will be selected on the basis of their previous academic record (normally with a grade average of at least B+), their graduate experience and academic achievements, their commitment to the field of business, evidence that they are committed to ongoing education, and reports from three referees.
Every applicant will normally have at least ten years of experience as a professional in business and demonstrate evidence of leadership in their field.
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic module) (including IELTS Online) - Overall score of 6.5, no individual band below 6.0.
- TOEFL iBT - Overall score of 90 and a writing score of 21.
- C1 Advanced (previously Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)) or C2 Proficiency (previously Cambridge English Proficiency (CPE)) - Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169).
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 58 with no communicative skills score below 50.
- Language Cert - International ESOL: C1 Expert (LRWS) with a high pass overall and no less than a pass in each skill OR C2 Mastery (LRWS) with a pass overall and no less than a pass in each skill.
- NZCEL - NZCEL 5 Academic endorsement
- English New Zealand's Accredited Pathway Assessment - Assessment Level 3 (with no skill lower than Level 2).
- APIEL Advanced Placement International English Language Examination - Grade 4 or higher.
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