Doctor of Business Administration

About the DBA Programme

The Doctor of Business Administration programme is a professional doctoral degree designed to equip students with practical, specialized knowledge which is critical in making high-level business decisions and enhancing the knowledge frontier. The DBA is ideal for executives, business practitioners and academics who wish to enhance their higher-order, strategic planning and research capabilities.

The DBA is academically equivalent to the Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) and prepares candidates to provide significant, research based, original contribution to management practice. The programme will facilitate the further development of the region and encourage critical research in all areas of management.

Benefits

• Self actualization – crown your academic/professional accomplishments
• Academically equivalent to a PhD
• Career progression and increased income earning potential
• World class faculty - Judicious mix of experienced practitioners and academicians
• Networking opportunities with other business professionals

Programme Structure

The DBA is a four-year programme comprised of a menu of business studies and methodological courses, seminars and courses drawn from a pool of complimentary fields of study. The programme consists of 10 core courses, thematic areas and a dissertation. Each course will run for a minimum of two weeks and will be assessed through:

• Individual participation
• Research paper and/or
• Examination

All research papers must be submitted in the form of a five thousand (5,000) word research document suitable for publication, providing critical analysis into a chosen topic that can be used as a case study. Research Papers are due two (2) months after the end of the course.

Classes

The DBA will follow a trimester format and will normally take four years. It incorporates a taught component in the form of ten (10) compulsory courses, and a series of seminars to be determined by the thesis supervisor and the Board for Graduate Studies. Generally classes for the DBA are scheduled on weekends (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays). 

Comprehensive Examinations

DBA candidates will sit a comprehensive examination in the final term of the taught programme. Candidates will be required to achieve a minimum grade of 50% in order to proceed to the research stage of the programme. The DBA culminates with a public defense of a 40,000 to 50,000-word dissertation.

Faculty for this programme include a   diverse selection of senior academics drawn from the UWI community, overseas scholars, as well as senior private and public sector practitioners with doctoral degrees.

Dissertation (21 credits)

DBA candidates must submit the research proposal complete with literature review, upon completion of the proposal writing core course for approval and before commencement of year two of studies. The Dissertation should be forty to fifty thousand (40,000 – 50,000) words, submitted in the format specified by the “Thesis Guide” of The University of the West Indies. To successfully complete the programme, participants must complete a viva voce.