Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA)

Research starting in the field with outputs aimed at the field

The BSL DBA program is intended for those with previous managerial and leadership experience who wish to make a significant contribution to the enhancement of professional practice in the field of management. The process that will lead to this transformation will be undertaken via the critical review and the systematic application of appropriate theories and research to professional practice.

DBA graduates are expected to produce a significant Doctoral-level transdisciplinary study output that advances research in business and management fields and is relevant to be put into practice.

The DBA thesis, based on the research that is carried out throughout the program, is the primary piece of work that will be assessed for the award of the actual Doctorate.

Phase 1 – Admission

At BSL, our admissions team provides comprehensive support in the submission of your application. The primary purpose of this is to provide you with guidance and advice on your capacity to embark on your DBA journey.

Aside from the administrative tasks required for acceptance into the program, the admission process incorporates a letter of intent and a preliminary research topic proposal. This first step will help you define and explain your area of interest and focus for your research.

To address the personal needs of each candidate, BSL offers two tracks to be accepted to the Doctoral Program:

Track 1 – Direct Application
You have a well-defined topic and are ready to submit it for further review. You will work directly with our Admissions team to complete your application.

Track 2 – Faculty Led Workshop
You have not identified a research topic but have an idea of a business problem impacting your industry and feel that you would benefit from more academic support to design your Research Topic. In this case, we offer a faculty lead workshop in which you will have four one-hour meetings over three months with one of our faculty to help you in completing your Research Topic Proposal.

Once you have submitted your completed application and Research Topic, a preliminary review will be rendered and an acceptance decision will be provided to you. A preliminary admission means that your research topic has been accepted and the Doctoral School has initiated the selection of an appropriate faculty supervisor.

Phase 2 – Defining your Research Question

(estimated duration under optimal conditions: 18 months)

Once fully accepted to the program, a DBA consultancy session will be held with the Director of the Doctoral School, to shape the first step of the research process.

This will allow you to contextualize how BSL will assist you in reaching your desired research aims and program objectives. Following this consultancy session, a faculty supervisor will be appointed to you.

During Phase 2, in collaboration with your supervisor, you will work on and will be required to submit a literature review along with a first assignment based most likely on a case study. Both the literature review and the case study should be developed around the foundations of your preliminary research proposal.

During this phase, the match between you and your assigned supervisor is assessed. If the literature review and/or case study lead to a research question demanding an unexpected field of expertise, our program is sufficiently flexible to allow for a new or additional supervisor to be assigned to you.

Phase 3 – Research Proposal

Your literature review and case study will be presented to and subsequently discussed in collaboration with the supervisor and the Doctoral School Executive. This provides a final validation of your research question and allows you to prepare for the next step of your research.

The presentation can be made in person at the BSL campus or, if you are unable to attend in person, via an online platform.

After a validation of your research question, research process, and results a DBA thesis action plan will be determined with you to prepare you for Phase 4 which includes the continuation of the writing of your DBA thesis dissertation.

Phase 4 – Writing your Thesis

(estimated duration under optimal conditions: 18 months)

Your DBA dissertation, centered on the research carried out throughout the program, is the primary piece of work that will be assessed for the eventual awarding of the Doctoral degree.

By your supervisor, a progression plan will be defined to ensure the completion of your thesis dissertation.

During phase 4 of your Doctoral program, regular feedback, support, and progression monitoring will be provided to make sure that you have the appropriate guidance during the writing process, whilst simultaneously ensuring the timely completion of the thesis. Your dissertation will also include a revised literature review.

Phase 5 – Oral Defense

The Viva Voce should take place in person on campus; a live video examination may take place in case of force majeure.

The thesis is assessed by a minimum of two appropriately qualified examiners, who hold a doctoral-level research degree.

Phase 6 – Publication and Thesis Binding

Hard-bound copies of the DBA Thesis dissertation are handed in by you.

We encourage you to get all or part of your Thesis Dissertation formally published as a book.

During your Doctoral program, you will also have the possibility to publish scientific articles with the support of your supervisor.

Duration: 3 to 6 years with the possibility of extension of up to an additional 3 years, depending on the student’s academic undertaking.

Course work:

• Two non-mandatory one-week seminars per year (DBA Acceleration Weeks – DAW)
• Webinars
• Individually supervised research

A program designed for professionals across the globe

The duration of the program is from three to six years, depending on if it is undertaken as a full-time or a part-time academic undertaking for the student. The BSL DBA program is essentially a distance-learning program. All seminars of BSL’s Doctoral School held in Lausanne are optional, even though highly recommended. The students who will attend will both acquire invaluable insights via face-to-face interaction with instructors while also gaining mutually beneficial contact with fellow Doctoral students from across the globe.

Elements such as the research question, the subject, the candidates’ network, their chosen research methodology along with factors such as the candidates’ proficiency in English and writing capacity can all have an influence on the duration of the program. Furthermore, we understand that due to the vocational nature of their chosen studies, the evolving professional obligations of the candidate can also affect the length of time that is required to achieve the DBA, hence the availability of less restrictive timescales.