Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Overview
The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in the School of Management and Economics (SME), the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH) is a 3-year, full-time, professional doctoral program aimed at working professionals including business leaders, senior management and rising managers who aspire to pursue practice-driven academic research with the potential to solve concrete organizational problems and hence bring impact to their organization and/or society. The DBA enables participants of the programme to develop a portfolio of skills for influencing management practice, conducting applied and field research, and teaching competently. A significant difference between a conventional doctoral programme (PhD) and a DBA is the research focus. Standard business management PhD prepares students for academic roles at a business school or research position whereas a DBA provides students with practical knowledge to be applied in a business environment. This process often becomes the basis for the dissertation, in which students have to present a theoretical model of a problem and possible solutions. The programme seeks to encourage DBA students to use organisation theory in interdisciplinary ways to think critically and analytically about as well as influence organisations and management, work practices, processes and institutions. The programme expands the traditional support from an expert supervisor with taught modules aimed strengthening the students' research capabilities, so they are able to deploy these skills during their Dissertation workplan and after graduation. The DBA programme at the University of Kurdistan Hewlêr (UKH) is organized to enable students to: 1) Demonstrate expertise, advanced knowledge and reflection of theories and methods in their area of specialisation (Business Administration). 2) Foster original, novel and scholarly research that serves the interests and needs of Kurdistan, Iraq at large and beyond. 3) Independently produce original piece research, appropriate for publication in scholarly journals. 4) Have adequate preparation to teach at the undergraduate or master’s level in a business school or render consultancy service to industry. Note: Due to the professional nature of the DBA programme, applicants with bachelor’s degree in a different subject area from a recognised institution are eligible to apply.
Admission Requirements
- Applicants must have an average of not less than 60 and 70 in bachelor’s and master’s degrees respectively.
- English Language Proficiency: Minimum English Language requirement is 58 in PTE – 6.5 in IELTS -79 in TOEFL.
- An equalised transcript is required for students who have graduated from international institutions.
- Application Form: Online application form is required.
- Official Transcripts: Provide a copy of your undergraduate transcript with your application.
- Research Proposal
- Interview: Applicants will be invited to attend an interview at which they may be asked questions regarding their intended programme of study. The interview is a compulsory stage of the selection process.
- PhD Proposal: 1200-1500 words (excluding references).
- Letters of Recommendation: Two recommendation letters are required to be submitted with your application, preferably one of which will be from a university academic.
- Applicants with high quality publications are preferred.
- A copy of your CV.
- A copy of your passport or national ID.
Curriculum
Candidates registered for the First Year shall undergo and pass a minimum of five credited modules within the first year, namely Contemporary Issues in Business, Research Methods for Doctoral Students, Qualitative Methods in Business Research, Qualitative Methods in Business, and Research Proposal in Business. Candidates will proceed to the Dissertation writing stage once the First-Year requirements are completed.