TSE exe Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Length: 3-6 years
ECTS: 240
Price: Application fee 1 000 €+ VAT 25,5% / Tuition fee 19 900 € per year + VAT 25,5%.
What is the DBA program all about?
DBA is a doctoral-level program in business administration intended for experienced managers and experts who want to develop and deepen their competencies and strengthen their central subjects of interest in working life.
DBA is an appropriate qualification for professionals who seek to find new ways of thinking and developing business and management through systematic theoretical understandings and scientific research and who do not aim for an academic research career but intend to stay in the corporate world.
The part-time DBA program can be completed in 3-6 years.
How are DBA studies related to and contributing to professional’s work?
DBA allows professional individuals to identify emerging trends and create new in-depth knowledge by formalizing their practical experience and offering new insights based on the latest theories and research methods. DBA students can tackle an important, unsolved real-life business and managerial problem rigorously and systematically, thus contributing to their organization’s success. By earning a DBA qualification, professionals set themselves apart from the crowd, demonstrating their advanced knowledge and skills. DBA studies will open a wide range of career opportunities for the candidate.
How does DBA differ from other doctoral programs?
DBA differs from a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in its emphasis on a practical working life orientation. DBA graduates gain experience and competencies in applying theories and research to address a defined business issue while combining business acumen and scholarly methods. DBA is currently not part of the Finnish official degree structure but has wide recognition in the corporate world also in Finland.
What are the main benefits of TSE exe DBA?
TSE exe DBA assigns a practical and relevant real-world research project that benefits the employing company directly. During the courses and research, students improve their understanding of an area of choice by transforming business theory into practice. They are also able to disseminate the gained understanding to the employer organization and act as thought leaders, e.g., in organizational development and change processes.
Contents
DBA program combines discussion of advanced management theory and practice with training in the methodologies and research techniques necessary to carry out the DBA thesis. The studies mainly consist of virtual courses offered by the University of Turku (60 ECTS credits) and the DBA thesis (180 ECTS credits) preferably linked to the candidates’ work. A personal study plan and study path is drawn up for each candidate.
In its research and teaching portfolio, the DBA program covers a multitude of disciplines related to business and the economy. The majors can be completed in the following fields: management, marketing, accounting, entrepreneurship, international business, and supply chain management.
During the DBA modules on specific topics, candidates will examine business and management theories (+ their applicability to business practices), research methodologies and will partake in training designed to prepare them for their thesis project.
Candidates will also focus on their independent research and carry out a project leading to the production of a DBA thesis with solid linkages to business and managerial practice. Professors from the University of Turku will conduct the thesis supervision. DBA students’ thesis will be assessed through a viva voce, a formal oral examination, during which the candidate will defend the thesis in front of internal and external examiners.
Admission requirements
- A master’s degree or Executive MBA certificate
- Minimum five years of work experience
- An application form including curriculum vitae in English and a motivational letter
- One recommendation letter
- A research proposal
Tuition fee
- An application fee of € 1,000 (+ VAT 25,5%)
- The tuition fee is € 19,900 per year (+ VAT 25,5%). The tuition fee is charged for each year of DBA studies.
Application
There is a rolling intake for applications. In order to get more information, application instructions, and the application form, please contact the Academic Director of the DBA program, professor Rami Olkkonen. We will carefully examine the applications and research proposals during the submission process, and the Academic Director of the program will interview the applicants.