DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the SSM DBA program
DBA Studies are one of the most challenging and highest rewarding levels in Higher Education. The Swiss School of Management has developed outstanding Doctor Programs. These programs have unique features, which add significant values to Graduates beyond the rewarding Doctor Degree.
Multiple academic collaborations contribute to the exceptional program quality, starting with the involvement of highly renowned and recognized academics as Directors of Studies. Our Doctor candidates are supported on an individual base by both SSM Professors and visiting Professors from a wide variety of international Universities.
Today academia has no more borders. Therefore, the knowledge and expertise of experienced academics influence the structure and content of our Doctor Programs, from which candidates can select the option that accommodates their necessity.
The Doctor of Business Administration will be awarded by the internationally recognized Swiss School of Management. The result is based on delivering studies of highest quality and multiple benefits to SSM’s Doctor candidates. Swiss School of Management is committed to impress and to express: impress through the value of the studies resulting in Degrees, which express the outstanding skills of those being awarded. This gives them the possibility to develop a top career in industries, administration and academia.
Two major pathways are offered to Doctoral Candidates. The first pathway is known as Professional Doctorate. The notion ‘professional’ should not be misunderstood. They are by no means only professional qualifications. Professional doctoral studies have been globally developed and are accepted as fully-fledged doctoral degrees. In contrast to PhD studies, their purpose is applied sciences: research in, what is called, the real world for application in it. Likewise, the most famous degree pathway here is the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).
Universities around the globe have extended doctoral studies to these professional doctorates for many good reasons. The industries are very interested in such Graduates and this is demonstrated by the results of their job applications, e.g., DBA Degree skills and capabilities go beyond any Master’s graduate. At the same time, these doctoral Graduates are practice-oriented. Consequentially, they are the first choice candidates for top-management positions. On the other hand and without any doubt, PhD studies have not lost their reason and attractiveness.
The Doctor of Business Administration addresses research in business, economy and management. The thesis can be oriented by the students’ personal interest and based on their personal work environment. At the end of these studies, students are awarded with the Title of “Doctor in Business Administration (DBA)”.
Before of the Degree awarding, the DBA thesis has to be written and defended in the viva. The thesis argument is about applied sciences. It consists of 50,000 words, which fulfils the criteria of independent research on a superior level and consequentially demonstrates the internationally acknowledged standards of doctoral studies. Type and style of this research are source-oriented on applied sciences, in which a solid theoretical understanding must be evident.
The variety of topics is extensive and candidates can make their own choice upon approval of the Academic Board. The only request is that the selected research relates to management, business and / or economy. Theory and empirically consistent research, which the thesis delivers, are expected on a superior level. An individual Director of Studies will support each student during the development and writing of the thesis. Students will find personal support, but they are expected to work individually, accordingly to the individual nature of such studies on this high level. Therefore, strict limitations on extent and length of such support are applied.
Structure and Schedule
The DBA Program structure is aligned with international standards of Postgraduate Education and, accordingly, fulfils the criteria of the process of Harmonisation of Higher Education in Europe (Bologna Process).
The doctoral program will require the accomplishment of five taught Research Methods modules as first stage. Only the successful fulfillment of all five modules entitles students to progress to the second stage, the thesis level.
The successful students will acquire 120 ECTS credits throughout the course:
- 30 ECTS credits through the fulfillment of 5 Research Methods modules (6 ECTS credits per module)
- 90 ECTS credits through the Doctoral’s thesis
The modules are delivered interactively and are based on actual knowledge and research in this pathway. The “Research Methods” modules are taught via lectures and/or seminars and require students attendance. A long-distance learning version will be introduced as alternative form of study as well.
The data collection, the analysis of data and the Doctoral Thesis demonstrating independent empirical research are an evidence of the candidate’s ability and capability to undertake applied defendable and empirical research on the highest level of academic studies.
This program of studies is considered relevant, rich and academically valid thanks to the adoption of the highest standards of Higher Education. Additionally, superior professional standards have been embedded. Learning objectives and module contents are further closely related to the Six Principles of the PRME Framework of the United Nations.
Workshop OUTLINES - Modules
Professional and academic research are vital necessities for modern management to forge ahead. Research is the process of asking the right and relevant questions and of gathering and analyzing the necessary data in a systematic and methodologically sound manner. An important aspect of sound professional and academic research is to embed the research within the body of existing knowledge (applied research) and to add to it (generating new knowledge).
This module will guide you through the research process, from the formulation of the topic to critically detecting and reviewing relevant literature, designing the research project and choosing appropriate methodologies, collecting and analyzing the data and writing the report. Especially for those who are new to research, this workshop will offer a helicopter view of the approaches that researchers use to answer research questions. The other workshops will zoom in on specific parts of the research process and on specific methodologies that can be employed.
Learning Objectives
- Formulate research topic in clear terms.
- Formulate research objectives and questions, hypotheses and propositions.
- Carry out a critical review of literature relevant to the topic at hand.
- Essential skills in reviewing literature: search for recent and relevant articles in (electronic) libraries and on the Internet; using tools to structure the review; know how to use systematic referencing; summarize the review concisely.
- Understand the key methodologies used in modern research. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of quantitative and qualitative approaches. Creatively combine various approaches to generate relevant data.
- Have a good knowledge of the various methods of data collection.
- Be familiar with statistical concepts like sampling, and hypothesis testing. Have an understanding of the main statistical (descriptive and inferential) techniques used to analyze data.
- Know how to structure the report, and the main requirements of a high quality professional or academic report.
- Be familiar with ethical considerations in research, including the concept of plagiarism.
Assessment
The assessment will be based on one assignment. The assignment consists of two parts. In part one you will be asked to evaluate parts of a sample research proposal written by somebody else. In the second part you are invited to draft a rough plan for your own research project.
In the assignment you are asked to:
Clearly describe the topic;
Formulate research objectives and questions;
- Identify and summarize at least five articles relevant to the study;
- Design your research (in terms of approaches; methodologies; and strategies), and to motivate why the chosen design is effective in meeting the research objectives.
Numbers play an important role in research. Statistical skills are critical to understanding a lot of what goes on in society. Many of us find statistics hard.
One reason is that understanding statistics requires mathematical skills. The mathematical skills needed seldom go beyond operations that all students are familiar with – adding, subtracting, multiplication and division. This module will introduce basic and advanced statistics in an intuitive way. Concepts are introduced using examples that students will easily recognize from daily life. Although we refrain from discussing advanced topics in statistics, the workshop paves the way to exploring more advanced statistics.
A second reason why some students have a fear of statistics is the gap that exists between understanding the statistical concepts on the one hand and applying the concepts to reality. This workshop introduces the student to descriptive and inferential statistics. All techniques will be illustrated with easy-to-understand examples.
In the process, this workshop will zoom in on important topics in survey design: sampling techniques; validity and reliability; and data cleaning.
Learning Objectives
- Ability to design a survey (sample; questionnaire)
- Understand basic descriptive statistics
- Understand the concepts used in inferential statistics
- Understand which statistical tests and techniques can be used in a variety of settings
- Be able to perform, interpret and report statistical tests.
Assessment
Students will be assessed through one assignment.
The assignment will challenge the candidate to draft a plan of analysis, for his or her research, based on a draft of the data collection instrument to be used in the research.
This workshop is designed to help qualitative researchers with all aspects of their qualitative research project from the beginning to the end. It discusses the key philosophies underpinning qualitative research and design – with a focus on research in management – and assesses the key advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches.
We will zoom in on aspects of research design for qualitative studies. The core part of the workshop elaborates qualitative research methods that have been touched upon in the workshop on research methods: action research; case study research; ethnographic research; grounded theory; interviews; participant observation; and document analysis. All techniques will be discuss the various approaches of that technique, along with strengths and weaknesses and examples.
In a separate block the workshop will discuss the analysis of qualitative data, which is fundamentally different from analyzing quantitative data. After an overview of the various methods and techniques that can be used when analyzing qualitative data – including the use of dedicated software – the principles of hermeneutics, semiotics and narrative analysis will be taught and trained.
In a concluding block, the workshop will address issues of write-up and publication, with a focus on the differences from writing up non-qualitative studies.
Learning Objectives
- Familiarize the participants with the fundamentals of qualitative research
- Understand the pros and cons of qualitative research as compared to quantitative research
- Have a sound understanding of the various methods and techniques in qualitative research
- Ability to use the various methods and techniques of qualitative research
- Obtain the various skills needed for carrying out qualitative research: formulating and asking questions; listening; summarizing; analyze qualitative data; write-up.
This course will not make use of software dedicated to analysis of qualitative research. The use of Nvivo is the topic of an elective course.
Assessment
The assignment will be based on the application of various methods and techniques of qualitative research to one’s own research (even if the study will be mainly quantitative).
The module will introduce you to essential tools for doing research at doctoral level. The toolbox offers a rich set of tools. The focus will be on STATA. The STATA package is one of the main packages used by researchers doing serious research. A fully operational permanent license for the latest version of STATA is included in the study fees.
Candidates are requested to submit and defend a doctoral thesis.
The topic of the thesis has to be one of the following broad field of research:
- Strategic Management
- Functional Areas of Business
- Finance
- Human Resource Management
- Marketing
- Production and Operations Management
- Logistics Management
- Business Environment
- Public Policies
- Specific Sectors of the Economy
General Entry Requirements
Candidates with Master’s Degree
Candidates need to have completed a significant research project, dissertation or thesis, at university level. Candidates must own a comparable Master’s Degree; i.e., it has to be awarded by an officially acknowledged Higher Education Institution.
Graduates without a Master’s Degree are equally admitted, but they must have acquired another similar Degree, which can be directly compared to a Postgraduate Degree, i.e. equivalent to level 7 of studies. This regulation acknowledges differences, which may internationally exist on national levels.
All applicants from countries in which the official language is not English or German are required to submit official evidence of English or German language proficiency.
Acceptance by the Department
Meeting our academic requirements does not guarantee entry. You must demonstrate an ability to research independently and possess a high level of theoretical understanding.
Acceptance is subject to staff availability for supervision. A committee decides whether your qualifications fulfil the admission requirements as a doctoral candidate. The department’s committee usually meets periodically.
Quality Assurance on National Level of Further Education
SSM is a quality certified school aligned to the standard of Swiss Further Education by EduQua.
EduQua is a Public Private Partnership with international bodies, e.g. the Swiss Federation for Adult Learning and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs for Quality Assurance in HE in Switzerland (SQS).
know about the Application procedures
download form for applying
check out entire details
on