Doctor of Business Administration (DBAR) - DBA

CRICOS code (International applicants): 077414G

Notes

Where credit is granted, maximum and minimum duration will be adjusted in the same proportion as credit, for example, where the maximum of four units of credit is granted, maximum time will be four years.

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Program aims

The program provides a high-level, professional oriented program of study that gives students who are already business professionals, an advanced theoretical and empirical understanding of business challenges to enable them to identify and resolve these challenges in both the private and public sectors.

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Program objectives

On successful completion of the Doctor of Business Administration program students will be able to:

• apply relevant theoretical knowledge to contemporary business problems

• critique contemporary organisational practice in the light of relevant theory

• determine, apply and evaluate the effectiveness and rigour of research methods to business problems

• critically evaluate business research studies in order to assess their quality and applicability in improving the effective handling of business management problems

• demonstrate superior oral and written communications skills relevant to business

• analyse research data and reflect critically on the analysis.

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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 10. Graduates at this level will have systematic and critical understanding of a complex field of learning and specialised research skills for the advancement of learning and/or for professional practice.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting www.aqf.edu.au.

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Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

• Completion of an Australian university coursework Masters degree or equivalent, and five years' work experience including at least two years' work experience in a managerial position.

• Submission of a satisfactory preliminary research proposal, as determined by the Higher Degrees Review and Admissions Committee.

• English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 3.

Notes:

Admission to the Doctor of Business Administration is dependent upon the Faculty's capacity to supervise the proposed thesis. Prospective candidates should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts for up-to-date information regarding research areas before preparing their preliminary thesis proposals.

All students are required to satisfy the applicable English language requirements.

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a University-approved English language program. On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

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Program fees

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called FEE-HELP provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for FEE-Help.

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, via distance education/online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the Course Fee Finder.

Research Training Program (RTP) - Fees Offset scheme

All Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents and New Zealand citizens commencing a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) program will have their tuition fees paid by the Australian Commonwealth Government under the Research Training Program (RTP) Fees Offset scheme. The RTP Fees Offset scheme covers program fees for an HDR student up to a maximum period of four years for full-time study or up to eight years part-time study for a Doctoral program, and up to a maximum period of two years for full-time or four years part-time for a Masters by Research program.
As part of the enrolment process, students are required to submit proof of citizenship or permanent residency status and transcripts of all previous academic study. This documentation enables the University of Southern Queensland to determine eligibility for an RTP Fees Offset place.

If a student's RTP Fees Offset entitlement expires before completion of the program, the student will be required to pay full tuition fees.

Students eligible for an RTP Fees Offset place are those who:

• have not used RTP Fees Offset funding in the previous three years; or

• have already used RTP Fees Offset funding and have successfully completed an HDR program. Once a student completes an HDR program, full entitlements of RTP Fees Offset are restored.

The Australian Commonwealth Government’s contribution to program fees must be acknowledged on all published material relating to a research project via a statement identifying the support received through the RTP Fees Offset scheme.

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Program structure

The Doctor of Business Administration is a 24-unit program comprising 4 coursework courses from the Master of Business Administration (MBA) specialisation courses, 2 units of research coursework and 18 units of research. Students are required to undertake:

• 4 coursework courses from the MBA specialisation courses. If a supervisor evaluates that the applicant should build more specific prior knowledge in a particular specialist area that is vital to the research topic, then the applicant can be required to complete up to four relevant specialisation courses from the MBA

• RSH8000 Introduction to Research and RSH8001 Research Methodologies which must be completed successfully before progressing to the research thesis

• plus an externally examined research thesis normally comprised of 18 units.

Note: The thesis courses are offered in three course codes: DBA9100 Doctor of Business Administration Thesis A which is a 1-unit course, DBA9200 Doctor of Business Administration Thesis B which is a 2-unit course and DBA9400 Doctor of Business Administration Thesis C which is a 4-unit course. This structure allows students to enrol in the appropriate course load level depending on their enrolment status (full time versus part time) and depending on their completion of the two coursework units. A full-time equivalent load is equal to 4 unit points per semester.

Student progress and achievement will be measured by student performance in the initial two research training courses and thereafter will be evidenced by their achievement of research milestones as documented by successful confirmation of candidature and ongoing assessment of research progression reported in progress reports.

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Required time limits

Full-time students normally complete in 3 years. Part-time candidates normally complete in 6 years. Students have a maximum of 4 years (full-time) or 8 years (part-time) to complete this program.

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IT requirements

For information technology requirements please refer to the minimum computing standards.

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Other program requirements

Students must complete successfully all coursework before progressing to the research thesis.

Should students wish to change their proposed research topic, they must apply for permission to do so to the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts, stating their reasons and providing a new research proposal.

It is recommended that Australian students visit their supervisors at least once each year while they are completing their thesis. For overseas students, visits by Faculty staff could be arranged through the University’s agents/partners, subject to minimum numbers.

Students must maintain good standing in this program. Please refer to the Academic Standing, Progression and Exclusion Procedure.

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Exit points

Students are able to exit with a Graduate Certificate of Business Research (GCBR) or Graduate Diploma of Business Research (GDBR) provided they meet the relevant requirements for the programs. Students can transfer to the lower award of Master of Business Research (MBSR) (AQF9) provided all requirements for the award of the MBSR are satisfied.

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Credit

Normally no credit will be granted in this 24-unit research program. However, an applicant may have specialist knowledge built up in their previous Master’s degree or in a Master of Business Administration (MBA) specialisation as well as extensive working experience in their area of interest. The candidate may be granted up to four units of credit for the MBA specialisation courses based on their completed postgraduate studies and relevant extensive experience.

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

• Recommended enrolment pattern - full-time
• Recommended enrolment pattern - part-time

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Recommended enrolment pattern - full-time

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

It is recommended that students complete all of RSH8000 Introduction to Research and RSH8001 Research Methodologies before commencing the Doctor of Business Administration Thesis courses.

The flexibility of the DBA means that there will be a range of enrolment patterns and many students will have a unique enrolment pattern. Students requiring assistance should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts. A suggested enrolment pattern for a student commencing in semester 1 is set out in the following table:

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Recommended enrolment pattern - part-time

Students are able to enrol in any offered mode of a course (on-campus, external or online), regardless of the program mode of study they enrolled in.

It is recommended that students complete all of RSH8000 Introduction to Research and RSH8001 Research Methodologies before commencing the Doctor of Business Administration Thesis courses.

The flexibility of the DBA means that there will be a range of enrolment patterns and many students will have a unique enrolment pattern. Students requiring assistance should contact the Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts. A suggested enrolment pattern for a student commencing in semester 1 is set out in the following table: