Doctor of Business Administration - Executive DBA Programme content
Key information
Key information
- Complete part-time over four years.
- Blended delivery. Online and on-campus.
- Immersive residencies are held on campus twice annually in Years one and two, and for five days each.
- Leadership summits take place over two days at the end of each year of the programme in Years one, two and three.
- Designed for senior leaders working across private and public sectors.
- Over four years, you will move from taught foundations to independent doctoral inquiry.
- Assessment is practice-based, integrative, and developmental.
- Participants are evaluated through reflective portfolios, applied research artefacts, and written assignments during the taught phase
- The submission of your final thesis in March of Year four, together with the successful defence of your research during the oral viva voce, is a requirement for the award of the doctorate degree.
You will learn through a blend of
- Lectures, workshops, and hands-on activities
- Immersive residencies and leadership summits
- Regular feedback from faculty and peers
Part-time considerations
- Designed for working professionals
- Timetable provided after registration
Programme content - Year 1
- Relational Engaged Scholarship for Systemic Transformation (MG8001) Explores relational and engaged research paradigms that bridge scholarship and leadership.
- Systems Thinking for Navigating Complex and Wicked Problems (MG8011) Develops the capacity to understand interconnections, feedback loops, and paradoxes within complex systems.
- Evidence-Based Decision-Making for Policy and Practice (MG8021) Builds skills for evaluating and integrating research evidence into strategic and operational decisions.
Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.
For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s Book of Modules
- Responsible Leadership (PM8012) Examines moral courage, stakeholder accountability, and values-driven leadership in contemporary contexts.
- Research Strategy and Methods of Empirical Inquiry (MG8002) Introduces qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches with an emphasis on ethical and systemic coherence.
- Foresight, Reflexive Futures, and Systemic Intervention (MG8003) Applies futures thinking and systems intervention approaches to anticipate and design change.
Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.
For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s Book of Modules
Each summer forms an integral part of the doctoral journey. In Years one and two, candidates progress their systemic inquiry and research architecture, culminating in a refined doctoral proposal
Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.
For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s Book of Modules
Programme content - Year 2
- Generative Review, Synthesis and Framing (MG8031) Develops capability to synthesise literature, identify gaps, and formulate original research questions.
- Sustainable Consumption, Production and the Circular Economy (MG8041) Examines new models of value creation that align economic success with environmental stewardship.
- Responsible and Social Innovation (MG8051) Explores how innovation can be mobilised to address societal and environmental challenges.
Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.
For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s Book of Modules
- Designing Scholarly Practice Research (MG8022) Consolidates methodological and reflective skills for practice-based doctoral inquiry.
- Sustainable Development Policy, Governance and Accounting/Accountability (IN8022) Analyses how governance and reporting systems enable or constrain sustainability transformation.
- Responsible Digitalisation, Datafication and Artificial Intelligence (IN8032) Examines ethical, social, and organisational implications of digital transformation and AI.
Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.
For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s Book of Modules
Each summer forms an integral part of the doctoral journey. In Years 1 and 2, candidates progress their systemic inquiry and research architecture, culminating in a refined doctoral proposal
Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.
For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s Book of Modules
Programme content - Years 3 and 4
Independent Research and Thesis
Candidates work with a dedicated supervisory team to conduct applied doctoral research addressing their chosen complex problem. The final thesis demonstrates both academic rigour and measurable strategic impact.
Summer work in years three and four centres on independent empirical research, analysis and synthesis, producing tangible outputs reviewed through formal milestones.
Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.
For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s Book of Modules
