Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) offered by the College of Business at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU)

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Earning a doctorate degree is recognised as one of the highest achievements in an individual's academic journey. Defined by an emphasis on academic rigour and quality research, the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) offered by the College of Business at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is consistently recognised as one of the highest-ranked DBA programmes in the world.

Aimed at applicants with over 10 years of senior management experience and already well-established in their field of expertise, the CityU DBA programme is strategically designed to provide a learning platform for professionals seeking to engage in research that directly addresses their intellectual curiosity, while providing real-world benefits for their organisations and beyond.

DBA programme director professor Muammer Ozer says the programme maintains its commitment to quality by purposely keeping student numbers low. To maximise cross-learning experiences, importance is placed on selecting participants with different professional backgrounds. This is achieved by recruiting experienced executives from different countries and industries, as well as from NGOs. "We always want to ensure there is a dynamic and invigorating classroom environment," says Ozer. The professor also points out that, while the DBA programme is challenging, at the same time it is intellectually stimulating and offers a personally rewarding journey that participants are able to treasure. For example, Ozer says students are able to look for academic answers to their important questions by going through a rigorous research process. "Being a student again, making new friends in a non-business school environment and conducting research that interest them is something that students cherish dearly," notes Ozer.

To help students strengthen their research work, the programme uses a spiral learning approach, which involves revisiting and fine-tuning research work to achieve high-quality results. Students learn advanced research techniques and how to write academic papers. Students also have access to the University’s library, and they are provided with statistical support. The culmination of the DBA is an academically rigorous but practical thesis, which has to be defended before a panel of academics. To help them research and prepare their thesis, students are assigned an individual mentor to advise them on suggested research choices.