Curriculum
Program Overview
Design
To meet your individual needs and goals, we offer a flexible program via a high level of faculty-participant interaction.
The program objectives are threefold:
1) To study the foundations of business administration as a functionally integrated field of knowledge;
2) To focus participants at an early stage on their research opportunities and responsibilities;
3) To solve managerial dilemmas through research.
Doctoral Coursework and the MPhil Degree
The core part of the Doctoral Program begins with the following coursework and literature review seminars:
• Research Methods I & II
• Quantitative Methods I & II
• Academic Writing in English
The ‘Academic Writing in English’ module is delivered over four days alongside the other modules. You continue to develop your writing skills throughout the first year. The other four modules consist of 60 contact hours, delivered over 10 consecutive days. Sessions are concluded with an assessment, usually a take-home assignment. Most of the literature review supporting your field of research is completed individually, under the guidance of your supervisor. From this research you formulate a research proposal to present and defend in a seminar forming the final step towards your MPhil Degree, usually at the end of your first year. This is also when the research committee assesses your suitability for further studies on the Doctoral Program.
Field Research, Data Analysis, Dissertation and Defense
Having received permission to proceed with your field research and dissertation, you are carefully monitored by your supervisor as you gather and analyze the necessary data, usually in years two and three. The outcome of your research will be a book-length dissertation produced in your fourth year, ideally including some international scientific journal publications, representing an original contribution to a specific area in management. Originality is demonstrated through discovering new approaches, a new conceptual framework, or the creative application of existing analytical concepts and tools to contemporary issues in industry. Such a contribution should ensure your dissertation withstands the scrutiny of independent experts in that field. You must defend your dissertation before a committee of both faculty and independent experts.
Duration and Timing
You may start your Doctoral program at one of two points per year. Working efficiently, it normally takes four years to complete the program, depending on whether you attend full- or part-time. The MPhil, however, should be completed within two years. The duration of the full program may be extended to a maximum of six years.