Doctorate

What is a doctorate in management?

A doctorate in management stands apart first through its purpose: it seeks to understand in order to transform a professional practice, rather than to produce isolated theoretical knowledge. This is what sets the Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) apart from the PhD: the former directs research towards organisations' concrete challenges, while the latter is aimed primarily at academic research. This distinction shapes everything else in the programme, from the working method to the career opportunities it opens up.

The programme runs over three years. A first year of coursework gives you the methodological tools you need and concludes with a research certificate in management sciences; two years of thesis work follow, under the supervision of a senior research professor. This progression anchors the research in practice you have already experienced: you do not start from a blank page, but from ground you already know from the inside, which the research method teaches you to question differently.

This doctorate corresponds to the highest of the levels on the national qualifications framework. It takes its place among the full range of Excelia Business School's programmes, with a requirement all of its own: applied research into management challenges, present at every stage of the programme.

Who the DBA is for

Excelia Business School's Doctorate in Business Administration is aimed at experienced professionals who want to develop research skills without leaving their job. It is a career extension rather than a pause. It is a way of stepping back from an already proven managerial practice, to question it with the rigour of a thesis.

Candidates must generally hold a Master's-level qualification or equivalent. To this are added significant professional experience and a research project consistent with their background. Qualification, experience and research project all three matter: they separate a DBA seen through to completion from a DBA abandoned along the way, because carrying out three years of research alongside a position of responsibility requires a subject you truly care about.

The format is designed for this constraint: entirely online or hybrid, it relies on quarterly follow-up workshops, whose face-to-face component takes place on our campuses. Teaching is delivered in English, which prepares you to publish and share your findings beyond the French-speaking context alone. You therefore do not have to interrupt your professional activity to progress with your thesis. If your research project or experience still seem unclear against these criteria, discuss it directly with an adviser: this is the best way to resolve any doubt before applying.

Applied research and career opportunities

A DBA changes your career trajectory without necessarily breaking with what you have built up until now. It opens the door to several types of roles:

• Expert consultant
• Change manager
• Lecturer-researcher
• Trainer
• Foresight specialist

In these roles, the ability to produce rigorous analysis matters as much as the field experience built up over a career, and the thesis becomes a genuine asset, of value beyond the academic circle alone.

The work carried out during the thesis covers in particular strategy, sustainable innovation and financial and non-financial performance, subjects that feed directly into decisions taken within organisations rather than remaining confined to an isolated academic exercise. This closeness between research and practice owes much to the school's faculty and research: its work feeds into all the programmes, including the teaching you will follow from your first year onwards.

The programme concludes with the defence of the thesis before a panel made up of members internal and external to the school, a stage that validates the contribution of the research work as much as its methodological rigour. This requirement is underpinned by a school with quadruple accreditation (EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master), a recognition that places Excelia Business School among fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide, and which holds true for this thesis as for all the qualifications it awards.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a DBA and a PhD?

The DBA directs research towards concrete management challenges, while the PhD is aimed at academic research. Excelia Business School's Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) is thus aimed at professionals who want to transform their practice through research, not only at future lecturer-researchers.

Can you take a DBA while in employment?

Yes: the format is entirely online or hybrid, with quarterly follow-up workshops, designed to be carried out alongside a position of responsibility. The DBA is precisely designed for professionals who want to develop research skills without interrupting their career.

How long does a DBA last?

Excelia Business School's Doctorate in Business Administration lasts three years: a first year of coursework, validated by a research certificate in management sciences, followed by two years of thesis work under the supervision of a senior research professor.

What level is required to enrol?

Candidates must generally hold a Master's-level qualification or equivalent, significant professional experience and a research project consistent with their background.

Is the DBA recognised?

The programme concludes with the defence of the thesis before a panel made up of members internal and external to Excelia Business School; this panel validates the rigour of the research work. The school also holds a quadruple accreditation (EQUIS, AACSB, AMBA and EFMD Master), which places it among fewer than 1% of business schools worldwide.