About
This comprehensive programme is designed to cultivate adept and self-reliant researchers in the realm of strategic business management, honing their expertise in specialised fields like finance, marketing, project management, supply chain management, or other relevant disciplines. By contributing original and practical knowledge to their respective areas of research, students play a pivotal role in advancing the frontiers of business knowledge.This program places a deliberate focus on cultivating vital competencies in business administration, encompassing the capacity to conduct rigorous research, apply analytical problem-solving skills, effectively communicate with diverse audiences, lead and manage projects, and maintain the highest professional ethics standards. The Doctorate in Business Administration places substantial emphasis on fostering critical thinking, analytical prowess, research acumen, project management acuity, and refined writing skills. As a result, students attain a sophisticated and cutting-edge understanding of their research specialty, positioning them at the forefront of the ever-evolving business landscape.This esteemed programme equips graduates with the competencies and insights essential to lead and innovate in today's dynamic business world.
Target Audience
Ages 19-30, 31-65
Target Group
This degree is aimed at mid- to senior-level business executives and managers who want to gain the highest level of expertise and qualification in business and management. It offers advanced knowledge and skills in business management, administration, and leadership
Mode of attendance
Full-Time and Part-Time
Structure of the programme
The degree is primarily composed of independent research conducted by a student under the supervision of a faculty member, benefiting from diversity in perspective and expertise from a secondary supervisor
Entire programme is divided into three modules, each building upon the previous. It has a large research component consisting of both structured research preparation and the creation of an extensive final thesis in which students undertake cutting-edge, original, independent research.
Tier One
Advanced Research Planning and Methodology for Business (MQF 7, 1500 Hours)
Tier Two
Research Development and Progress Review (MQF 8, 1500 Hours)
Tier Three
Thesis Completion and Viva Voce Examination (MQF 8, 1500 Hours)
Grading System
Within any individual module assessment is of two kinds: assessment of regular assignments (typically weighted 20% as a whole) and assessment of a final assignment or project (typically weighted 80%). These grades, however, are regarded only as indicators of progress while the student is progressing through the program.
The degree is awarded on a pass/fail basis as a consequence of the viva voce examination.
Dates of Next Intake
Rolling admission
Pass rates
Cohort pass rates will be publicised in the next cycle, contingent upon ensuring sufficient student data for anonymization.
Identity Malta’s VISA requirement for third country nationals: https://www.identitymalta.com/unit/central-visa-unit/
Global Recognition
Our accreditation through the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) provides a solid foundation for credential recognition worldwide.
How students have found success through Woolf
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Course Structure
About
This module is designed to empower students to contribute new knowledge to the field of business administration, with a focus on specialized areas such as finance, marketing, human resource management, organizational strategies, product and production management, and business analytics. By completing this module, students will be prepared to conduct original and publishable research in their chosen field, a vital component of subsequent modules aimed at advancing the state of knowledge. The aim of this module is the achievement of a well-crafted Research Plan, which will guide students on their journey to undertake substantial and
sustained research at the MQF 8 level.
Teachers
Intended learning outcomes
- Demonstrate the ability to choose methods appropriate to research aims and objectives, as well as understanding the limitations of the chosen method.
- Develop a comprehensive knowledge of received critical or scholarly paradigms in business administration, beyond that associated with Master’s-level study.
- Identify, explain, compare, and compile the essential components of a well-structured Research Plan.
- Display a profound and specialized understanding of research processes in business administration as well as a chosen subfield.
- Assess, analyse, and criticise the various strategies for handling matters arising in quantitative or qualitative business research.
- Apply an in-depth domain-specific knowledge and understanding to a well-scoped problem in business administration, and can use this understanding to advance research questions.
- Propose appropriate, well-scoped solutions to complex and changing problems in business administration.
- Performing literature reviews using various databases, and demonstrating clarity around the state-of-the-art in business research.
- Apply the acquired knowledge of research ethics to develop scholarly work with a strong ethical foundation.
- Employ the standard modern conventions for the presentation of scholarly work and scholarly referencing.
- Can communicate to specialist and non-specialist audiences about the conclusions of state-of-the-art scholarly research and its implications for real-world business problems.
- Solve problems and be prepared to take independent decisions related to the methods, data management and research plans, including prioritising and scheduling research activities.
- Critically evaluate quantitative and qualitative research paradigms, and the relevance of each to a specific project.
- Create a research-based approach to a discipline-specific (or interdisciplinary) problem in business administration, integrating knowledge from new research.
- Apply a professional and scholarly approach, conformant with contemporary standards around research ethics, to researching discipline-based problems.
- Act autonomously in identifying research gaps, problems and solutions, and mapping these to a timeline.
- Demonstrate a sustained and effective commitment to the exploration of a scholarly project
About
The module on Research Development and Progress Review helps a student who has just completed the ‘Research Plan’ to undertake a cadence of supervised, original research leading to a substantial portion of their research thesis being completed (2-4 chapters or equivalent). This module operationalizes the work agreement made in the previous one. Under the supervision of their supervisor, and through regular submissions and synchronous feedback sessions, students hone and strengthen their ability to conduct innovative, original research at the
very forefront of an academic discipline.
Teachers
Intended learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an increasingly systematic knowledge of a highly-specialised field of study within business administration.
- Critically understand the diverse scholarly views on a specific research question in business administration.
- Develop a specialised knowledge of key strategies related to research methods, opportunities, and technical or data limitations in a specific business administration discipline or subfield.
- Apply the principles of research ethics to conduct research with the utmost honesty, accuracy, and transparency, demonstrating a commitment to avoid any form of research misconduct, including but not limited to fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism.
- Develop a critical knowledge of methodological debates and research issues in a discipline within business administration.
- Communicate expertise to a wide audience, including peers, recognizing the different strategies for reaching broader audiences.
- Apply an in-depth domain specific knowledge and understanding to selecting and defending a research methodology in business administration.
- Propose appropriate solutions to complex and changing technological, social, or cultural problems pertaining to business administration.
- Compare and evaluate the different methodologies recommended in scholarly sources pertaining to how researchers should settle interpretative questions in business administration.
- Communicate how ethical integrity and impartiality in evaluating the outcomes of research is maintained in the report.
- Demonstrate mastery in the selection and analysis of research, academic writing, designing, developing, and sustaining an argument, culminating in innovative scholarly research.
- Employ the standard modern conventions for the presentation of scholarly work and scholarly referencing.
- Assess, analyse, and criticise the various strategies for handling matters arising in the context of business research methods.
- Demonstrate self-direction in research and originality in solutions developed for creating knowledge in business administration that is relevant to real-world problems.
- Efficiently manage interdisciplinary issues that arise in connection to quantitative or qualitative methods in business administration.
- Demonstrate increasing authority in a specialised academic field, and can make judgements about scope and relevance for well-defined research problems.
- Demonstrate a sustained and effective commitment to the exploration of a scholarly project and the development of new knowledge about a subfield in business administration.
- Apply a professional and scholarly approach to research problems pertaining to qualitative and/or quantitative methods in a scholarly discipline.
- Solve problems and be prepared to take leadership decisions related to the methods and principles of research.
About
In this module, the aims of the methodology module are fulfilled and the research of the past two years is brought into one overarching argument. The thesis will constitute a substantial, original, independent piece of research, which is clearly articulated in relation to the primary evidence and secondary literature, and which is organised in relation to the plan first envisaged in the methodology module.
Teachers
Intended learning outcomes
- Possess expert knowledge at an MQF 8 level of the topic addressed in the thesis.
- Attain a comprehensive overview of the most important primary and secondary literature in the field of enquiry.
- Understand and intervene in key theoretical, methodological, or historiographical debates for the field of enquiry.
- Become familiar with different types of quantitative and qualitative evidence used for the field of enquiry.
- Understand and apply standard modern conventions concerning the presentation of scholarly work and scholarly referencing.
- Assess, analyse and critique primary sources and secondary literature.
- Apply quantitative, qualitative, and critical approaches to the interpretation of primary and secondary sources in such a way as to make a genuinely new contribution to knowledge.
- Identify a specific, unique, and well-scoped domain of research enquiry for the proposed thesis.
- Justify the choice of pursuing a research topic according to a specific scholarly methodology fitting to a domain of enquiry
- Deliver a thesis in a structured, well-scoped, and orderly way.
- Compare different approaches to the designated field of enquiry and make critical choices between them.
- Summarise a wide-ranging body of information from multiple sources.
- Articulate a persuasive defense of the research project and its findings, showcasing the ability to support and justify the outcomes with sound reasoning and evidence.
- Manage complex, sustained research on a problem in business administration, and develop new interpretive strategies.
- Demonstrate practical skills in gathering information from a variety of primary and secondary sources and in applying it to specific disciplinary questions.
- Conduct a programme of research that contributes to professional knowledge.
- Exhibit proficiency in effectively presenting and disseminating newly acquired research findings, employing suitable communication techniques to convey the results to various audiences.
- Grasp the theoretical issues that affect the proposed field of enquiry and the relative strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches in the secondary literature.
Entry Requirements
Application Process
Submit initial Application
Complete the online application form with your personal information
Documentation Review
Submit required transcripts, certificates, and supporting documents
Assessment
Note: Not required by all colleges.
For colleges that include this step, your application will be evaluated against specific program requirements.
Interview
Note: Not all colleges require an interview.
Some colleges may invite selected candidates for an interview as part of their admissions process.
Decision
Receive an admission decision
Enrollment
Complete registration and prepare to begin your studies
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