DBA – Doctorate in Business Administration
Join a selective cohort and commit to a demanding doctoral journey that will permanently transform your strategic stature.
- Intake
- Admissions open all year round
- Duration
- 18 months
- Teaching hours
- 49 h
Who is this program for?
- Senior executives
- Senior civil servants
- Entrepreneurs
- Experts
The MUniversity DBA is designed for senior executives, senior civil servants and entrepreneurs in French-speaking Africa.
Objectives
- Critically analyze complex management issues
- Design and validate strategic models grounded in real data
- Develop scientific expertise that organizations can apply
- Produce rigorous academic work
- Become a thought leader able to influence management practices
Detailed curriculum
Seminar 1: Problem Framing
7 h
Turn a strategic challenge into a research question.
Advanced Qualitative Methodologies
14 h
Master interviewing and organizational analysis.
Quantitative Methodologies & Data Analytics
14 h
Validate hypotheses through the power of data.
Applied Research Design
7 h
Build a robust architecture for your thesis.
Doctoral Writing & Academic Publishing
7 h
Write to the standards of international journals.
How it unfolds
Foundations & Scoping
Months 1–4
- Topic validation
- Immediate pairing with your Thesis Director (individual mentor).
Investigation & Methodology
Months 5–8
- Methodology seminars and data collection in your professional field.
Analysis & Writing
Months 9–15
- Analysis of the results and writing of the manuscript with your mentor’s constant support.
Defense & Distinction
Months 16–18
- Pre-defense and final defense before a jury of international experts.
Specializations
Public Management
Reforming and optimizing public administrations
Strategic Management
Digital transformation and governance
Health Management
Performance of health systems
The program team
Credential awarded
Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), in the chosen specialization (e.g. “DBA – Health Management”)
Career outcomes
- Senior strategy consultant or sector expert.
- Chief Executive Officer or Chief Strategy Officer.
- Board member or Chair of the Board.
- Visiting professor or expert speaker at leading business schools.
Admission
Cohort limited to 15 candidates
- Application file
- CV, degree certificates, ID document.
Admission steps
- Application submissionDetailed CV, copies of degrees, employment certificates.
- Statement of intentPresentation of a preliminary research project.
- Academic interviewIn-depth discussion with a panel of PhD holders.
- ValidationFinal decision by the scientific committee.
- Official admissionAdmission letter sent, followed by enrollment.
Scientific committee
The program is overseen by a scientific committee of academics and experts in management science.
- Validates the program’s academic direction
- Ensures methodological standards are upheld
- Oversees the assessment and thesis-defense processes
- Guarantees the scientific coherence of the work
Each candidate is supported by a Thesis Director, who guarantees the academic quality of the doctoral project.
The rise of online DBA programs
Traditionally taught on campus, Doctorate in Business Administration programs are moving to high-quality online formats.
This shift meets the needs of international leaders:
- Greater flexibility for working professionals
- A schedule compatible with executive responsibilities
- Structured learning with no career break
- Access to remote academic supervision
The 100% online format of the MUniversity DBA is part of this international trend while maintaining a high level of academic rigor.
A thesis based on a real project (Live Project)
The MUniversity DBA is built on applied research directly connected to your professional environment.
The thesis is based on a real project drawn from your organization or your industry.
This approach delivers:
- Results you can use immediately
- A strategic return on investment
- A concrete contribution to management practice
The DBA does not separate theory from action: it brings them together.
Academic requirements
Earning the MUniversity DBA requires a high degree of discipline and intellectual rigor:
- A structured doctoral manuscript.
- An in-depth literature review.
- A scientifically defensible research problem.
- A validated research methodology.
- A rigorous analysis of the data collected.
- A defense before an international academic jury.
The impact of DBA graduates
DBA graduates play a decisive role in how organizations evolve. In particular, they help to:
- Lead organizational transformations
- Influence strategic decisions across their sector
- Embed responsible, sustainable approaches
- Build a research culture within companies
- Support leadership teams in complex contexts
The DBA strengthens the ability to turn research into strategic action.
Ethics & confidentiality commitment
Academic integrity — Every candidate commits to anti-plagiarism rules, to the authenticity of their data and to the principles of research ethics. All work is rigorously checked.
Data protection — MUniversity guarantees full confidentiality of professional information and offers the option to anonymize the organizations studied in the final manuscript to protect companies’ strategic secrets.
Frequently asked questions
Value of the degree and recognition
Is the DBA a “real” doctorate?
The Doctorate in Business Administration is a high-level professional doctorate in management. It is not “inferior” to the Ph.D.: it is different. The Ph.D. validates the ability to produce academic theories; the DBA validates the ability to produce scientific expertise applicable to organizations. It is an executive doctorate widely offered by leading international schools and valued by consulting firms.
Can I use the title “Doctor”?
After your defense, you obtain the Doctorate in Business Administration and may state your DBA title (for example “Dr First name Last name, DBA”). This distinction strengthens your professional standing and your intellectual authority. The use of the title of doctor in an official context depends on the regulations of each country.
DBA or Ph.D.: clearing up the ambiguity
What is the difference with a Ph.D.?
The Ph.D. is a 3- to 4-year path devoted to fundamental research. The DBA is an 18-month career accelerator. The Ph.D. trains academic researchers; the DBA trains practitioner-researchers, able to use science to transform organizations.
Is the DBA easier to obtain than a Ph.D.?
No. The methodological requirements are the same. What changes is the object of study: you work on real data from your professional environment. The rigor is identical; the usefulness is immediate.
Organization and support
When can I start?
Admissions are open all year round. Admission is individual: your program starts as soon as your application is approved.
Can you defend a thesis in 18 months?
Yes, thanks to a reinforced methodological structure. In a traditional doctorate, a lot of time is often lost looking for one’s method alone. At MUniversity, 49 hours of seminars support you from the first month, and each phase has precise objectives.
How does remote supervision work?
From the start, you are paired with an expert thesis director with whom you exchange regularly by videoconference. This individual, personalized follow-up keeps you from feeling isolated.
What if I do not have a precise topic when I enroll?
That is normal. Seminar 1, “Problem framing”, helps you define, from your field experience, the research question that will have the most impact on your career.
Career impact and funding
What concrete advantage for my career?
The DBA clearly sets you apart from holders of a master’s degree or an MBA. It strengthens your legitimacy to join boards of directors and general management positions, and to act as an expert for international institutions or governments.
How is the DBA funded?
Tuition fees, funding options and scholarship opportunities are presented to you during the admission interview, once the soundness of your research project and your motivation have been confirmed.
Which specializations can I choose?
Public management, strategic management or health management.