Business School Lausanne - Doctorate of Business Administration

Founded in 1987 by Dr John Hobbs Business School Lausanne is based in Switzerland, With a diverse student community and qualified and experienced faculty members the school is proud of its co-creative approach to learning, focusing on topics as broad as leadership, systems thinking, economics and business-driven sustainability.
The school is specialized in providing business and management education with a focus on sustainability. The school offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs. BSL's programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

Students are provided with access to a number of BSL resources and are offered the following assistance:

• two, non-mandatory, one-week seminars per year (DBA Acceleration Weeks – DAWs),
• individually supervised research with a supervisor,
• continuous support from the BSL Doctoral School team,
• access to the Doctoral School Resource Center.

The BSL DBA programme is divided into six phases.

Admission phase:

Admission team will guide you through the process of application submission and admission process including completing a letter of intent and preliminary research topic proposal. The intent of preliminary admission is to accept the research topic and initiate the process of faculty supervisor selection.

Defining your research question:

Once the student is accepted to the programme, Director of the Doctoral School initiates a DBA consultancy session with the aim of shaping the first step of the research process. This is being followed by appointing a faculty supervisor, who will further collaborate with you in working on and submitting literature review and primary assignment. The optimal duration of this phase is 18 months.

Research proposal:

Submited literature review and case study will be reviewed by your supervisor and the Doctoral School Executive, who will provide final ratification of your research question.

Thesis writing:

This phase can take up to 18 months and requires thesis writing as well as defining detailed progression plan.

Oral defense:

The Viva Voce is taking place in person on campus, unless live video examination is a must due to an event that is beyond party control. Two qualified examiners assess the thesis. Both examiners hold doctoral-level degree.

Publication:

Once the thesis is completed and defended it will be published on the BSL repository. Also, it is possible to publish scientific articles during the course of Doctoral programme, under provision of your supervisor.

There are twenty places offered in the DBA programme. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, up to one year prior to the selected intake.

In order to qualify for a DBA programme, an individual needs to hold an E/MBA or a Master-level degree in management or a business related field supported with professional qualification. A typical Doctoral candidate is a mature and experienced leader demonstrating ability to meet DBA study and research requirements. Five to eight years of professional experience is the required minimum, with a significant portion of it being on a senior level.

Requirements summary:

• an E/MBA or Masters degree holder in a business faculty or management fields
• demonstrate the potential to do doctoral level work through the submission of a research topic
• at least eight years of professional experience (assessed case-by-case basis)
• proof of English proficiency

Application deadlines for September intake:

• Swiss & EU Applicants – July 31st / August 31st
• International Applicants – May 1st