Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) – Management
Join a selective cohort and commit to a demanding doctoral journey that will permanently transform your strategic stature.
- Next session
- To be confirmed
- Duration
- 18 months
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
Program Director
Jihene Sebai
Advanced Digital Marketing Strategy
View profile
Credential awarded
Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) – 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
DBA vs Ph.D.: clearing up the ambiguity
Is a DBA easier to obtain than a Ph.D.?
No. The methodological demands are the same. What changes is the object of study: instead of working on abstract theories, you work on real data from your professional environment. The scientific rigor is identical; the practical value is many times greater.
Organization and support
What if I don’t have a precise topic when I enroll?
That is perfectly normal. Seminar 1 (“Problem Framing”) is specifically designed to help you work out, from your rich field experience, the research problem that will have the greatest strategic impact on your career.