Programme details - Durham University Business School

Global DBA

The Global DBA Durham-emlyon (GDBA), is a new part-time executive doctoral programme delivered by Durham University Business School and emlyon business school across global locations: UK, France and other international locations to be confirmed. Take your leadership to the next level in an age of disruption.

The GDBA develop your understanding of frontier insights in management and business and enhance your own research capabilities, empowering you to push the boundaries of knowledge. Through this, you will become a true business leader enabling you to accelerate your personal development and further boost your career.

You will use your research expertise by focusing on a challenge or opportunity your organisation is facing, to help transform your business and make an impact to professional practice and relevant communities across institutional, disciplinary and geographical boundaries.

The Business School

Durham University Business School is a Faculty of Durham University and has three Departments which are Accounting, Economics and Finance, and Management and Marketing.

Our vision is to lead business thought and practice to improve global wealth and well-being

emlyon Business School

emlyon business school is a leading international and European business school in France. A stand-alone business school that was founded in 1872 by the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry and located at the time in an 18th-century building in downtown Lyon.

emlyon business school views quality as an intrinsic component of its operations and pedagogical approach.

How is the Global DBA programme structured?

The Global DBA Durham-emlyon is a double doctoral degree programme and is co-taught by faculty from both Durham University Business School and emlyon business school. You will receive a Doctorate from each School and also be co-supervised by faculty from both institutions.

The programme consists of five core modules and involves part-time study over four to six years, structured in a way you can combine your demanding executive careers with periods of intense study and individual research progress.

Programme Structure

First-year

Dates	Learning Activities	Location
January	Welcome and Orientation	Durham
January	Core Module 1 Leadership and Followership	London
May	Core Module 2 Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice	TBC
October	Core Module 3 Innovation and Technology Management	Paris

Covid-19: We have now returned to in-person teaching and students are required to attend each module in person at the agreed locations.

Second year

Dates	Learning Activities	Location
January	Core Module 4 Global Strategic Management	Paris
January	Core Module 5 Theory Into Practice - Part 1	Durham (and online)
April/May	Core Module 5 Theory into practice - Part 2	London

Years 3 – 6

Dates	Learning Activities	Location
	Doctoral Thesis (maximum 60,000 words)	Self-directed, on-line meetings, and face to face meetings where possible

Modules

The Global DBA consists of five core modules

Leadership and Followership

You will develop a critical understanding of leadership and its impact on organisational function. Your own leadership capabilities will be enhanced through in-depth engagement with research and theory.

Global Strategic Management

You will consider how to build and maintain competitive advantage, and gain further knowledge of strategic management in a global context developing skills in analysing complex business situations.

Innovation and Technology Management

Whilst exploring different models of innovation and technology management to support competitiveness, you will develop your overall knowledge in this subject area.

You will investigate new forms of organisations and the wider supply chain network in supporting innovation.

Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice

Through theory and observation or experience you will develop your skills to analyse the internal and external factors which impact on successful entrepreneurship.

Theory into Practice

You will become familiar with relevant and rigorous theories, aware of theories you can take advantage of, develop the ability to identify a suitable research topic and generate theoretically relevant research questions. You will also gain the ability to identify suitable research methods, to appreciate ethical issues in research and to make an important contribution to both academic knowledge and the practical business world.

You will benefit from close and active supervision, under the guidance of your supervisors who will be subject specialists. To conclude this first phase, and to support and consolidate your learning, during an oral examination you will have the opportunity to have your ideas tested in a ‘viva’: explaining your research design in front of an independent panel and responding to developmentally supportive questions. In addition, you will submit a 15,000-word assignment, full research proposal, based on a comprehensive literature review, and development of conceptual and methodological frameworks, which will form the backbone of your fuller project.