Articles
My DBA Journey: The Start of Beautiful Things
Jouko Pitkänen
The Aalto Executive Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a structured program in Business Administration for experienced individuals with considerable managerial experience who wish to contribute to the development of their professional competence and their key areas of interest.
The program has both real world relevance and academic rigor and focuses on the relevance to the employer and the professional development of the candidate.
Aalto Executive DBA graduates will develop doctoral level in-depth knowledge of the latest theories and methodologies in business research and act as thought leaders for organizational change. In addition to executive positions, DBA graduates typically work in various expert positions in corporations and the public sector. The DBA research project – finalized in a publicly defended DBA thesis – typically has strong linkages to business and managerial practice. DBA candidates can, for instance, conduct a sizable research project for their employer.
Compared to some more scientifically oriented doctoral programs, the DBA studies and research place emphasis on the application of theories – the creation and testing of an entirely novel theory is not a necessity. The majors of Aalto Executive DBA are strategy and marketing, but any managerially relevant interdisciplinary topics are strongly encouraged.
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Novel, innovative, and creative solutions to business problems and opportunities as well as thought leadership for organizational change
Doctoral level in-depth knowledge of latest theories and methodologies in business research
Flexible part-time study structure and a strongly applied nature of the doctoral thesis
From Aalto Executive DBA graduates the employers can expect novel, innovative, and creative solutions to business problems and opportunities as well as thought leadership for organizational change.
Aalto Executive DBA graduates will centrally develop doctoral level in-depth knowledge of latest theories and methodologies in business research. The requirements for coursework are essentially the same as for any DSc or PhD program at Aalto University School of Business - 60 credits in 10 doctoral level courses. However, the main difference to the DSc and PhD programs is the flexible part-time study structure of the Aalto Executive DBA and the strongly applied nature of the doctoral thesis.
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To graduate, the Aalto Executive DBA candidate must have completed 10 personally tailored doctoral courses (60 credit units), that consist of compulsory courses on academic writing and research methods as well as tailored online courses that support the thesis’ topic.
Normally, an online course consists of approximately 30 journal articles or research papers around a subject. Typically, there are no traditional lectures nor exams. The primary instructor can be contacted online when preparing the reaction papers and essays around the readings. Moreover, the students discuss the readings related to their coursework and receive face-to-face feedback from the instructors during the course.
The Aalto Executive DBA Thesis
As the result of the Aalto Executive DBA studies the candidate will produce a DBA thesis which has strong linkages to business and managerial practice. The DBA thesis will deliver a high degree of both scholarship and independent thought. The thesis supervision is conducted by highly qualified supervisors, professors from Aalto University and visiting faculty, who provide mentorship and academic direction. The thesis is written in English and typically consists of 3-6 scientific articles or conference papers and a summary. The thesis is typically 100-150 pages in total.
Assessment
The completed thesis is submitted for examination and public defense to internal and external examiners approved by the Board of Studies of Aalto EE.
Timeframe
In line with high-intensity management education programs, the Aalto Executive DBA program provides the opportunity for accelerated progress through 3 academic years. Maximum 6 years of studies are allowed to complete the Aalto Executive DBA program.
Please contact the program director in order to apply for the Aalto Executive DBA program. You will get the application form from the program director, and also from this page.
The application process consists of: