Doctor of Business Administration

	Executive Doctor of Business Administration	Doctor of Business Administration
Taught DBA	60 ECTS in coursework (One Year)	120 ECTS in coursework (Two Years)
Research Thesis	60 ECTS for DBA Thesis (One Year)	60 ECTS for DBA Thesis (One Year)
Degree awarded	Executive DBA	DBA

Objectives of the Programme

The modular Master and Doctor of Business Administration programme in Executive Management has as a general aim of provision of an academically rigorous education designed to develop skills, expertise, knowledge and vision to enable students, whatever their chosen route, to be critical, analytical and creative. The programme aims to provide opportunity for self-development in relation to career enhancement and as life-long learners.

The programme offers students the opportunity to develop their own capabilities, skills and competencies within a supported environment. The philosophy of the programme can be summarized by the following objectives.

Develop a critical approach to the use of contemporary sources as a means of exploring complex concepts, ideas and issues of relevance and value to the chosen area of study.

Develop the power of critical enquiry, logical thought, creative imagination and independent judgment.

Provide a forum of study that allows each student to build on his or her past academic and vocational experience in a relevant and meaningful fashion.

Expose the student to a range of prospective, which may be applicable to both the interests and work situations as appropriate.

Recognize the variety of sources of learning and an appropriate diversity of means for assessing achievement.

This programme intends to allow the individual student to develop their potential through a carefully selected curriculum of study, which includes elements of a variety of methods of study orientated around both the academic and vocational axis.

The primary objectives of the DBA programme are to:
- Enable the student to achieve an appropriate level of academic competence.
- Achieve personal development and to develop critical awareness of benefit to themselves and to their organization
- Develop skills of initiation, implementation and analysis in a range of contexts.
- Develop capability in the analysis and evaluation of complex issues and situations
The specific objectives of the program will vary according to the chosen named award and will include the:
- Development of knowledge at an advanced level.
- Development of skills of analysis, research and policy formulation and implementation.
- Unification of theoretical analysis and practice through a variety of contexts appropriate to business administration.
- Issues of organization management and the management of people.

Degree Programme

DBA Doctor of Business Administration programme

Doctor en Administración de Empresas (Dr.)

The entry requirements are a graduate degree of at least 240 ECTS credits in total, an MBA, MSc, or similar Masters degree, or equivalent qualifications in general management, or in a functional field by examination awarded by a professional body. We may also ask for significant experience in a managerial or professional supervisory position involving responsibility for strategic issues.

DBA candidates may specialize in areas such as management science, technology management, organizational behavior, economics, or finance or other practical fields.

Both, the DBA and PhD in Business Administration are terminal degrees. The degree of Doctor of Business Administration, abbreviated DBA and equivalent to a PhD in Business Administration, is a research doctorate in business administration. The DBA requires coursework and research beyond the Masters degree requiring a dissertation or journal publication that contributes to business practice. The portion of the programme, consisting of coursework and examination, is equivalent to that of a PhD. The part of the programme, consisting of independent research and the writing of a thesis, is geared towards more applied research in DBA programmes, with the research making a direct contribution to business practice. The DBA requires a significant thesis, dissertation or final comprehensive project including a formal defence and approval by nominated examiners or an officially sanctioned and qualified doctoral review committee. The PhD aims at the creation of new theory, while DBA aims at applying theory to business problems; thereby, the DBA programme has two purposes: (1) to contribute to both theory and practice in relation to business and management; and (2) to develop professional practice and to contribute to professional knowledge. The degree is conferred when all coursework, testing, and written research are completed and reviewed and approved by the jurors of the examination commission.

Degree programme structure:

Period of coursework: 120 ECTS credits (2 study years) – transfer of credits from the MBA programme to the DBA programme is possible in the extent of 120 ECTS credits

Doctoral Thesis: 60 ECTS credits (1 study year) – degree awarded by UCN: DBA Doctor of Business Administration / Doctor en Administración de Empresas

Official study time for the short Executive DBA programme is two years (120 ECTS), and three years (180 ECTS) for the regular DBA programme.

Entry requirements:

Masters degree or equivalent degree and admission evaluation (240 ECTS credits)

1 ECTS credit equals 0,5 US semester hours.

Programme features:

Short Executive DBA programme:

60 ECTS in coursework plus 60 ECTS for DBA Thesis
Executive DBA: 60 ECTS in coursework
Research Thesis for DBA: 60 ECTS for DBA Thesis

Regular taught DBA duration programme:

120 ECTS in coursework plus 60 ECTS for DBA Thesis
Taught DBA: 120 ECTS in coursework
Research Thesis for DBA: 60 ECTS for DBA Thesis

Degree awarded:

UCN Universidad Central de Nicaragua DBA (Executive DBA)
UCN Universidad Central de Nicaragua DBA

Programme modality:

Online DBA programme.

The Executive DBA curriculum consists of 120 ECTS credits of postgraduate study, offered as modular fashion. DBA-candidates in the short programme complete 10 required modules/courses (60 ECTS credits), plus a final Thesis/Dissertation (60 ECTS credits) focused on a specific field or industry of management.

The DBA curriculum consists of 180 ECTS credits of postgraduate study, offered as modular fashion. DBA-candidates in the short programme complete 20 required modules/courses (120 ECTS credits), plus a final Thesis/Dissertation (60 ECTS credits) focused on a specific field or industry of management.

Level:

Postgraduate

Tuitions

Tuitions vary by the duration of programme (short or regular) and the single or dual degree options. For applicable tuitions, please, see the tuitions sheet of the DBA programmes of UCN European Programmes.

Tuitions are due in full with enrolment for the complete programme. Please click here to find all fees in details

Refund policy

Tuitions are due in full with enrolment. Once the programme has started (tuitions collected) no tuitions will be repaid. Students, who do not pay tuitions after admission are not enrolled.

Degree Regulations

The applicable degree regulations for DBA and dual degree programmes of UCN apply.

Duration and workload of a course

Successful completion of a course with a workload of 6 ECTS credits is estimated to be approximately 150 hours. Students should allocate approximately eight hours a week for reading, personal study, completion of reflection activities and submission of assignments. There is one marked assignment per module. Courses are offered on a part-time basis and are designed to be completed within four months. The asynchronic e-learning mode of the programme allows students to proceed at their own pace. Official study time for the short Executive DBA programme is two years (120 ECTS), and three years (180 ECTS) for the regular DBA programme.

Study language

The programme is conducted in English. English proficiency is required for the DBA programme.

Student Support

Students are eligible for UCN International Programmes student support regarding tutoring and assistance in the programme.

Applicable Thesis Regulations

§ 13 Dissertation Thesis

1) The range of themes for theses, their extent and particulars, as well as the requirements for theses are announced by the University based on the proposals examining committee for the thesis examination.

2) A doctoral thesis is a monothematic work which brings about new findings, it is not a compilation of literature, as a rule it presents personal original research pursued by the Applicant.

3) In general, the thesis is written in Spanish language. An Applicant of different nationality or a foreign Applicant shall ask the admission commission for a possibility to write the thesis in a foreign language. In case of available language capacity the admission commission shall approve the request. A thesis written in a language other than Spanish or English shall include a summary written in Spanish or English language in extent of up to 10 pages. According to available enrolments and tutoring capacities particularly the following study languages are approved: Spanish, English, German, French, Italian & Arabic.

4) The use of Master-theses or doctoral theses having already been used for the award of an academic degree is not allowed. The Applicant cannot submit as a rigorous thesis his/her diploma thesis or any other qualification thesis, neither the work of a compilation character. The University can accept a prior dissertation and doctorate only for the purpose of revalidation of the degree in order to award the equivalent degree.

5) The Applicant submits to the examining committee the thesis. The thesis has to be written in text editor, printed and bound in hard cover. Upon request of the Applicant or order recommendation of the examination committee the submission of an electronic version is permitted. Two hardcopy editions of the thesis must be sent to the University.

6) To evaluate a thesis the examining committee nominates at least one staff member possessing the “assistant professor” or “professor” title or the academic title PhD, Dr. or an equivalent degree at doctoral level. The evaluator/s are appointed by the examining committee.

7) The evaluator first evaluates the methodological aspect of the thesis. In the event of the positive evaluation, the thesis shall be evaluated from a specialized, subject-specific perspective. Positive evaluations of the thesis are necessary preconditions for the invitation of the Applicant to the thesis defence and examination.

8) The nominated evaluator shall submit to the examining committee within 60 days from the delivery of the thesis to the evaluator the evaluation of the thesis in which s/he shall state if the thesis does or does not meet the requirements determined by the examining committee and this given study plan. In the evaluation the evaluator shall also present comments on the content of the thesis and, in conclusion of the evaluation, state if s/he does or does not recommend the thesis for the oral defence, or if s/he recommends to rewrite the thesis.

9) In the event that the evaluator does not recommend the thesis for the defence, the Applicant can rewrite the thesis and resubmit it for evaluation on the next deadline for theses submission as determined by the examining committee. If s/he fails to submit the thesis on the given deadline s/he shall be excluded from the registration of Applicants for examinations and thesis defences. The Applicant can ask the examining committee in writing for the extension of the thesis submission deadline not more than twice.

10) Within the six months from the thesis submission before the thesis examination the examining committee shall notify the Applicant in writing of the place, date and time of the online-examination and at the same time notify him/her the result of the evaluation of the thesis.

11) Precondition of the invitation to the thesis defence and examination is the positive evaluator evaluation.

§ 14 Examining Committee

1) The examination and thesis defence take place in front of the examining committee via video conference.

2) The right to act as examiners is granted only to university teachers occupying the posts of professors or assistant professors or other experts possessing at least the academic title PhD, Dr. or comparable qualification at doctoral level, approved by the University.

3) The committee is appointed by the University, the nominees are selected from the eligible staff members as stated in Paragraph 2.

4) The committee consists of a chairman and a minimum of two other members. An external evaluator is appointed.

5) As a general rule, the committee is appointed for a period until dismissal.

§ 15 Examination and Defence of Thesis

1) The examination can take place only when a chairman and a minimum of two other members are present online. The procedure of the examination is delivered by means of electronic telecommunications media (video-conference).

2) The examination is generally conducted in the language of the thesis.

3) The examination consists of two parts. It starts with the thesis presentation and defence and continues immediately by the oral examination by the examining committee. In defence of thesis the Applicant responds to the comments and answers the questions of the committee members.

4) The committee members vote upon the result of the examination in the non public part of the session on the day of the doctoral examination. The examination result is expressed in words as “passed” or “failed”.

5) The examination procedure is recorded in writing. All documents including the notation and the evaluation are kept in the Archive in compliance with the valid regulations.

§ 16 Retaking Examinations

1) In the event the Applicant cannot take the online-examination on the given date and gives a written apology for his/her absence within seven days thereafter, the examining committee shall provide on the basis of Applicant’s request and consultation with the committee chairman a substitute date for taking the examination.

2) In the event the Applicant fails to appear in the stipulated time for the online-examination without giving a written apology within seven days thereafter, s/he shall be evaluated as if s/he had “failed” in the examination.

3) In the event the Applicant failed in the defence of the thesis or in the oral examination, the examination can be repeated on the next date announced for the examinations; the examining committee shall determine the date of the repeated examination. The examining committee can permit two further repetitions of the examination.

§ 17 Academic Degree

1) In compliance with the provisions of the Ley de Autonomía de las Instituciones de Educación Superior, applicable to UCN in Nicaragua, after passing the examination of the thesis the following academic degrees are conferred: By UCN Universidad Central de Nicaragua:

Professional Doctorate: Doctor en Administración de Empresas, abbreviated „Dr.“ (English diploma: DBA Doctorate in Business Administration)
Research Doctorate: Doctor, abbreviated „Dr.“ or „PhD.“

3) The doctoral degree of the fully autonomous UCN Universidad Central de Nicaragua, validating and accrediting the programme, is a fully recognised doctoral degree in the sense of Article 82 of the Ley General de Educación (Nicaragua) and legally awarded in compliance with Articles 7 and 9 of the Law on Autonomy of the Institutions of Higher Education (Nicaragua).

§ 18 Distance Learning Mode

1) Notification: the International Doctoral Programme – Double Degree Programme is a distance education programme only to be completed by means of electronic media of tele-communications and e-learning directly at the University in Nicaragua, and that no elements of the study programme are conducted in third countries.

Programme Structure and Module Syllaba

The DBA modules are replaced by the Avrio Modules
No Specialization modules are required. However, the thesis topic must be the same topic of the Specialization.

DBA MODULES

Mandatory core courses (60 ECTS)

DBAen1105 – Macroeconomics
DBAen1110 – Business Administration
DBAen1115 – Microeconomics
DBAen1125 – Organisation Management
DBAen1210 – Marketing
DBAen1215 – Corporate Finance
DBAen1220 – Human Resource Management
DBAen1230 – Innovation & Management
DBAen1240 – Management Techniques
DBAen1250 – Corporate Governance and International Business

Elective courses (42 ECTS)

DBAen1315 – Human Resource Management 2
DBAen1320 – Strategic Management
DBAen1325 – Project Management
DBAen1335 – Change Management
DBAen1340 – Commercial Awareness & CRM
DBAen1350 – Leadership
DBAen1415 – Globalization
DBAen1420 – Coaching
DBAen1425 – Conflict Management
DBAen1428 – Business Law
DBAen1430 – Strategic Marketing
DBAen1433 – Communication Skills
DBAen1445 – Risk Management
DBAen1450 – Corporate Social Responsibility

Thesis project

Elective courses (12 ECTS)

DBAen1480 – Business Research Methods
DBAen1490 – Thesis Presentation & Defence
DBAen1510 – Thesis Seminar 1
DBAen1520 – Thesis Seminar 2
DBAen1530 – Publication

Mandatory Thesis project (66 ECTS)

DBAen1650 – Thesis Project
DBAen1655 – Defence & Examination

Specializations:

All Specializationsthat offered at Avrio Institute without the Specializations modules.

Academic Calendar (Admission Deadline, Intakes & Exams)

Business & Management

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