International Institute in Geneva

Advance your career by studying a Doctorate degree without interrupting your work

The Doctorate of Business Administration(DBA) program is designed for working professionals who would like take their critical and analytical skills to a new level and enhance their professional credentials. The program, which is a partnership with the University of Plymouth and the International Institute in Geneva, will enable you to earn a British accredited doctoral degree by attending the taught phase workshops in Geneva. You will begin your journey by identifying a real-world problem within your organisation that is directly relevant to you. Your research will lead you to create novel tools to address that problem and improve the practice of management long term. The program starts in October of each year and participants will have the flexibility to attend these workshops and then conduct their research online under the guidance of assigned supervisors. We offer the flexibility to fit around your professional commitments.

 

 

Why DBA?

DBA is part-time research based programs in business and public administration with the aim to prepare business managers and future leaders. This degree is academically rigorous and provide practical professional qualification. It is designed to enable participants to synthesize and develop professional practice, theoretical understanding and reflexive capability.

 

Furthermore, participants will enhance their personal and professional development by fueling their research curiosity, learn the importance of critical thinking and decision making and prepare themselves to address the unique challenges and opportunities of today’s business and public policy environment.

 

Many of the students work full time while pursuing the DBA. This degree whilst being equivalent in status and challenge to a PhD, are more appropriate to advance professional practice.

  • Duration
    4 Years
  • Starting
    October
  • Courses
    Courses

Key Benefits

  • The program is studied part-time and designed for working professionals who have the motivation to expand their knowledge/skills and get a degree without interrupting their work
  • Benefit from direct involvement with the Plymouth Business School research community
  • While the degree is awarded by the University of Plymouth UK, the workshops are conducted at the International Institute in Geneva which provides access to the region with major private and public organizations such as Nestle, Procter and Gamble, United Nations, World Trade Organization, WHO, Red Cross
  • Enable you to contribute to the knowledge of your professional practice
PLAY

Program Details

 

Year 1 - Taught phase


You will attend three 3-day (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) workshops organized in around every 3 months at (IIG):

 

1- Advanced Qualitative Research Methods for Doctoral Study
2- Advanced Quantitative Research Methods for Doctoral Study
3- Applying Theory to Professional Practice

 

Year 2 - Research proposal preparation and validation phase
 

There will be workshops and seminars to help you to develop a Research Proposal under the supervision of a research advisor.

 

Year 3 & 4 (Research Phase)
 

Upon the successful completion of your Research Proposal, you will be promoted to candidacy status and continue with your research (any topic linked to your work or passion/interest), finally producing a thesis. This will be done wherever you are based through email/skype under the guidance of assigned supervisors at the University of Plymouth.

 

Doctorate Timetable

Module Schedule
 

Module title Teaching Block Dates
   
Advanced Qualitative Research Methods for Doctoral Study (Cohort 14) 4-6 October 2024
   
Doctoral Research Proposal (Cohort 13) 4-6 October 2024
   
Advanced Quantitative Research Methods for Doctoral Study (Cohort 14) 24-26 January 2025
   
Doctorate Research Proposal (Cohort 13) 24-26 January 2025
   
Applying Theory to Professional Practice (Cohort 14) 8-10 May 2025
   
7th Doctorate Symposium (All Cohorts) 10 May 2025
   
   
   
   

 

University of Plymouth

The University

The University

The University of Plymouth is one of the UK’s most prominent and dynamic universities with an educational history dating back to 1862. The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 named Plymouth as one of the top three universities in the United Kingdom.

Students

Students

The University of Plymouth has over 25’000 students and has a long record of high quality innovative research as demonstrated by its achievements in the RAE.
 
 

Scoring 4 stars

Scoring 4 stars

The university submitted twenty-five Units of Assessment in the 2008 RAE. The results show that the majority of research submitted by the university included world-leading research, achieving the highest rating possible - scoring 4 stars.

The Research

The Research

Overall, 80% of the research was judged as being of international repute. In the Research Fortnight research power league table, on the basis of the results of the 2008 RAE Plymouth has leapt 15 places to join the top 50 universities.

Admission Requirements

If you have a master's degree (strong professional experience required if you don't have a master's degree), you must submit the first set of documents below to dba@iun.ch before the deadline mentioned for each admission cycle below:               

DBA Application Cycles for Oct 2024 intake Submission deadline of 1st set of documents Initial interviews 2nd interviews Submission deadline of 2nd set of documents Offer letters
1st January 15th Jan 16-30 Feb 15-28 Mar 15-25 Mar 26-30
2nd April 1st Apr 2-15 May 1-12 May 15-30 Jun 1-10
3rd June 1st Jun 2-15 Jul 1-15 Jul 16-20 Jul 26-30
Late applications August 15th Aug 15-20 Aug 21-30 Sept 1-7

Sept 8-15

                                                                                             

1st set of documents to submit 

CV                                                                                                 

- Personal statement (Provide details about your professional experience and why you think this is an opportune time to take up the challenge of the DBA in approximately 800 words)

- Initial Research idea - Brief Abstract (Describe the research area or topic that you hope to investigate ideally on one of the following research priorities for the Plymouth Business School in approximately 1000 words  

2nd set of documents to submit     

- Copy of your passport and a photo                                                                        

- Reference letters (min two and at least one should be academic)                       

- Your transcripts and degree certificates for bachelor and master (in English)                                                                                                  

- IELTS (academic level) or equivalent for applicants whose education was not in English: Min overall 6.5 and 5.5 in all components                                                    

- and fill the application form: https://www.iig.ch/en-en/admissions/doctorate by paying a non-refundable application fee payable in Swiss Francs CHF150 (download here)

Minimum Requirement

- A Master's degree (candidate with strong professional experience may be considered)


- Work experience

 

Tuition Breakdown

  Home / EU
(par an)
International & Islands
(par an)
Year 1 (Taught phase)
 
£ 13'650 £ 13'650
Year 2 (Research proposal preparation and validation phase) £ 9'400 £ 9'400
Year 3 & 4 (Research Phase) £ 6'300 £ 6'300

Our current Doctoral Graduates

Name Award Date Research topic

 Arzoo Syeddah

 30/04/17 

 A Dialectical Discourse on Responsible Business Behaviour with Small Medium   Enterprises: A Case Study of Pakistan

 Erdem Erciyes

 01/05/17

 The Impact of Culture, Leadership and Power on  Staff Motivation in the Context of   International Organizations

 Kosmos   Akande-Alasoka

 17/07/18 Communication Technology and Governance: The Case of Nigeria
 Abdulla N Al   Noaimi  28/10/18

 The Relationship Between Culture, Manager's Leadership Styles and Employees       Motivation Level in a Bahraini Service Organization Environment

 Reynatou   Noma   Mounkaila  11/02/19

 Corporate Social Responsibility, Path Dependency and Cultural Difference:

 An Analysis of Equitable Health Insurance Schemes for Niger

Corinne Tomta-Heinrich     

15/09/20

A pragmatist context-based assessment of the economic implications of eating patterns in a small sub-Saharan developing economy: Focus on Togo