The Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) is a three-year, research-focused program designed for founders, executives, and managers seeking to deepen their expertise with advanced skills in management and organisational sciences.
The first year introduces management research methodologies and helps students define their research topics. The following two years are dedicated to conducting research and completing a dissertation under expert supervision.
Delivered fully online, this program targets senior managers with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) and at least five years of professional experience. It fosters critical thinking and applied research focused on solving real organisational challenges and generating societal impact.
The pedagogical content is tailored for business leaders empowered to conduct innovative research on contemporary management practices. Thanks to collaborations with leading research institutions in France and abroad, the program remains highly relevant to the dynamics of emerging markets.
Participants also benefit from exclusive opportunities to engage with IPAG Lab—a top-ranked French research centre—and to publish their research in prestigious international conferences and journals.
By enrolling, you join a stimulating academic environment committed to exploring the evolving socio-economic and organisational landscape, empowering you to drive meaningful change in your organisation and beyond.
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Module Code
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Module
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ECTS
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Year 1
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DBAIPAG101
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Research Design 1 - Epistemology, Research Fundamentals and Problem Formulation
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08
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DBAIPAG102
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Research Methodology 1: Qualitative Analysis
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08
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DBAIPAG103
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Research Methodology 2: Quantitative Analysis
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08
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DBAIPAG104
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Applied Research Course: Organizational Strategy and Innovation Management
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08
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DBAIPAG105
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Applied Research Course: The Metamorphoses of Organizations and Management in Times of Transitions
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08
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DBAIPAG106
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Thesis Proposal
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10
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Thesis Proposal Defense
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10
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Year 2
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DBAIPAG201
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Elective course Gender Equality, Diversity Management and Social Inclusion at Work*
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4
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Thesis Draft 1 (Literature Review)
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20
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Research Seminar
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Thesis Draft 2 (Literature Review + Research Methodology)
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20
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Thesis Draft 1 Defense (Literature Review)
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16
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Year 3
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Thesis Draft 3 (Literature Review + Research Methodology + Empirical Analysis)
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26
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Research Seminar
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Final Thesis
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30
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Thesis Defense
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4
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Total Credits
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180
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Module Description
During this course, students will learn how to draft the first research proposal. First, the structure of the research proposal is investigated. Then, suggestions regarding the research schedules, research methods and literature references are provided to students. Accessing research articles, methodological frameworks and datasets is also covered by the course. Softwares such as Google Scholar, Endnotes, BibTex and Turn-It-in are introduced. Teaching methods will prioritize active methods, experiential learning, discussion learning, action learning, critical management learning and situated learning. The support material is made of only the thesis proposal sent by the students.
Learning Outcomes
LO1: Understand the structure of the research proposal
LO2: Comprehend the importance of the appropriate data collection and methodological framework formulation
LO3: Know how to draft a research proposal
LO4: Construct the bibliographic references to build literature review; Assess the research data needs
Module Description
The course emphasizes basic tools and methods that graduate students will encounter and use in business research.
The course starts with an overview of social research, and of methods frequently used in social science research. Next, it emphasizes learning statistical tools needed to answer specific research questions. Thereafter it focuses on survey research, including survey setup. It then reviews the elements of survey research design. and Students will conduct statistical analysis of data obtained through the survey and present research findings.
The course further develops an understanding of the philosophical foundations of qualitative research, highlighting its contextually embedded, reflexive, and iterative nature. Drawing on Patton (1980) and Berkowitz (1997), it emphasizes that qualitative analysis is not merely inductive but is profoundly shaped by the researcher’s interpretative lens. Students are introduced to techniques that help articulate their subjective, ontological, and epistemological stances, particularly through the use of reflective diaries and continuous engagement with research questions and brainstorming activities. The course also guides students in exploring a research topic using non-numerical data to understand experiences, perceptions, and behaviors, with a focus on uncovering the “why” and “how” behind given phenomena.
The course emphasizes recent developments in machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big data applications. It showcases prominent avenues in these fields.
Mode of delivery is individual hands-on analysis of data using statistical software, group discussions and presentations.
Learning Outcomes
LO1: Provide guidance in applying the elements of research methods, including methodology, research design, data collection, data analysis, to the research topic.
LO2: Identify appropriate statistical methods and conduct analyses to answer research questions.
LO3: Demonstrate proficiency in writing about and visually presenting research.
LO4: Be able to interpret statistical results by independently conduct essential statistical analysis and engage in reflexive practices that enhance the validity and contextual depth of qualitative findings.
Module Description
This course introduces doctoral students to essential quantitative research tools used in business and economics. Emphasis is placed on understanding research design, selecting appropriate analytical methods, and applying statistical techniques to real-world data. Students will gain hands-on experience with software tools for data analysis and conduct multivariate statistical procedures, including factor analysis and regression.
The course also integrates advanced topics such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and Big Data analytics, highlighting their relevance and application in empirical research. Through a combination of lectures, data analysis exercises, and critical discussions, students will develop the skills needed to design and conduct robust quantitative studies and present their findings effectively.
Learning Outcomes
LO1: Identify and justify the use of appropriate statistical techniques for addressing specific research questions.
LO2: Demonstrate awareness of emerging tools and technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and Big Data in academic research.
LO3: Communicate quantitative findings clearly through academic writing and visual presentation.
LO4: Be able to interpret statistical results and be able to independently conduct essential statistical analysis.
Module Description
The main aim of this course is the development of a critical and applied approach towards research in strategic management. In a small group of highly motivated participants the main assumptions, theoretical mechanisms.
Module Description
Grounded in an open and fruitful dialogue between academic and professional expertise, this transdisciplinary module, designed and delivered by Professor Maria Giuseppina Bruna (Dean for Research, Dissemination and Impact of the IPAG Business School, Director & Founder of the IPAG Chair “Towards an Inclusive Company”), promoted by the IPAG Chair “Towards an Inclusive Company”), aims at stimulating learners’ awareness as well as to enhance their knowledge, know-how and soft skills to identify, decrypt and address ethical, societal and socio-managerial promises, challenges and dilemmas punctuating business life in postmodern VUCA (or BANI) era.
This course invites students to a journey towards the company for tomorrow endorsing a paradigm rooted in holistic forecasting, ethics of regulation, green sustainability and social inclusion.
Focusing on the “challenges of the Corporate Social Responsibility”, this academic course endorses both a participative and dialogical approach to outline a forecasting of professions, organizations, and management (designing the company of tomorrow), under the light of ethics, responsibility, sustainability, and inclusion. Consequently, it exposes (or rather, co-constructs along with learners) a new leadership model as well as agile and inclusive, reflexive and learning-focused, reticular and resilient (Bruna & Bazin, 2018; Manita et al., 2018; Bruna & Nicolò, 2020; Bruna & Ben Lahouel, 2021; A. I. Hunjra & al., 2022, 2023; Bruna & Cappelletti, 2024). The 2024-2925 course is strongly embedded and enriched by the Institutional & Research Report, delivered by Prof. Maria Giuseppina Bruna and Prof. Laurent Cappelletti (CNAM), on the behalf of the French Foundation for Teaching and Research on Management and its Companies’ Club, on the key-topic of the renewal of management in times of transitions (Bruna & Capp
Methodologically, the course will adopt, pedagogically introduce, and operationally endorse an innovative research-grounded tool, designed, multi-tested and developed by Prof. Maria Giuseppina Bruna (The mapping of the key challenges of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility at work, within postmodern companies).
Accordingly, this course stimulates the students’ observational, analytical, and critical skills as well as their humanistic sensibility. Additionally, it aims at empowering their foresight capacities. The learners are addressed (considered) as in-progress agile and inclusive leaders, as leaders for tomorrow, being as well as enlightened, enlightening and pioneering, being able to combine observation ability, free-thinking, critical reasoning and ethical commitment.
Based on action-research findings, this participative course is founded on a back-and-forth path between theoretical contributions, empirical illustrations and insights derived from a grounded, reflexive, and critical investigation of the learners.
Learning Outcomes
LO1: Show proficiency in driving and managing contemporary socio-organizational issues related to Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainable Development, and Inclusiveness.
LO2: Understand why, when, and how companies are committed to maximizing partnership value (through a strategic and responsible stakeholders’ management) rather than shareholders’ value.
LO3: Identify the promises, challenges, ambiguities and dilemmas of ethics, sustainability and inclusiveness at work and investigate the impact of stakeholders’ strategic and responsible management and evaluate the outputs and outcomes and impacts of CSR strategies and activities.
LO4: Address, assess and enlighten how ethical commitment and CSR endorsement can influence the company’s system of interactions with stakeholders, contribute to organizational forecasting (the company for tomorrow) and enable renewing the managerial practices at work.
Module Description
During this course, the student should finalize his/her research proposal. The main topics covered are the proper identification of the originality of the research work proposed, the accurate literature review to which it belongs, the writing of the methodological framework with scientific software and the assessment of the data needs from the providers of quantitative and qualitative data.
Learning Outcomes
LO1: Understand the requirements of a research proposal
LO2: Comprehend the importance literature review and data collection
LO3: Elaborate the thesis proposal; Conducting a literature review
Module Description
This module critically examines contemporary theories, practices, and policies related to gender equality, diversity management, and social inclusion within organizational and workplace contexts. It explores the socio-political, economic, and cultural dynamics that shape experiences of inclusion and exclusion at work, with a focus on intersectionality, power relations, and institutional frameworks. Students will engage with advanced research and policy analysis to assess the impact of diversity strategies and inclusion initiatives on organizational performance, employee wellbeing, and social justice. The module also emphasizes critical reflexivity and the development of evidence-based approaches to fostering inclusive and equitable work environments.
The field stage of the program takes a minimum of two years to complete. DBA candidates will cooperate with a supervisor to conduct their field studies and write their thesis. The supervision is provided by university professors or emeritus professors. During this period, DBA candidates have to meet, physically or via videoconferences, regularly, the supervisor to report on the work progress. The thesis shall be written in a way that may allow subsequent publications in academic and professional journals.
IPAG Business School is a prestigious, forward-thinking institution located in the heart of Paris and Nice, dedicated to developing tomorrow’s responsible, agile, and innovative business leaders. With over 50 years of academic excellence, IPAG stands out for its dynamic approach to education, combining rigorous academic standards with a deep commitment to social responsibility, global outreach, and professional success.
IPAG Business School enjoys growing national and international recognition thanks to its academic excellence, impactful research, and innovative programs:
Economics: Rank 201-300
Business Administration: 301-400
Finance: 101-500
Entry Requirements
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