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Postgraduate Study

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) AND DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (DBA

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) students will appreciate the integrative nature of today's competitive environment and will develop the ability to think in global terms as they return to senior executive positions within their organizations.


ADMISSION STANDARDS

The PhD/ DBA candidate must have a master's degree in business with professional experience (including any internship done previously) in management and must show strong academic potential. The candidate normally enters doctoral studies after having completed the MPhil. The candidate must complete the IUA application form that takes into consideration the candidate's academic and professional experience in management or other specialization.


TRANSFER OF CREDITS

IUA will transfer no more than 9 semester credits with CGPA of 3.0 or higher from another approved university or college.


STARTING DATES

As in other programs, there are four entry periods each year for the PhD/DBA programs, falling in the middle of January, April, July, and October. At this level of education, IUA will also consider applicants attempting entry outside these dates.


PROGRAM SCHEDULE

The program consists of four independent academic semesters. Each student will take two formal courses or more per semester, in addition to PDBA 799 and PDBA 800 for a total of 60 semester credits consisting of 10 courses ( unless these have already been taken at the Master of Philosophy level ) plus a major dissertation. Taught courses may be waived if a pure research route is chosen and approved.


GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

The PhD / DBA candidate must acquire 30 semester credits with a 3.0 CGPA or higher in order to present his / her dissertation to the doctoral committee. The candidate must also have completed a minimum of 2 semesters' teaching/tutoring internship. If the student has a CGPA below 3.0, he/she will be authorized to retake a maximum of 4 classes. The student will pay a fee per extra class calculated on a pro-rata basis of the tuition paid for the full program. If the student acquires the 3.0 GPA with those additional classes, he/she will be authorised to present the dissertation to the doctoral committee. The student will graduate from the program only after the dissertation has been accepted and the student has received a grade no lower than A- for the dissertation. The thesis itself constitutes 30 credits. In case of pure research doctoral studies, no taught courses will be required but the submission pages must not be less than 700. Teaching internship cannot be waived.


CLASSES

PhD / DBA students take a minimum of two classes per semester and start working on their dissertation proposals upon admission. Courses at IUA may be completed during a period of twelve months, after which the student will advance to the status of PhD / DBA candidacy and will then have two more years to complete the dissertation. The dissertation requires a significant expansion on the body of knowledge in the field under investigation and averages four hundred pages in length for DBA candidate and five hundred pages for the PhD candidate.


THE PhD / DBA DISSERTATION

The dissertation must contribute to the body of knowledge of international business management based on academic and primary research in the field. The student will focus on issues, structures, technology, and cultural differences that affect international business management.


18 MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) AND DOCTOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (DBA)The dissertation emphasizes the practical application of the principles investigated. While there is a sound theoretical basis to the dissertation based on the literature review, the primary purpose will be to apply management principles in a realistic setting. Dissertation must not only be practical but also contribute to academic research. Supervisors and readers will cast a critical eye on all sections of the dissertation. They will offer suggestions for improvement and recommend additional areas of research or analysis. Supervisors will also prepare the student for the formal presentation to the faculty and students of the university.


DISSERTATION DEVELOPMENT PROCEDURE

Prior to arrival in our London campus, the student should attempt to investigate possible dissertation topics. Upon arrival, the following procedure is to be followed:


  1. 1. At the beginning of the program, the student should develop a suitable topic and select a dissertation committee that may be composed of one advisor / supervisor and two readers. The Academic Dean recommends faculty members appropriate to the area of investigation.
  2. 2. The student then prepares a proposal that includes both an outline and thoughts concerning how to conduct the research. The student submits this proposal to the faculty advisor / supervisor for approval.
  3. 3. Once the advisor / supervisor approves the proposal, the student submits it to the Academic Dean.
  4. 4. In developing the dissertation, the student discusses progress and problems with the advisor / supervisor.
  5. 5. Following the completion of the coursework, the student advances to the status of candidacy.
 

Note: The dissertation should be completed within 4 years from the time that the student started the program.


TYPICAL MPhil/PhD/DBA COURSES AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

(All classes are 3 semester credits unless specified otherwise.)


PDBA 799: Introduction to Post-Graduate Research and Writing (Pass or Fail)

This course prepares students to produce their dissertation and other scholarly documents. The writing style must be concise and readable, avoiding typical academic posturing. Students should refer to Strunk and White, The Element of Style, for questions of grammar and style. Results of research must be valid, reliable, practical and up-to-date. The level of quality must be the highest. Documentation must be complete and accurate. Students will be encouraged to begin work on their dissertation as early as possible. As they progress throughout the remainder of their seminars, they will have the opportunity to conduct research and write term papers that will contribute to their dissertation. This course will also discuss format issues concerning the dissertation and peer review journal articles. While students may use a flexible format, they must be familiar with the elements that contribute to a complete dissertation or article. An additional consideration is that dissertation should be written in a format that is easily convertible to a publishable book (that is, for publication). PDBA 799 should be taken by the student during the first two semesters of the 12-month residential program in London.


Below are typical courses IUA previously offered :


PDBA 800: Seminar in Post Graduate Studies (Pass or Fail)

This course focuses on the dissertation. Students review their outlines, research methodologies and work-in-progress. They will select their topics and approaches, dissertation advisors and readers, and then submit the plan for approval. This class should be taken during the last two semesters of the 12-month residential program in London.


PDBA 801: Advanced Issues in International Business

This course builds upon a strong theoretical base of knowledge. It is the one critical course that solidifies our students' understanding of issues. The course concentrates on how to analyse these issues and identify concentration topics.


PDBA 802: Strategic Forecasting in International Management

This course builds on PDBA 801 and concentrates on individual and group projects. The students will work on as many cases in forecasting and strategic planning as possible, consistent with their time commitment, in order to improve analytical skills. Case studies and projects will emphasize the role of senior executives.


PDBA 803: Strategic Market Analysis

This is an integrative course that takes research and quantitative methodologies and applies them to the development of new products. The course also looks at the expansion and restructuring of marketing organizations, as well as improving the business environment of the firm within the global marketplace. Students will role play realistic situations and participate in case studies that teach them how senior executives meet business challenges through preparation instead of crisis management. The course includes such topics as changes in political and economic environments, technology transfer, changing human resource needs and new forms of competition.


PDBA 804: Emerging Issues in Multinational Corporate Management

Senior executives must develop responsive business structures to be effective in regional and global markets. The professor will show students how to be flexible in their planning and resource allocation. The course will discuss human resource development at the executive level, thus helping students to reposition themselves within their own organization or in a new one of their choosing.


PDBA 805: Area Studies in International Management

This course will require students to take the theories and knowledge acquired in previous courses and applies them to the development of comprehensive area reports. The emphasis will be on individual work. Students will write country surveys that analyse all aspects of for multinational companies with a global orientation.


PDBA 806: Policy Formulation in the International Environment

The global economy is moving from state planning to free market solutions regarding problems such as productivity enhancement, human resource management, financing of multinational business ventures, development of the economies of less developed countries, and other similar issues.


PDBA 807: Issues in International Finance

The emerging multinational structures and markets require new forms of financial support and analysis of such issues as equity versus debt financing, currency valuation and exchange, and other related issues. This course is designed to examine these issues as well as view organizational structures that serve the needs of international clients.


PDBA 808: Advanced Systems Analysis and Design

This course examines selected issues in systems analysis and design and project management. Emphasis is on understanding underlying concepts and translating them into practice. Topics include the process of communication, techniques for information requirements, analysis, design theory, design techniques, and project management issues.
The course includes extensive readings and class discussion, design exercises, critiques, and lectures.