DBA Health
The Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) Health is a professional doctorate degree designed for leaders in health-related fields who want to apply research skills to tackle health challenges.
UK #2 for Research Power
Research Excellence Framework 2021London #1 for Research Power
Research Excellence Framework 2021Start date
September 2025
Duration
5 years part-time
Location
Mixed mode distance
Application deadline
29 August 2025
The Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) Health is designed to produce practitioners and innovators who can interrupt, design, develop and evaluate what is needed for improving healthcare management and health systems through an evidence-based approach.
Delivered part-time online over 5 years, this professional doctorate will provide you with a rigorous programme of advanced study and research. The online taught modules delivered in the first two years provide opportunities to develop senior leaders skills and knowledge in key areas of business and health research methods to facilitate career development. The research component allows you to develop skills in critical appraisal as well as the ability to develop the rationale, methodology and methods for research. The modules also allow development of other transferable skills.
The DBA in Health utilises the expertise of the academic team across the whole of the Global Business School for Health as well as experts from the Faculty of Population Health Science to support the student’s development, research, and scholarship. The programme design is intended to provide flexibility for professionals who are studying whilst working full-time as senior health leaders and managers.
Part 1 constitutes the first two years of study and is the taught element of the programme where you will achieve the key learning outcomes required for the professional doctorate programme, using a variety of online learning tools as well as in person blocks of learning for each module. The taught modules conclude with a thesis proposal that will inform your doctoral research.
- Term 1 - Understanding Applied Research in Healthcare Management
On-campus teaching week: Monday 3 November - Friday 7 November 2025 - Term 2 - Research Methods and Design
On-campus teaching week: Monday 16 February - Friday 20 February 2026 - Term 3 - Data Analysis
On-campus teaching week: Monday 8 June - Friday 12 June 2026
Part 2 involves the preparation of a professional practice portfolio where you will reflect and analyse activities or innovations introduced in your current or prior professional environments or other organisations with which you are professionally connected. This professional practice portfolio should be completed in Year 3.
Part 3 forms Years 3 to 5 and can only commence once you have successfully completed Part 1 and 2. You will undertake your research to produce your doctoral thesis for the professional doctorate. You will have a supervisor who you will have been assigned at the start of Part 2 who will be your main point of contact to take your research project forward to completion.