DBA PROGRAMME BRIEFING

Programme Briefing

Prof Dr Mohd Hassan bin Mohd Osman

DBA Director, UNITAR Graduate School (UGS)

© UNITAR International University

The UNITAR DBA at a Glance

The supervised research work will

A combination of coursework,
equip you with in-depth
doctoral seminars, and
knowledge of Business &
research dissertation – directed
Management and a focused set
towards sharpening your
of insights to drive implementation
business strategies to drive
in your chosen area of expertise.
competitive businesses.

This industry-focused doctorate As a DBA graduate,

will enhance you can also venture
your credibility and empower into teaching,
you to demonstrate consulting, leadership,
competencies in your field to research or business.
advance your professional
goals.
 Testimony of UNITAR’s DBA students
“The DBA journey has been very enriching and stimulating. It’s a
journey of self-discovery and building on your experiences. What you
get out of the journey depends on you. Enjoy the journey with like
minded new friends”.
Janice Lim
former Head Strategy & March 2022 Cohort
Portfolio MDEC

“It’s my first sem as a full time DBA student. I learnt a lot about social
entrepreneurship and strategic planning and management. Classes are
very engaging. Besides, it’s a great platform to meet awesome ppl and
learn from each other”.
Gavin Fong
Marketing Analytics
May Cohort 2022 Manager at MoneyLion,
Certified Data Science
Associate
Haw Wai Yee Though this is only my second semester but I learned a lots from the
Head, School of
Information
lecturers as well as my fellow classmates, the most fantastic
Technology experience is we are not meeting physically but we share our thoughts
SEGi University & and experiences virtually.
Colleges
January Cohort 2022

3
 Testimony of UNITAR’s DBA students

“This is my most fascinating Learning experience to date. The UNITAR

virtual education program is seamless, the discussions in-depth, and the
networking is of great value. The lecturers are hands-on, accessible and
provide great support to students. The flexibility of the program is also
an absolute gift to professionals and entrepreneurs who are juggling
Lingeson Lechamanan many tasks and deliverables, but still wish to upskill and pursue higher
Founder & Chief Executive
OfficerFounder &
education.”
Chief Executive Officer
ASIA RETAIL ACADEMY SDN January 2022 Cohort
BHD | Social Entrepreneur

“I thoroughly enjoy the fully online DBA learning experience at UNITAR,

especially with the demands of my travel schedules, both at a professional and
personal level. The opportunity to learn, network and connect with many of the
industry leaders, practitioners, academicians, both online and in person, has Jonathan Low
been immensely valuable. The large pool of Adjunct Professors from the Global Leadership Coach
Global Partner &
industry is an added bonus to our overall learning experience, making this DBA
Associate Leadership
program practical, relevant and, supported by a sound academic research CoachGlobal Partner &
methodology. Thanks to the professors, lecturers, leaders and my fellow DBA Associate Leadership
mates at Unitar for this amazing learning experience!” Coach
Global Coach Group | Intl
Author
March 2022 Cohort
4
Testimony of UNITAR’s DBA students

“DBA journey in Unitar is not just about the studies and assignments. The
best part is expanding your networks and making lots of new great friends,
and Unitar managements, Profs and team knows exactly how to balance it
all”.

Rizal Merican
Country Business
Oct 2021 Cohort
Development
Country Business
Development
DHL Supply Chain

“This program is structured and designed to cater for working adults with
career and family responsibilities. So long as one pays attention and
follows instructions given, it shall guarantee smooth sailing”.
Angela Loh
May 2022 Cohort

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 Programme Delivery
1 Academic Year = 3 Semesters | EACH Semester = 14 weeks
January (14 wks) May (14 wks) September (14 wks)
Nested March Nested June Nested Oct
(7 wks) (7 wks) (7 wks)

Courses Offered Scheduled, contact hours

• Entrepreneurship and Social Total contact hours: 12 hours
Innovation Delivered in Scheduled Sessions:
• Strategic Planning and - 2 hours X 6 sessions
Performance Evaluation - Weeknights
• Strategic Operations Management > 14 weeks: Alternate week classes
• Business Transformation > 7 weeks: Every week
• Doctoral Seminar in Business
Advanced Research Methodology Total contact hours: 30 hours
Delivered in Scheduled Sessions:
- A combination of 2-hour and 4-hour
weekly sessions
- Over a 14-week Semester

Note: Some scheduled classes are subject to change due to unavoidable circumstances
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 DBA Programme Structure (Part-Time, 4-8 Years)

Fully Online Part Time Duration: 4-8 years 62.5% Research; 37.5% Coursework
Course Credit Value (Total
Year Semester Course Titles
Code 80)
Entrepreneurship and Social
SEMESTER 1 GSDP8124 4
Innovation
Year
1 SEMESTER 2 GSDP8144 Strategic Operations Management 4
Course
SEMESTER 3 GSDP8154 Business Transformation 4 Work
SEMESTER 4 GSDP8216 Doctoral Seminar in Business 6
Year Strategic Planning and Performance
SEMESTER 5 GSDP8134 4
2 Evaluation
SEMESTER 6 Advanced Research Methodology 8
SEMESTER 7
Dissertation (Part 1)
Year
SEMESTER 8 GSDP8300 Independent Study Project and 20
3
Proposal Defence
SEMESTER 9
Research
SEMESTER 10
Dissertation (Part 2)
Year
SEMESTER 11 GSDP8400 Final Defence and Submission of 30
4
Dissertation
SEMESTER 12
 DBA PT Academic Mapping (July 2022 Cohort)

Entrepreneurship Strategic Planning Strategic

YEAR and Social and Performance
Operations
Innovation Evaluation
1 (July 2022 Sem) (Sept 2022 Sem)
Management
(Jan 2023 Sem)

Business Doctoral Seminar in

YEAR Transformation Business (Appointment Advance Research
Methodology
2 (May 2023 Sem) of Supervisor)
(Jan 2024 Sem)
(Sept 2023 Sem)

Dissertation Part 1 (May 2024 Sem) Proposal Defence

YEAR Jan 2025 Sem)
3

Dissertation Part 2 (May 2025 Sem) Viva Voce

YEAR (Jan 2026 Sem)
4

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 DBA FT Academic Mapping (May Cohort)

Strategic Planning Business

& Performance Transformation +
Entrepreneurship Advanced
Evaluation + Doctoral Seminar
YEAR and Social Strategic in Business
Research
Methodology
Innovation
1 (July 2022)
Operations
Management
(Appointment of
Supervisor) (May 2023)
(Sept 2022) (Jan 2023)

YEAR Dissertation Part 1 (Sept 2023)

Proposal Defence
May 2024)
2

Viva Voce
Dissertation Part 2 (Sept 2024)
YEAR (May 2025)
3

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 DBA Research Dissertation

• The DBA Dissertation should not exceed 60,000 words.

• A supervisor will only be appointed when a student has registered for the Doctoral Seminar
in Business.
• Sample:
o Shathees, Baskaran (2014) The relationship between organizational characteristics
and entrepreneurial orientation among employees of cement manufacturers in Johor.
DBA, Universiti Utara Malaysia/
o Jayaeswari, Sangaralingam (2014) Factors influencing green consumerism behavior
among Penangites. DBA, Universiti Utara Malaysia.

Phd Thesis DBA Dissertation

Prepare students to carry out Prepare students to carry out
scholarly research relevant to research- based on professional
Primary
management theory and practice. practice Starting point for research –
purpose
Starting point for research – literature business or managerial problem that is
gap experienced by organizations.
Doctoral dissertation addressing a
Research thesis addressing a
practical problem, usually in the
Nature of research problem acknowledged as
student's workplace, acknowledged as
report significant by the scholarly peer
significant by scholarly and practical
community
stakeholders
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Requirement for Publication
• All DBA students are required to publish 2 papers in order to graduate with 1
Scopus journal and the other is non Scopus such conference proceedings,
case study, journals, monographs, books, chapters in books and electronic
publications.

• However if a student wishes to submit his dissertation earlier than the

stipulated time (FT 3 years and PT 4 years), subjected to UNITAR’s Senate
approval, students are required to publish 2 Scopus journals articles.

• Why publish?

• If you work on a topic as DBA dissertation, and during the process,

another person coincidentally finished their DBA with the same topic, If
you proceed with same topic it will considered plagiarism. That is why
publishing you work is important, to let other research students know
about your research.

• If you have produced important material from your research then it can
be a great help to others if you publish it.

• Training programs will be organised from time to time to develop writing skills.
Your supervisor will assist you in getting your work published.

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Reminder

• Be aware of important dates and deadlines – Add drop

date (within 2 weeks after class begins), withdrawal or
deferment date.
• Always reach out to me (019-7203593) or your tutor or
faculty exec (Puan Hanitah - O3-76277427) if you have
any issues with your study plan.
• Please attend our engagement session with the Adjunct
Professors as they provide great input for your DBA
research.
• Please submit application for credit transfer within a week
after class begin. Contact me for the form.
• Manage your time well

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DBA is an AMAZING journey. The first steps have been taken!
It is the BEST decision you’ve ever made.
The road ahead may seem daunting.
Together, we will reach our destination!

Have an
AWESOME
Journey!
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THANK YOU

u n i t a r. m y