Admission requirements 

A limited number of candidates will be admitted to the DBA Programme of the University of Pretoria at GIBS at each intake. New doctoral admissions will be considered every 18 months on the basis of capacity to support the academic requirements of this advanced degree programme. The next intake will be July 2011.

Requirements for admission to the DBA include the following:

1. Candidate must hold an MBA degree completed through the University of Pretoria; or
2. Candidate may hold an MBA from another recognised tertiary institution and must comply with the University of Pretoria's MBA admission requirements; and
3. Candidate must have completed the MBA degree within the time frame prescribed by the institution where the MBA was obtained; and
4. Candidate may not have failed any course in the completion of the MBA studies; and
5. Candidate must have obtained a weighted average of a least 70% for the MBA studies; and
6. Candidate must have successfully completed an individual research component as part of the MBA degree; and
7. Candidate must have at least two years of post-MBA work experience and must have at least three years management experience at senior level; and
8. Candidate must meet such additional admission requirements as may be set by the Admissions Committee, within the framework of the regulations of the University of Pretoria.  

DBA CANDIDATE PROFILEDoctoral study is not for everyone. It is important that you match yourself against the following idealised profile and satisfy yourself that there is a good fit. While not all candidates will be alike and not all will fit the profile in all respects, it is unlikely that you will succeed as a candidate for the DBA degree or in your doctoral studies unless you measure up well against a significant number of the attributes listed below. 

A successful DBA candidate has the following attributes:

1. A track record of consistently high academic achievement.
2. An alert, enquiring mind and enjoys mental challenge.
3. Is well read and is able to focus on both detail and the big picture.
4. Enjoys working with numbers and has a logical, analytical mind.
5. Writes easily and confidently in English.
6. Good energy and stamina and can carry a high work load.
7. Is personally effective in managing self and time.
8. Has broad and deep experience in business and has managed people.
9. Enjoys problem solving and innovative challenge, and is interested in research.
10. Has clear personal goals and strong achievement motivation.

Extent of Doctoral Study

• All students must complete a one-year programme of directed learning. This includes four core modules on Research Methodology, three core and two elective modules in specialist areas of Business Science and Administration. All directed learning modules taken must be completed successfully by passing a written exam at the end of Year 1. This is a condition for registration as a DBA candidate on Part 2,  the research phase of the programme.
• The research phase extends over 36 months, at the end of which all candidates must submit a doctoral thesis that makes an original contribution to the body of knowledge in the field. The thesis must comply with the editing and formatting requirements set by the University of Pretoria.  Based on the thesis, each candidate must also prepare an article manuscript for publication in an accredited academic journal. The manuscript must be approved for submission by the supervisor and receipt must be acknowledged by the journal concerned. Actual appearance in print is not a condition for the award of the degree, due to the time lag for publication. The candidate must defend the thesis at an oral examination.

Pass Requirement

A candidate passes once all prescribed examinations on the directed learning programme have been passed and one internal and two external examiners have passed the thesis and article manuscript.