DBA Fudan Programme Structure 

You will complete five taught core modules, two taught elective modules (choosing either a finance or management route) and a Doctoral Thesis with a maximum of 60,000 words. 

The standard duration of the DBA at Fudan is six years, although students will be able to submit at any point after four and a half years subject to concession. 

Core Modules 

Practising Business Research 

You will gain a core set of skills needed for a programme of doctoral-level research and you can access guidance in the development of your own research project. 

Strategic Visioning, Leadership and Change Management 

Looking at the key issues of leadership in terms of behaviour, perception and social construction with a specific focus on methodological issues, you will further develop your knowledge and critical understanding of them. You will also enhance your knowledge and understanding of key issues relating to organisational change. 

Global Corporate Strategy 

You will enhance your knowledge and understanding of how globalisation and the global environment of business shape corporate strategy and performance. The impact on corporate strategy of infrastructure, major institutions, government policies, as well as other global factors will be considered, along with conceptual and analytical models for developing and evaluating global corporate strategies. 

Design Thinking for Innovation 

Delivered in the Silicon Valley (USA), at the global home of both technological innovation and the design thinking community, this module will enable you to observe, research and participate in product and service development processes first-hand. 

You will have an opportunity to research and develop an original product prototype, and receive feedback from commercial designers, product development managers and venture capitalists, as well as leading academics. 

Business connections are integral to this module, and you will visit companies such as NetFlix, Tech Crunch and the Oracle Design Labs. 

This approach used will encourage you to become more entrepreneurial, a marketer, a visual strategist and a storyteller. You will also gain a comprehensive toolkit to address real-world innovation challenges. 

Theory into Practice (Level 5) 

You will become familiar with relevant and rigorous theories, aware of theories you can take advantage of, develop the ability to identify a suitable research topic and generate theoretically relevant research questions. You will also gain the ability to identify suitable research methods, to appreciate ethical issues in research and to make an important contribution to both academic knowledge and the practical business world. 

You will work under your doctoral first supervisor creating an oral defence of your research design in front of an independent panel, as well as a 15,000-word assignment based on a comprehensive literature review. 

Elective Modules – Finance 

Global Financial Markets and Institutions 

Through a rigorous grounding in the theory of modern finance and an understanding of the most important current research in finance, you will learn how institutional economic theories, in particular those related to corporate governance, impact on the development and application of financial theories and research. 

Financial Data Analysis and Econometrics Methods 

Building on your knowledge of econometric methods, you will learn specific enhanced technical skills and develop the tools needed to model, analyse and predict financial markets. You will have the ability to undertake advanced level research and gain an understanding of the relevance and importance of alternative qualitative and quantitative approaches to research 

Elective Modules – Management 

Applied Behaviour Analysis 

You will be equipped with the advanced conceptual and practical skills necessary to identify and develop a professional and ethical behavioural intervention programme. This will be developed through a comprehensive and critical understanding of the principles, concepts and implementation of applied behaviour analysis and skills needed to evaluate and critique behaviour-analytical research. 

Advanced Business Data Analysis and Consultancy 

This module will enable you to undertake advanced level research in the area of business, and enable you to understand the relevance and importance of different approaches to research. Building on your knowledge of business methods, you will also develop specific advanced technical skills and tools needed to analyse business issues. 

Doctoral Thesis 

On successful completion of taught modules you will then progress to a programme of supervised, independent, research. Your Doctoral Thesis will be no more than 60,000 words and will demonstrate both your academic knowledge and professional business experience. 

You will have a personal first academic supervisor allocated before you start your second elective module, and then a full supervisory team will be appointed at the start of your Theory into Practice Module. Your supervisors will give you support and guidance throughout your Doctoral Thesis. 

You will be in regular contact with your supervisors, this can be by email or video/tele-conferencing, and through this you will have contacts with academic research communities based at Durham and Fudan. You will be required to present regularly on your progress to an audience of faculty members and student peers. 

As well as supervision you will attend two-day blocks twice a year for research visits integrated with other doctoral training programmes either at Fudan or Durham. These visits will include focussed methods training such as Research Data Analysis Refresher Training, Research Seminars and Writing Workshop Refresher Training is organised to underpin your learning. There will also be presentation by guest speakers and research supervision. 

Locations 

The DBA at Fudan is primarily delivered at the School of Economics, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. 

The module Design Thinking for Innovation will be delivered in Silicon Valley (USA), the global home of both technological innovation and the design thinking community, enabling students to observe, research and participate in product and service development processes first-hand. 

In addition, either core module 3 or elective module 1 will be delivered in Durham University Business School (UK), enabling students to experience Durham and develop connections with the School’s Research Centres and the wider research community.