The Doctorate of Business Administration in detail
Located in the heart of the largest integrated economic zone in the world, the European Union, the Paris School of Business DBA in Paris program offers students from all over the world the opportunity to pursue doctoral studies in France, with specializations in international business, management, marketing, economics and finance.
The DBA program is a fully-fledged Doctoral degree, with a focus on professional experience. Designed to fit the demanding lifestyle of executives and professionals, the DBA in Paris gives the necessary tools to contribute to production and dissemination of the applied science in the areas of management and business administration.
Why choose the Doctorate of Business Administration?
A format designed specifically for executives
The Paris School of Business DBA offers a flexible three-year format specifically designed to fit the demanding schedules of international executives.
A 100% English-language program, hybrid sessions in Paris, and small class sizes allow participants to pursue their studies without putting their careers on hold.
A high-value international community
Joining the Paris School of Business DBA means becoming part of an international community of more than 200 executive students from over 70 nationalities.
This diversity fosters knowledge sharing, collaboration, and exposure to new markets, while providing opportunities to build a lasting network with experienced professionals.
A research project that supports your career
The Paris School of Business DBA enables you to develop applied research directly connected to your professional background and career objectives.
Supported by international academic and industry experts, you benefit from tailored coaching to turn your research project into a genuine driver of professional development and impact.
“The decision to pursue doctoral studies is one of the most important decisions a person can ever make. The strength of the DBA program is its focus on professional experience, contrary to the Ph.D that is more theoretical.
If you are looking to boost your career and to bring economic and social value to the international community, then the DBA is the program for you.”
Benjamin KEDDAD
Head of the Doctorate of Business Administration
+450
Articles in the media since 2018
Doctorate of Business Administration Program (2026/27)
Depending on the focus of their research, students will benefit from a supervisory support from our highly qualified faculty. Our doctoral faculty is broken down in five tracks:
01. Technology Interaction, Marketing and Customer Experience
02. Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Strategic Management
03. Management, Entrepreneurship and Human Resources
04. Financial Management and Corporate Sustainability
05. Economic Dynamics, Policy and Globalization
This three-year DBA program guides participants from research design to thesis defense, combining advanced seminars, academic support, and practical application.
As part of the DBA research program, students are also invited to Paris School of Business research events and receive the Research Lab Newsletter.
The program is structured as follows:
- 3 hybrid sessions (online and on campus in Paris)
- 2 online sessions
- 1 annual DBA workshop in July (online and on campus in Paris)
- Regular webinars with third-year students and DBA alumni
- 3 thesis progress review committees
- 3 interim submissions
Seminars of Session 1
(On campus – 40h)
01. Literature review & Database
02. Research in Economics
03. Research in Financial management
04. Research in Strategic Management and Innovation
05. Research in Marketing
06. Research in Leadership and Organizational Behavior
07. AI tools for Research
08. Tutoring
Seminars of Session 2
(Hybrid – 25h)
01. Applied Research part 1
02. Tutoring
Seminars of Session 3
(On campus – 25h)
01. Academic Writing level 1
02. Applied Research part 2
03. Tutoring
Academic follow-up
- AO1 submission – DBA research proposal
- Thesis Monitoring AO1
- AO1 validation
Seminars of Session 4
(On campus – 25h)
01. Publication Strategy
02. Academic Writing Level 2
03. DBA Workshop
Elective seminars
(Online – 30h – 2 choices)
- Focus group
- Survey methods
- Thematic analysis
- Structural equation modelling
- Advanced econometric model
- Qualitative methods
- Mixed methods
- Grounded Theory
Academic follow-up
- AO2 submission: DBA research project
- Thesis monitoring committee AO2
- AO2 validation
- DBA Workshop
Elective seminars
(Online – 30h – 2 choices)
- Focus group
- Survey methods
- Thematic analysis
- Structural equation modelling
- Advanced econometric model
- Qualitative methods
- Mixed methods
- Grounded Theory
Academic follow-up
- AO3 submission: DBA research thesis
- Thesis monitoring committee AO3
- AO3 validation
- External reviewing
- Defense (on campus)
During the three-year program, students receive continuous supervisory support from a dedicated faculty member who is an expert in the field of research. The supervisor provides advice and guidance throughout the program.
As part of the DBA research program, students are also invited to Paris School of Business research events and receive the Research Newsletter of the Research Lab.
Assessment methodology
The first phase of the DBA program consists of the research project preparation. DBA students explore the relevant literature related to their topic, formulate the research question, gather the data for the study and build the research design of their project.
The second phase of the program consists of the implementation of the research project. DBA students apply the research design and prepare a formal written document describing all elements and the implication of the research before defending their research in front of researchers.
Throughout this process, DBA students are guided by the approved dissertation assignments.
Student Testimony
Pursuing the Doctorate of Business Administration was a crucial step in my life. Firstly, it paved the way to investigating sophisticated problems that need advanced exploration techniques and skills to reach innovative solutions. Secondly, it also opens the door to becoming part of scientific developers and innovators instead of only the beneficiary of solutions drafted by others.
The Executive DBA program also affected my personal life, resulting in improved personal skills in terms of analyzing, criticizing, and decision-making.
Paris School of Business enjoys a unique position and an unparalleled academic reputation in the western world, with a large number of leading scholars working in their respective fields.
Dina RADY
Manager at Blom Bank, Egypt
What to do after the DBA?
The DBA program allows students to broaden their professional horizons enabling them to climb further up the corporate ladder.
For Doctors, career boosting opportunities are endless. Many go on to become faculty members of top business schools, high level consultants, or progress to board level roles.
How to join the DBA?
To be admitted in the DBA program, candidates must:
- Have an MBA, Master degree or equivalent from recognized institutions
- Have at least five years of work experience at managerial level
1.
Apply
Download and send us our application form
2.
Application Review
The Paris School of Business admissions committee carefully reviews your application
3.
Individual Interview
You will attend a motivation interview either in person or remotely to validate your admission
Personalized support
We provide personalized support for people with disabilities as well as for athletes, artists and entrepreneurs.
To learn more, please visit our dedicated page.
Download our Brochure
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Paris School of Business processes the collected data in order to manage your requests for information and support you in your orientation. We inform you that Paris School of Business uses your data for marketing purposes to personalize and adapt its service offers to your needs and to establish statistics and marketing profile models. By providing your contact details, you agree to be contacted by our advisers from Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 19:00. Your data will be kept for a period of 3 years; to learn more about the management of your personal data and to exercise your rights, please consult the school's data protection policy or send an email to the data protection officer of the school of your choice. Data protection policy