To further research and knowledge production in the field of business, Business School Netherlands (BSN) has officially launched a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) programme in its executive education offering.

Ten corporate executives drawn from various sectors of the economy are the first enrolees from Nigeria for the European DBA programme.

Mr Lere Baale, CEO, BSN Nigeria, said Monday that introduction of a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) degree is one of the platforms through which the institution seeks to wrestle lack of advanced skills to facilitate overall business growth among Nigerian high networth professionals.

“The executive MBA programme is seen as the pinnacle of all business administration qualifications,” he said. “It is our mission to offer thisDoctorate in Business Administration to senior professionals, chief executive officers, directors and senior managers in order for them to experience professional advancement, develop research skills and a scientific attitude through the encouragement of original research at doctorate level whilst adding new theory and/or findings to the existing body of knowledge in business administration.”

Continuing, Baale said: “BSN was founded with the intent to address growing need for 21st century skills, stem unemployment by increasing employability skills of graduates through executive education, entrepreneurial skills, MBA, DBA as well as improve the skills of frontline managers to accelerate business growth.”

Candidates on the DBA would spend a minimum of four years in the programme divided into four phases. According to BSN, the “Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a management practitioner’s degree and, while not a requirement, continued involvement in an organisation is essential for keeping the theoretical and methodological contents of your DBA studies grounded in a practical setting. A DBA focuses on developing a scientific attitude, rather than merely completing a research project. Application of research methods within a theoretical framework is a skill that will serve you throughout your career.”

BSN was founded with the intent to contribute to higher education in management learning and facilitate the development of managers’ skills, knowledge, research capabilities and ability to take action with regards to the problems, prospect and challenges facing their organisations.

BSN’s programmes carry the intrinsic character of the Action Learning Methodology. Through the Action Learning practice, the students apply the essential learnings in their various subject areas by researching and developing solutions for their organisations immediately after completing each module.

BSN Nigeria prepares students for the MBA and DBA degrees of the Netherlands-based institution. Enrolment for the MBA has grown in Nigeria past the 1,000-students mark. BSN MBA graduates from Nigeria are over 340. During the recent graduation ceremony in 2015 at The Hague, 83 Nigerians were on the convocation list, with 22 scoring distinctions in various subjects and one overall best (Cum Laude) in the English-speaking world.

•Photo shows, L-R, BSN chiefs Lere Baale, CEO; Morenike Adeyeye, Operations Manager; and Tope Ilesanmi, Business Development Executive.