- Level
- Doctoral Degree
- Duration
- 3 year doctorate degree
- Field
- Business, Commerce, and Management
- Institution
- Public University
- Offer speed
- Superfast Offer Speed2–3 days
Program overview
A professional doctorate in business administration, combining advanced research training with an extended independent thesis applying rigorous research to a problem in management practice.
This is the only doctoral programme at London Met in this catalogue, and at GBP 17,500 it costs less than most of the taught masters here.
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is taught at the University of London Met, a public university in England with full degree awarding powers. Because the doctorate in business administration is a doctoral degree, it sits outside the rules that govern taught courses in two respects that matter a great deal. It supports a UK Graduate Route application giving three years of unsponsored work rather than the two years a taught degree earns. And unlike every other programme at this campus, a dependant partner or child may accompany you, because the January 2024 restriction applies to taught courses rather than to doctoral research. Confirm both points with the university in writing before you rely on them.
The academic bar for Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a completed master degree or equivalent with 60 percent. The English requirement is IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no band below 5.5, and tuition for the doctorate in business administration is recorded at GBP 17,500. London Met charges no application fee, and London Met charges no application fee, and no scholarship is recorded against the doctorate in business administration . The doctorate in business administration lists two entry windows, the earliest in 2027. Apply Study Visa manages your the doctorate in business administration application, the deposit, the offer, the CAS and the UK student visa as one process.
What it costs per year · indicative
Living cost is an estimate; tuition is the institute's published international fee. We confirm exact, current figures before you pay anything.
Do you qualify?
These are the published minimums. Whether your profile fits — with your marks, gap and budget — is exactly what a free counsellor check confirms.
Admission requirements
Who can apply (guide for international students):
- Education: A completed master degree or equivalent, at the percentage stated.
- English (meet any one): IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with no band below 5.5; TOEFL iBT 72 with reading 18, writing 17, speaking 20 and listening 17; PTE Academic 59 in every component; or the Duolingo English Test at 105, which London Met does accept.
- Application and deposit: London Met charges NO application fee, so applying costs you nothing. Confirm the tuition deposit and its refundability in writing before any money is transferred.
- Scholarship: Scholarship eligibility for doctoral study differs from taught courses. Confirm in writing which awards, if any, apply before relying on a reduction.
- Additional requirement: Doctoral study permits a dependant partner or child where taught courses do not, and the Graduate Route runs three years rather than two. Confirm both points in writing before making family plans. London living costs and the UKVI maintenance requirement are both higher than for study elsewhere in Britain. Budget for the London figure rather than the national one.
- Work rights: the doctorate in business administration is a doctoral degree, so it supports a UK Graduate Route application giving THREE years of unsponsored work rather than two. A dependant partner or child MAY accompany you, because the January 2024 bar applies to taught courses rather than doctoral study.
- Student visa: Apply Study Visa prepares the CAS request, the financial evidence and the UK student visa submission with you.
English requirements
Documents you'll need typical · we confirm yours
- Valid passport (6+ months validity)
- Class 10 & 12 marksheets and certificates
- English test scorecard (IELTS / PTE / TOEFL) or MOI certificate
- Statement of Purpose (SOP)
- Financial proof — bank statement / loan sanction
- Passport-size photographs
- Study-gap affidavit or work-experience letter (if applicable)
Getting documents right is the #1 reason applications succeed or get refused — our team checks every file before submission.
Career opportunities
Typical destinations for graduates:
- Senior Executive: corporate leadership
- Management Consultant: advisory practice
- Professor of Practice: business schools
- Research Director: organisational research
- Non Executive Director: board appointments
- Independent Consultant: own practice
Reality check: a professional doctorate is built around a problem in your own organisation, so arriving with both a workplace and a question matters enormously.
About London Metropolitan University - Holloway
- Type
- University
- Ownership
- Public
- Rating
- ★ 4.4
- World rank
- #1153
- Established
- 2002
- Reference No.
- 10004048
