Taking life one step further with a doctoral degree
Career advancement is important, but it is not everyone's top priority. Many people who love learning are not fulfilled at work, even though they may enjoy their job. Those who have a master's degree might find that taking on the challenge of a doctoral degree is the key to self-actualisation.
Earning a PhD in Business and Management or Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is good preparation for refreshing a stale career in business, or for becoming an expert in your field, or even for taking on a new role at a university.
It's an intriguing idea that may sound like a pipe dream for those with full schedules, and for whom balancing the demands of work and family is already a difficult task. Adding to it - lectures, papers, literature reviews and critiques might put even the most organised person off the idea. However, for someone determined to take on the inherent challenges it does not have to be a dream.
Students undertaking one of the University of South Australia's (UniSA) 'offshore' programmes can complete their entire PhD or DBA in Hong Kong, including the research and supervision phases, making this a viable opportunity for someone unable to travel due to family or work commitments.
Distinguishing themselves from the competition, UniSA's doctoral programmes are the only offshore doctoral programmes that have received European Quality Improvement System (Equis) accreditation. Also, important to many doctoral candidates, the university guarantees regular face-to-face thesis supervision in Hong Kong.
More than 100 doctoral graduates have qualified in Hong Kong since it was first introduced 10 years ago, according to Anthony Chow Chi-lek, assistant marketing manager at Kaplan Hong Kong, the firm that oversees the operations of the university in Hong Kong.
'It has the highest pass rate among the competition,' he said, noting that each year nearly 60 new candidates start their doctoral programmes at UniSA's Hong Kong campus.
'Our doctoral graduates already hold various senior positions, such as CEOs, company directors, university professors, management consultants,' Mr Chow said. 'The programmes are not for career promotion, maybe except for teaching positions.'
Both the PhD and DBA are research degrees. While the PhD is more focused on theoretical contributions, the DBA is more centred on contributions to business practices. 'It is entirely up to each candidate's research interest to determine which programme to take,' Mr Chow said.
A consideration for those interested in pursuing one of these degrees is that the PhD is more suitable for academics or people who work in academia, whereas the DBA is more suitable for senior management and management consultants, according to Mr Chow.
Both the PHD and DBA are equal in terms of academic rigour. Candidates from both programmes are required to study five to seven modules before they can submit their research proposal and start their research. It takes three years to complete either the PhD or DBA.
In addition to prescribed classes, all candidates will also conduct research either in their chosen field of interest or something that addresses their own business needs. Since there is no limit on the research topics, doctoral candidates themselves can guide their learning and make it relevant for themselves.
Mr Chow said: 'Each coursework module lasts for 13 weeks, including the pre-reading period, and 20 face-to-face contact hours in week four or five. After they complete all coursework, candidates will start their research.'
To begin with, candidates are given a study guide. This guide is written by the course co-ordinator to steer students through the study from week one to week 13. During week four or five of the 13-week teaching period, UniSA professors will teach a total of 20 hours of face-to-face seminars for each module.
The rest of the weeks are spent reviewing and criticising literature, and preparing essays and papers.
Every candidate is also assigned a supervisor to guide them in their chosen research topic. This person will be directly appointed by UniSA and may come from a variety of research backgrounds and countries, with matching done based on the research topic and expertise. They are flown in from abroad to provide a guaranteed minimum of 96 hours of supervision throughout years two and three.
As part of the Kaplan Group, APMI Kaplan will be responsible for promotion and all student administration matters, including assignment submission, timetabling, library support and more.
'An APMI Kaplan programme manager is dedicated to the PhD and DBA. The programme manager will be the single contact point for all further enquiries,' Mr Chow said.
