Professional Doctorates in Management: Toward a Practice-Based Approach to Doctoral Education

Professional doctorates, particularly in Australia and the UK, have been a significant growth area over the last 20 years. We discuss the emergence of professional doctorates in management education and their contribution to a more practice-based approach to doctoral education, with particular reference to the doctor of business administration degree (DBA). Professional doctorates were developed by some universities in the face of rising criticism about the relevance of PhD research to practice and the changing context and content of knowledge in the new economy. We conclude by discussing implications for doctoral education and directions for future research.