How to Apply for the Durham DBA at Fudan

Entry requirements 

• A Masters degree in a discipline related to business and management or finance from a recognised university or other institution of higher education; or equivalent qualifications or experience. 
• A minimum of two years’ business and management experience at an appropriate level. 
• If English is not your first language you will need IELTS 7.0 (no element below 6.0) or Pearson Test of English Overall Score 70+ (No element below 62). Please note that these can be no more than 2 years old at the month the programme starts, eg. for a programme commencing in October 2018 the IELTS or PTE test must have been taken in or after October 2016. TOEFL IBT is no longer accepted as an English Qualification for visa purposes. 

Application process 

• You will be required to submit a research proposal of between 1,500-2,000 words as part of the selection process. Guidance on preparing a research proposal. 
• An interview will be conducted with each applicant prior to an offer being recommended. Students’ analytical and intellectual capabilities will be assessed, and their critical analytical skills along with their motivations to commit to academic studies. 

Making an application 

It is important that your general research interests match those of at least one member of our academic staff. For information on the range of expertise and experience of our academic faculty and details of their research interests view our Research Centres or Our People. 

Successful application is based on your ability to meet the entry requirements, your research proposal and the School's capacity to provide relevant supervision for your research. 

Our admissions process follows three stages: 

Stage One
 
Please ensure that: 

• you meet our entry requirements (above) 
• you can meet the financial requirements of the programme 
• you have your research proposal ready. 

Stage Two

Applications should be made using the on-line application form. You will be asked for the following information:

• academic qualifications and career to date 
• an outline of your research interests 
• the names and addresses of two referees, one of which must be academic 
• any specific support needs you may have (see Disability Support) 
• your chosen College. Find out more about Our Colleges. 

The following documents should also be submitted online as part of your application. Without these documents your application cannot be processed: 

• Research proposal of between 1,500–2,000 words. Please submit your proposal within the section of the online application entitled research proposal. However, if your research proposal contains tables or graphics, please upload your document via the section Supporting Documents under Scholarships/Other. Advice on writing a research proposal. 
• Copies of certificates of degrees awarded (up to 3 may be uploaded) 
• Copies of transcripts of modules studied (up to 3 may be uploaded) 
• Evidence of proficiency in English (where this is not your first language) 
• Two references, one of which must be academic. (Reference letters must be emailed directly to us by your referees using the DBA Reference Template.) 
• Your Curriculum Vitae. 

Note: 
Only files of type .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .rtf are permitted to be uploaded. 
The maximum file size is 5MB. 

If you have any problems attaching your supporting documents to your online application, you may email them to us. 

Stage Three

We will process your application on the basis of all the information provided and will normally let you know our decision within four to six weeks. In certain circumstances we may need to request further information. 

A successful application will be sent to Durham University's Student Recruitment and Admissions Office (SRAO) with a recommendation for approval. (We will contact you direct if we are unable to recommend your application for approval.) 

The SRAO is responsible for approving all postgraduate applications. You should be aware that approval by the SRAO is not a formality and that in some cases where we recommended approval, the SRAO will be unable to support this. Until you receive an offer from the Student Recruitment and Admissions Office, you have not received a formal offer of a place. 

Closing date for applications

6 weeks prior to the start of the programme. However, we can be flexible upon taking applications after this point if there are no visa implications for travel.