Page 13 - DBA Handbook version 12.08.2021

4.2 Phase 2 Thesis Proposal, Qualifying Examination, and Thesis Proposal Defense

Completing this phase is crucial to proceed towards doctoral candidacy. DBA students are
required to develop a Thesis Proposal and successfully complete two examinations which are;
1) Thesis Proposal Defense and 2) Qualifying Examination (QE).

(1) Thesis Proposal
The Thesis Proposal is an outline of the proposed research to investigate a specific topic or
problem within the context of business administration. It must demonstrate a clear and practical

research methodology, rigorous academic discipline and show how it will contribute to the
current status of knowledge in this field. The length of the Thesis Proposal should be about 50-
60 pages and structured as the example below;
The main structure of the Thesis Proposal
1. Title
2. Introduction
3. Problem statement / Research gaps
4. Research questions and Research objectives
5. Relevant theoritical or Conceptual framework
6. Literature review
7. Research methodology (e.g. qualitative/quantitative/mixed-methods)
8. Significance of study/Business impact
9. List of references

DBA students will develop their Thesis Proposal under the supervision and coaching of both
advisors i.e. the Principal Advisor and Co-Advisor; in compliance with their roles specified in
section 3.2.. After the approval of the Principal Advisor, the DBA student is required to submit
their Thesis Proposal to MSSU (by email: DBAMSSU@ms.su.ac.th.; with a copy of the e-mail
being sent to dba@hslu.ch). They can then proceed to the next step and undertake the Qualifying
Examination (QE) along with the Thesis Proposal Defense with the MSSU-DBA committee.

12 | THE DBA PROGAMME HANDBOOK-
F a c u l t y o f M a n a g e m e n t S c i e n c e , S i l p a k o r n U n i v e r s i t y