Executive Doctor of Business Administration (EDBA)

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The Sobey Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (EDBA) is designed to educate and train business and organizational leaders to create, conduct, and disseminate applied research for practice in organizational settings such as a specific industry sector, profession, and/or government agency.

The program integrates and emphasizes the following:

  • Principles of an evidence-based approach in the context of management and business
  • Fundamentals of business and management research following ethical standards
  • Applied research methods and data analytic applications in support of research synthesis
  • Processes for conducting research to inform policy or apply in practice

Admission Requirements 

The EDBA program follows the general admission requirements and procedures of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research as outlined in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar with the following additional requirements and procedures.

Decisions regarding admission to the EDBA program will be made on the basis of the applicant’s academic qualifications and achievements, demonstrated interests and capacity in a scholarly and/or applied research within the chosen specialization, and the availability of an appropriate supervisor. To that end, all of the following are required for consideration:

  1. Degree: Students entering the EDBA program must have an MBA degree or equivalent type of master-level degree (e.g., Masters in Public Administration) with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.3 scale (high B+ to A-).
  2. GMAT: A satisfactory GMAT score of 550, or an equivalent GRE score, may also be required to provide evidence of academic performance.
  3. Work Experience: Relevant work experience (15 years on average) in a managerial and/or leadership role detailed on an up-to-date curriculum vitae. 
  4. Recommendation Forms: All applicants are required to solicit two recommendation forms from persons capable of assessing the candidate’s academic ability and research potential.
  5. Interview: An interview may be required for further assessment, so applicants must agree to a virtual or in-person interview. If this is required, the program will contact the applicant.
  6. Personal Statement: At the time of application, prospective students should submit a personal statement (maximum 4 pages), including:
    • Potential research interests
    • Relevant research, volunteer, and work experience
    • Career objectives and long-range goals
    • Academic honours, awards, and/or scholarships
    • A list of publications, conference papers, and/or technical reports
    • Any other information that is relevant to your application

These are the normal minimum requirements, but each case will be evaluated on its own merits. However, an incomplete application will not be evaluated for admittance.