DBA vs PhD: Where Is Sri Lanka Heading with Doctoral Education?
A serious question about academic recognition, professional doctorates and the future of industry in Sri Lanka
There is an important conversation taking place in Sri Lanka about doctoral qualifications.
It deserves a calm discussion.
Not an emotional argument.
Not a battle between PhD holders and DBA holders.
And certainly not an attempt to diminish the value of any qualification.
The real question is much bigger:
How should Sri Lanka recognise different forms of doctoral education in a modern economy?
Recently, questions have emerged regarding whether a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) should be treated as equivalent to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), particularly when considering academic appointments and promotions within Sri Lankan state universities.
My position is simple:
A DBA is not a PhD.
But that does not automatically mean that a DBA is a lower-quality qualification.
That distinction is extremely important.
1. DBA and PhD are different — but both are doctoral pathways
The PhD has traditionally been associated with the creation of new theoretical knowledge and an academic research career.
The DBA is generally designed as a professional doctorate, particularly for experienced managers, executives, entrepreneurs and business professionals who want to conduct rigorous research around real-world organisational and industry problems.
The difference is therefore largely about purpose, orientation and research context.
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) describes the PhD as more research-oriented, while the DBA is designed for experienced professionals and is more practice-oriented. Both involve rigorous doctoral-level research.
Aston University goes even further and states that its DBA is at the same educational level as a PhD, while recognising that the two qualifications have different research contexts and candidate profiles.
The United Kingdom’s higher-education framework has also historically classified professional doctorates such as the DBA alongside PhD/DPhil qualifications at doctoral level.
Therefore, saying:
“DBA and PhD are different”
is academically reasonable.
But saying:
“DBA is therefore an inferior doctorate”
requires much more evidence.
2. Sri Lanka itself already recognises the DBA as a serious doctoral pathway
This is where the discussion becomes particularly interesting.
Sri Lanka is not discovering the DBA today.
The University of Colombo has a Doctor of Business Administration programme.
Its current programme information requires applicants to have an MPhil or a master’s degree together with substantial senior-management experience. Depending on the prior master’s qualification, the required senior-management experience ranges from 5 to 10 years.
The University of Kelaniya has also operated a DBA programme for many years.
In 2025, the university marked the inauguration of its 10th DBA batch, demonstrating that this is not a temporary or experimental qualification in Sri Lanka.
The University of Colombo describes its DBA as a three-year programme involving structured coursework, research workshops, progress reviews and a practice-oriented research thesis.
So I believe Sri Lanka needs to ask a very basic question:
If the DBA is fundamentally unacceptable as a doctoral pathway, why have Sri Lankan universities themselves invested in developing DBA programmes?
This is not an attack.
It is a question about policy consistency.
3. Quality is a different question from the title of the doctorate
This is perhaps the most important point.
I fully support quality assurance.
If a doctoral programme has weak admission standards, inadequate supervision, poor research methodology, insufficient academic oversight or a thesis process that does not meet doctoral standards, that programme should be questioned.
But the correct target is the quality of the programme.
Not automatically the three letters:
D-B-A.
A doctorate should be evaluated through measurable academic standards.
For example:
- Entry requirements
- Academic progression
- Curriculum
- Research methodology
- Supervisor qualifications
- Research proposal
- Originality of research
- Thesis quality
- External examination
- Viva voce
- Publication and research expectations
- Institutional accreditation and recognition
- Research contribution
- Ethical standards
These are much better indicators of doctoral quality than simply asking whether the qualification is called PhD or DBA.
4. “DBA can be obtained by paying money” is a dangerous generalisation
I have seen and heard strong criticism of doctoral programmes in many countries.
Some programmes may deserve scrutiny.
Some institutions may have weak standards.
Some qualifications may have questionable recognition.
That is why quality assurance matters.
But there is a major difference between saying:
“Some doctoral programmes may have inadequate standards.”
and saying:
“DBAs can be bought with money.”
The second statement is a serious allegation and should never be made against an entire qualification category without specific documentary evidence.
In fact, several established DBA programmes require substantial prior education and professional experience.
For example, the University of Colombo’s DBA requires a master’s or MPhil pathway plus senior-management experience.
Henley Business School’s DBA normally requires a master’s degree in business or management and at least five years of relevant managerial experience. Its programme takes approximately four to six years and includes substantial research.
So the real debate should be:
How do we identify and eliminate poor-quality doctoral programmes?
That is a much more constructive question.
5. Six lessons from international practice
Case Study 1 — Aston University, United Kingdom
Aston University distinguishes the DBA from the PhD but explicitly states that its DBA is at the same educational level as a PhD.
The difference is the application.
The DBA focuses strongly on solving real-world business problems through rigorous research.
That is precisely what many senior executives and entrepreneurs need.
Lesson:
Different purpose does not automatically mean lower academic level.
Case Study 2 — Henley Business School, United Kingdom
Henley’s DBA is designed for experienced business professionals.
The programme normally requires a master’s qualification and at least five years of relevant managerial experience.
It takes approximately four to six years and requires original research.
Lesson:
A professional doctorate can demand serious academic commitment.
Case Study 3 — University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Warwick’s DBA is designed for business leaders, executives and professionals seeking advanced research and practical impact beyond an MBA.
Its current programme has a minimum duration of four years and can extend to seven years part-time.
Lesson:
Senior professionals can undertake doctoral research without leaving industry.
Case Study 4 — University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
The University of Colombo’s DBA requires advanced prior qualifications and significant senior-management experience.
The programme combines management theory, coursework, research development and a doctoral thesis.
Lesson:
Sri Lanka already has a public-university model for professionally oriented doctoral education.
Case Study 5 — University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
The University of Kelaniya introduced its DBA programme in 2016 and celebrated its 10th batch in 2025.
That represents a decade of institutional experience with the qualification.
Lesson:
The DBA is not simply a foreign concept imposed on Sri Lankan higher education.
Case Study 6 — AACSB-accredited business schools
AACSB distinguishes doctoral business education into different pathways.
Its current guidance explains that PhDs tend to emphasise academic research, while DBAs are designed for experienced professionals who want to apply rigorous research to defined business problems.
AACSB also notes that doctoral business education exists across different models rather than through one universal doctoral title.
Lesson:
Modern business education recognises multiple doctoral pathways.
Case Study 7 — The United States and executive doctoral education
The United States has developed a significant ecosystem of professional and executive doctoral education.
AACSB has documented DBA programmes at accredited business schools and notes that DBA programmes are intended for experienced professionals and can prepare graduates for leadership, consulting and academic roles.
Kennesaw State University’s DBA, for example, was designed specifically around experienced professionals and research that can contribute to academia, government and industry.
Lesson:
The connection between doctoral research and industry is not a weakness. It can be an economic strength.
6. Then what should Sri Lanka do?
This is where I believe we need to move beyond the DBA-versus-PhD argument.
Sri Lanka should establish a transparent doctoral qualification recognition framework.
Every doctoral programme should be assessed against clear criteria.
Not according to assumptions.
Not according to institutional reputation alone.
And not according to whether three letters say “PhD” or “DBA”.
We should ask:
What did the candidate actually study?
What research did the candidate actually conduct?
Who supervised it?
Who examined it?
What methodology was used?
What original contribution was made?
Was there an independent examination?
Was the programme properly recognised?
What was the admission standard?
These questions are much harder to manipulate.
And they are much fairer to everyone.
7. But there is another issue Sri Lanka must not ignore
There is an enormous difference between academic recognition and industry value.
A government university may establish rules for appointments and promotions within the public university system.
That is understandable.
The UGC has a regulatory and policy role within Sri Lanka’s university system, and its published material clearly sets out qualification and appointment frameworks for university academics.
But the economy outside the state university system operates differently.
Companies recruit people because they can:
- create businesses,
- generate revenue,
- solve problems,
- lead people,
- enter international markets,
- attract investment,
- innovate,
- build partnerships,
- develop products,
- create employment,
- and produce measurable results.
This is where I believe Sri Lanka sometimes misses an important point.
8. Universities create knowledge. Industry creates economic movement.
We need both.
A country cannot build an economy only through universities.
And a country cannot build a knowledge society without universities.
The two systems must work together.
A university lecturer may dedicate a career to teaching and research.
An entrepreneur may dedicate a career to building companies.
A researcher may discover a new concept.
An entrepreneur may turn that concept into a commercial product.
A professor may publish research.
An industry leader may employ 500 people.
Neither contribution should be unnecessarily diminished.
9. What about senior lecturers and academic promotions?
This is where the debate needs precision.
If Sri Lankan state universities decide that a particular academic post requires a PhD rather than a DBA, that is an institutional and policy question.
However, the conclusion should not automatically become:
“DBA holders are academically inferior people.”
Those are two completely different statements.
A person can be unsuitable for a particular university appointment because the institution has established a specific qualification requirement.
That does not make the person professionally incompetent.
Likewise, a PhD holder may be academically excellent but have limited experience running an organisation.
A DBA holder may have decades of industry experience but not be suited to a highly theoretical academic research position.
The answer is not to insult either group.
The answer is to match qualifications with roles.
10. Sri Lanka needs more industry-connected academics
This is particularly important in business, tourism, hospitality, finance, entrepreneurship and management.
Who understands an industry better?
Someone who has only studied it?
Or someone who has studied it and spent decades operating inside it?
Ideally, we need both.
The future university should bring together:
Researchers + Professors + Entrepreneurs + Executives + Investors + Policymakers + Industry Specialists.
That combination can create much more valuable education.
11. And here is my personal position
I am not writing this article because I want a DBA to be called a PhD.
I don’t.
A DBA is a DBA.
A PhD is a PhD.
They have different traditions, different purposes and different research orientations.
I am asking for something much simpler:
Respect the qualification according to its actual academic standard.
If a DBA programme is weak, prove that it is weak.
If a DBA programme does not meet doctoral standards, identify the deficiencies.
If a particular institution awards qualifications without appropriate academic requirements, investigate that institution.
But do not make sweeping conclusions about every DBA holder.
There are DBA graduates who are researchers.
There are DBA graduates who are university lecturers.
There are DBA graduates who are CEOs.
There are DBA graduates who are entrepreneurs.
There are DBA graduates who create employment.
And there are DBA graduates who contribute to their industries through research.
Their value should ultimately be assessed by the quality of their qualification, the quality of their research and the impact of their work.
12. UGC Sri Lanka — where are we heading?
This is the question I want to leave with the UGC, universities, academics and policymakers.
Are we building a higher-education system that separates academia from industry?
Or are we building a higher-education system where academia and industry strengthen each other?
Are we measuring only certificates?
Or are we measuring competence, research quality and impact?
Are we producing graduates for yesterday’s economy?
Or are we preparing professionals for tomorrow’s global economy?
And most importantly:
Are we creating a system where an experienced entrepreneur is respected for what he or she contributes to the economy, while also maintaining uncompromising academic standards?
I believe we can do both.
13. One thing should never be forgotten
I respect the University Grants Commission.
I respect our professors.
I respect PhD holders.
I respect researchers.
I respect universities.
But I also expect the same respect for the people outside the university system.
We are industry people.
We are entrepreneurs.
We create companies.
We create employment opportunities.
We pay taxes.
We take financial risks.
We bring international partnerships.
We enter markets.
We solve practical problems.
We create opportunities for other people.
And many of us return to universities because we want to share that experience with the next generation.
That should not create a wall between academia and industry.
It should create a bridge.
14. My message is not “DBA versus PhD”
My message is:
Quality versus poor quality.
Evidence versus assumptions.
Research versus certificates.
Competence versus titles.
Academia working with industry — not against industry.
Sri Lanka does not need another fight between PhD holders and DBA holders.
Sri Lanka needs a world-class higher-education system that can recognise different forms of advanced knowledge while maintaining rigorous standards.
Because ultimately, a country does not become stronger merely because more people have letters after their names.
A country becomes stronger when its knowledge produces:
better businesses, better research, better universities, better professionals, better jobs and a better economy.
That is the conversation we should be having.
And that is where Sri Lanka should be heading.
About the author
Dr. Dharshana Weerakoon, DBA (USA) is a Global Tourism & Hospitality Strategist, entrepreneur, researcher and industry professional. He is Chairman of Global Cooperation Private Limited and Managing Director of International Hospitality Ventures Private Limited, with professional interests spanning tourism, hospitality, destination management, entrepreneurship, international partnerships and industry-oriented higher education.
His perspective is shaped not only by academic study, but also by practical experience in business, tourism and hospitality.
Because education should not only produce qualifications. It should produce knowledge that creates impact.
Disclaimer
This article has been authored and published in good faith by Dr. Dharshana Weerakoon, DBA (USA), for educational, professional and public-interest discussion. The analysis draws on publicly available information from the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Qualification Framework materials, university programme information and recognised international higher-education and business-education sources, together with the author’s professional experience in tourism, hospitality, business and entrepreneurship.
The article does not allege misconduct, fraud, academic malpractice or wrongdoing by any individual, university, regulatory authority or institution. References to doctoral qualifications and higher-education policies are intended to encourage informed discussion and should not be interpreted as accusations against any person or organisation.
The distinction between DBA and PhD is discussed as an academic and professional distinction, not as a judgment on the personal competence or integrity of holders of either qualification.
Views expressed are entirely personal and analytical and do not constitute legal, academic-employment, financial or investment advice. Readers should refer to the latest official regulations, recognition decisions and institutional policies when making decisions concerning academic qualifications or appointments.
© Dr. Dharshana Weerakoon, DBA (USA). All rights reserved.
Further Reading: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/outside-of-education-7046073343568977920/
Further Reading: https://dharshanaweerakoon.com/does-age-determine-the-efficiency-of-government-institutions-the-real-question-sri-lanka-should-be-asking/
