DBA

Doctorate in Business Administration

Requirements for Admission

To apply to the SDA Bocconi DBA, candidates must be fluent in English, have a University degree and, most of all, substantive (15+ years) professional experience.
A key piece in the application process is the statement of purpose in which prospective candidates reflect on their professional trajectory, current professional state and describe their research interests, objectives and motives for pursuing the SDA Bocconi DBA.
The statement of purpose should not be longer than 2500-words and include all the elements that the candidate deems noteworthy and relevant to support his/her candidacy. In addition, two references commenting the candidates' quality and motivation will be required. They must be from people who know you well and can comment knowledgeably on your professional and/or academic background, providing a detailed evaluation of your qualifications for our DBA.
The contact details of your referees (name, surname and email address) will need to be uploaded on the automatic tool of the online application form. The referees will then receive a form to be filled out and submitted to us.
A copy of a valid passport is also required at application. Once received, applications will be screened for fit and quality by a selection committee and candidates could either be invited for an interview or invited directly to join the program.
Candidates joining the program at any module after Residential Module 1 will have to complete the whole sequence of modules before they can move on with thesis work. Regardless, individual/personalized program experiences can be identified and designed by the candidate with the agreement and support of the candidate’s academic supervisor and program director.


The application must also be accompanied by:

  • Copy of Passport
  • Updated CV
  • Official transcripts of all Degrees Achieved
  • Official Certificate/Diploma of all Degrees Achieved
  • Statement of Purpose highlighting the research interests
  • Two References

How to apply

Fill out and submit the online application through our website and upload all required documents to the specific section of your application.

In order to apply to DBA, candidates must meet all requirements, must complete the application form and upload all required documents.

Kindly notice the application portal is an independent system, therefore your SDA Bocconi website (www.sdabocconi.it) credentials are not to be used. Please proceed with a new registration.

The online application for DBA (8th edition, 2024-2027) is available from 31 January 2024 until 30 May 2024.

 

Application Deadline 

The Application deadline is 30 May  2024.

The Tuition Waivers' Application deadlines are:

  • 1st round: 28 March 2024 (Outstanding candidates 40% tuition waivers)
  • 2nd round: 30 May 2024 (Outstanding candidates 20% tuition waivers)

We invite you to apply on time.

 

Enrollment

Upon confirmation of your admission, you will receive an enrollment form that must be completed, signed and uploaded to MyApplication by the deadline indicated in the admission’s letter. To complete the enrollment process, you have to make the first tuition payment.

In order to properly complete the enrollment procedure, we need to double check your diploma and transcript with your former University. If they have a digital document delivery service or if they confirm the obtention of your diploma by email is accepted.

When this is not possible, in some remaining cases (more frequently for extra UE students), you may be also required to send by land mail the official/original or certified degree certificate/transcript to:

Recruiting and Admissions Service 
Via Sarfatti, 10
20136 Milano - Italy
Tel. +39 02 5836 3115
admissions.dba@sdabocconi.it

Costs and Fees

The fee for the entire DBA program is 80,000 EUR payable in three installments as follows:

Academic Year 1

€ 30,000

Academic Year 2

€ 25,000

Academic Year 3

€ 25,000


The fee includes all academic materials, use of the Bocconi and SDA Bocconi libraries and online resources, lunches and coffee breaks during residential modules. Candidates are responsible for covering their travel and lodging expenses while in Milan.

Logistics

The program is run in four weeklong residential modules and three mini virtual learning modules. Each residential module will take place in Milan at SDA Bocconi School of Management. Residential modules will start on Monday afternoon and end Friday afternoon of the same week.

Virtual learning modules will take place between residential modules and will be conducted remotely with participants connected from their respective locations (in case of scheduling conflicts, virtual learning modules will be recorded and remain available to participants on the learning platform).

Scholarships and Tuition Waivers

A number of scholarships and tuition waivers are offered by SDA Bocconi School of Management: these are awarded on the basis of merit to candidates with an outstanding profile. Admission to the Program is independent of the awarding of any scholarship or tuition waiver.

SDA Bocconi School of Management offers 2 "Outstanding candidates merit-based tuition waivers" (at least one of which reserved to a woman candidate) up to 32,000 € (40% of the Tuition Fee) to 2024-2027 DBA candidates with an outstanding profile who send their application within 28 March 2024.

In addition to the tuition waivers above, SDA Bocconi also offers  3 more merit-based tuition waivers (2 of which reserved to female candidates) up to 16,000 € (20% of the Tuition Fee) to 2024-2027 DBA candidates with an outstanding profile who send their application within the final deadline set on 30 May 2024.

Applications are evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Analysis of the requirements indicated in the specific notice of competition
  • Analysis of academic and professional record
  • Results of the DBA selection process

 

 

TUITION WAIVERS 2024-2027 DBA EDITION

Outstanding candidates 40% tuition waivers

> 2 partial tuition waivers

Outstanding candidates 20% tuition waivers

> 3 partial tuition waivers

 

Loans and Funding

For candidates

SDA Bocconi provides opportunities for low-interest loans to admitted students, thanks to agreements with Italian Banks for residents of Italy. Loan applications to Italian Banks must be submitted by the end of month that follows your Master starting date. 


Furthermore, the University provides international students with information about possible sources for financing in several countries. For further information, please visit the Università Bocconi website.