Learning Outcomes:

What is a project? 

• Definitions – academic, professional body definitions Why are they becoming important? 
• Project Management as a competitive tool, role of  projects in improving organizational performance What are the various types of projects? 
• Construction, Production development, Software  development, media and entertainment, research  and innovation etc.  
• Why projects are complex to manage? 
• Triple constraints, organizational cultural issues,
• lack of knowledge about requirements, lack of skills and technology 
• Role of professional bodies in developing project discipline 
• Project Management certification, Professional  bodies and membership

What are the differences between general  organisational projects and research projects

• An introduction to funded research in business and  management  
• Role of funding bodies such as World Bank, World  Health Organisations, IMF, European Commission,  ESRC, Research Councils, Charity organisations  such as Melinda Gates foundation etc. 
• How are funded projects evaluated? 
• Steps involved in evaluation of project proposals,  team capabilities and monitoring and evaluation of projects, emerging project themes
• Risk management in research project: 
• Risk Management techniques, identification and  management of risks, development of risk register.

Phases, activities and milestones in a DBA  project: 

• Constraints in a research project 
• Types of resources required to deliver the project PERT, GANTT tools and Critical Path Analysis

What is the typical journey of a DBA project?

• What is the role of supervisor in a DBA project? What are the potential challenges faced by the  researcher while undertaking a DBA programme? Examine past DBA project stories and discuss the  best practices.

Indicative Reading list 

• Townsend, K., & Saunders, M. N. (Eds.). (2018). How to Keep Your Research Project on Track: Insights from when Things Go Wrong. Edward  Elgar Publishing. 
• Sinclair, N. (2019). On track: how to lead research projects with clarity and confidence. 
• Bartlett, J. (2017) The Essentials of Managing Risk for Projects and Programmes. 1st Edition. Routledge. London • Larson, E. and Gray, E. (2021) Project Management: The Managerial Process, 8th ed, McGraw-Hill 
• Pinto, J.K (2016) Project Management. Achieving Competitive Advantage. 4th Edition, Pearson, London.

Entry requirements

To enroll The Doctoral Award, the learner must possess:

• Graduated with a Master’s degree from an accredited university or achieved a Level 7 Diploma according to the European Qualifications
• For a degree from non-global accredited universities; The learner should have followed Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Qualifications (APELQ) policy of SIMI and/or University Partners.
• Learners must be over 24 years old.

The SIMI Swiss reserves the highest decision-making power for admission whether to accept or not accept after a specific review of each candidate’s profile to ensure that they can comprehend and gain benefits when participating. For the fake university or diploma mills, University Partners shall not be accepted.

English requirements

If a learner is not from a predominantly English-speaking country, proof of English language proficiency must be provided.

• Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) level B2 or equivalent
• Or A minimum TOEFL score of 101 or IELTS 6.5; Reading and Writing must be at 6.5 or equivalent

After graduating with Doctoral Award, students receive all certified documents from the SIMI Swiss.

Certified Documents:

• e-Certificate from the Swiss Information and Management Institute (SIMI Swiss).
• Hard copy certificate from the Swiss Information and Management Institute (SIMI Swiss) – Optional.
•  Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning for Qualifications (APEL.Q) certified from University Partners for credit and tuition fee transfer.

Because the program is accredited and recognized, students can easily use certified in the working environment and have many opportunities for career advancement. In addition, in case if you want to study for a SIMI degree or university partner degree, students can convert all credits and the full paid tuition fee when participating in the program University Partners.

The SIMI Swiss’ Doctoral Award means:

SIMI Swiss Doctoral Award is the award at the doctoral level and is equivalent to:

• Level 8 certificate of Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF) of UK
• Level 11 certificate of Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF)
• Level 8 certificate of Credit and Qualifications Framework (CQFW)
• Level 8 certificate of European Qualifications Framework (EQF)
• Level 10 certificates of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)
• Level 8 certificate of ASEAN Qualifications Reference Framework (AQRF)
• Level 10 certificate of the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF)

Students can convert all credits and the full tuition fee when participating in the SIMI Swiss and/or University Partners academic programs if they want to study for an academic degree.

Credits transfer:

Learners can accumulate 20 credits from the Doctoral Award program when participating in the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) or PhD. Please see the credit transfer policy HERE

Tuition fee transfer:

When participating in the DBA/PhD program, students who have graduated 1 Doctoral Award will receive a discount of full tuition fee which you paid. Please see the tuition fee transfer HERE

The SIMI Swiss micro-credential program allows for the transfer of credits and tuition fees into full degree programs from SIMI Swiss and/or its university partners. SIMI Swiss reserves the right to limit admissions once the number of students exceeds the quotas.

Apply Policy:

• To participate in the SIMI Swiss micro-credential program, students need to meet the entry criteria corresponding to each level. Please see the “Entry” tab for more details.
• SIMI Swiss will not accept applicants if their entry qualifications are from diploma mill universities or schools/universities that are not accredited.
• For Doctoral Award programs, if an entry master is unavailable, students must demonstrate a minimum of 5 years of work experience in the relevant field. Please note that a master’s degree is required for the Doctoral program at SIMI Swiss and University Partners so that you could study Doctoral Award but could not move to the Doctoral program of SIMI and University Partners.
• English is not a mandatory entry requirement for short course programs, but candidates need to ensure that English is used in reading documents, listening to lectures, and doing assignments. Candidates should note that English is a mandatory requirement when switching to an academic program at SIMI Swiss and University Partners.

Apply Process:

1. Choose the program that suits your requirements. Note that applicants without a university degree will not be able to participate in the program at Master’s level, and applicants without a Master’s degree will not be able to participate in the program at the Doctoral level.
2. Email your application to support@simiswiss.ch with all the required documents. You could download the application form here.
3. Our admission department will contact you and guide you through further processes if the registration documents need to be supplemented.
4. SIMI Swiss will issue the Letter of Acceptant (LOA). You will proceed to the next steps according to the instructions and pay tuition fee.
5. SIMI Swiss will issue a student confirmation letter, login account to the e-learning system and related documents.
6. You have become an official SIMI Swiss student and enjoy your study journey

The SIMI Swiss micro-credential program is fully online, allowing you to study anytime, anywhere. You have the option to attend live classes with SIMI Swiss. The final exam will be uploaded to the system and evaluated by the academic panel of SIMI Swiss. Students must submit assignments on time; failure to do so will result in the student being considered to have discontinued the program.