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Following the sustained success of its first cohorts in the current Advanced Medicine (DAM) and Business Administration (DBA) doctoral programs, the German-language doctoral school at DTMD University for Digital Technologies in Medicine and Dentistry will launch a third doctoral program in the summer of 2023.

In early August 2023, doctoral students will submit their exposés to DTMD University. The DTMD University Doctoral Regulations make such a brief presentation of the proposed research mandatory for a DAM or DBA student position. All submissions met the approval of the doctoral committee. Thus, the prospective doctoral students were finally admitted to the program. They were also assigned a personal tutor.

As the first mini-version of the intended dissertation, the exposé documents that a candidate has thoroughly familiarized him/herself with the research topic and knows what to expect. This includes, above all, having an overview of the methods with which the desired topic is to be investigated. DTMD University places great emphasis on ensuring that master's and doctoral theses are directly relevant and practical. This aspect must therefore be given appropriate attention in the exposé. Because medicine is an experiential science, the doctoral programs at DTMD University's Doctoral School are particularly suited to physicians with extensive practical expertise and skills.

The exposé of a dissertation is also important for the future supervisor. He/she can thus assess whether a project is actually feasible in the proposed form and time and whether he/she can supervise it optimally. The supervisor also has the opportunity to make suggestions for improvement.

The doctoral studies to become a DAM or DBA at DTMD University differ significantly from classical doctorates, so-called PhDs at German and European universities. The latter are clearly academically oriented, theory-heavy, and primarily prepare students for careers in higher education. In contrast, the concept of the DAM/DBA Executive Doctorate in Advanced Medicine and Business Administration, respectively, developed and validated at Harvard University's Business School, is based on skills, abilities, and knowledge for application and practice. DAM and DBA are based on professional competence and experience. The goal is to incorporate and validate one's own professional expertise in a personal process of reflection and research that is scientifically validated in a sophisticated manner. This requires strong analytical and empirical skills.

According to a resolution of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK), the DBA/DAM is recognized as an international title formally equivalent to a doctorate from a German university. The U.S. Department of Education and the British Economic and Social Research Council also recognize the DBA as equivalent to the PhD. The same applies in France, where DBA and DAM have a longer tradition than in Germany. In this context, formal equivalence means that PhD and DAM/DBA doctoral studies are deliberately not designed to be the same in terms of content and objective, but that they are equivalent in terms of ambition and academic level.

The new DAM/DBA courses start with a common block of 5 weekend seminars (Fridays to Sundays). These courses serve as an introduction to scientific work, empiricism (qualitative and quantitative analyses and evaluations), ethics and the legal framework of independent entrepreneurial activities. The synopsis should be submitted by the end of August 1 of the year at the latest. Subsequently, the participants start working on their doctoral thesis. For this purpose, they will have an experienced supervisor who will accompany them until the colloquium in the third and final year. There are 3 joint discussions of the status of the respective work in the group as well as two subject-specific seminars. The third year of the doctoral program is devoted to writing the thesis. The amount of support required is correspondingly high. In addition, there are two joint doctoral colloquia.

Applications are now open for the 4th cohort of the DAM or DBA degree program