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During this programme, you will:

Bring a significant complex problem from your own professional context and use it as the foundation for original doctoral research in topics related to leadership, sustainability, systemic transformation and associated knowledge frontiers.

Develop sustainability meta-competencies that reflect the latest emerging research in leadership, sustainability and systemic transformation with a particular focus on systems thinking.

Immerse in week- long residencies once each semester that will support you to develop and strengthen the four tenets of the programme; complex problem, knowledge frontiers, research mastery and the transformative leader. In addition, the two-day Leadership Summit will be a high-intensity forum where your ideas are sharpened into action, and research trajectories accelerate.

Cultivate a praxis of critical reflexivity and inquiry, interweaving scholarship and practice, to facilitate continuous transformational learning regarding worldview, self, epistemology, ontology, behaviour, and capacity.

Evolve from an accomplished executive to a systemic actor and responsible knowledge creator — a leader who not only responds to complexity but thrives within it.

Key Information:

• Complete part-time over four years.
• Blended delivery. Online and on-campus.
• Immersive residencies are held on campus twice annually in Years 1 and 2, and for five days each.
• Leadership summits take place over two days at the end of each year of the programme in Years 1, 2 and 3
• Designed for senior leaders working across private and public sectors.
• Over four years, you will move from taught foundations to independent doctoral inquiry.
• Assessment is practice-based, integrative, and developmental.
• Participants are evaluated through reflective portfolios, applied research artefacts, and written assignments during the taught phase
• The submission of your final thesis in March of Year 4, together with the successful defence of your research during the oral viva voce, is a requirement for the award of the doctorate degree.

You will learn through a blend of:

• Lectures, workshops, and hands-on activities
• Immersive residencies and leadership summits
• Regular feedback from faculty and peers

Year 1 

Autumn 

Explores relational and engaged research paradigms that bridge scholarship and leadership.

Develops the capacity to understand interconnections, feedback loops, and paradoxes within complex systems.

Builds skills for evaluating and integrating research evidence into strategic and operational decisions.

Year 1 

Spring 

Examines moral courage, stakeholder accountability, and values-driven leadership in contemporary contexts.

Introduces qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches with an emphasis on ethical and systemic coherence.

Applies futures thinking and systems intervention approaches to anticipate and design change.

Year 1 & Year 2 

Summer

Each summer forms an integral part of the doctoral journey. In years 1 and 2, candidates progress their systemic inquiry and research architecture, culminating in a refined doctoral proposal

Year 2 

Autumn 

Develops capability to synthesise literature, identify gaps, and formulate original research questions.

Examines new models of value creation that align economic success with environmental stewardship.

Explores how innovation can be mobilised to address societal and environmental challenges.

Year 2

Spring 

Consolidates methodological and reflective skills for practice-based doctoral inquiry.

Analyses how governance and reporting systems enable or constrain sustainability transformation.

Examines ethical, social, and organisational implications of digital transformation and AI.

Years 3–4 

Independent Research and Thesis

Candidates work with a dedicated supervisory team to conduct applied doctoral research addressing their chosen complex problem. The final thesis demonstrates both academic rigour and measurable strategic impact.

Summer work in years 3 and 4 centres on independent empirical research, analysis and synthesis, producing tangible outputs reviewed through formal milestones.

Books and journal articles needed for the course will be available online through the UL Glucksman Library.

For more information on each module, you can search the faculty, school and module code on UL’s Book of Modules

• Applicants should hold a Master's degree (NFQ Level 9) with at least a second-class honour, grade 2 (2:2)
• Applicants should have at least ten years of senior management or leadership experience.
• Successful submission of a Portfolio of Inquiry that articulates the applicant’s complex organisational or societal challenge and demonstrates readiness for doctoral-level research in topics related to leadership, sustainability and systemic transformation and associated knowledge frontiers.
• The university will shortlist candidates and invite you to an interview.

International students: 

For details on country-specific qualifications visit postgraduate entry requirements for international students.

Checklist of documents:

• Academic transcripts and certificates, translated if required.
  • UL graduates only need to provide their student ID number
• Successful submission of a Portfolio of Inquiry that articulates the applicant’s complex organisational or societal challenge and demonstrates readiness for doctoral-level research in topics related to leadership, sustainability and systemic transformation and associated knowledge frontiers.
• Copy of your birth certificate or passport
• Copy of your CV

English Language:

• English Language Competency certificate · For details on accepted language qualifications visit English Language Requirements

Guidelines on Completing your Application

• To make sure we can review your application quickly, please:
  • Upload all documents. Your application can’t be reviewed until we have all the documents on the checklist.
  • Title the documents you are uploading. For example, "Portfolio of Enquiry", "Masters Transcript", "Postgraduate Transcript", "English Language Certificate" etc.

Year 1 €11,500 EU €15,000 Non-EU 

Year 2* €11,500 EU €15,000 Non-EU

Year 3* € 7,500 EU €11,000 Non-EU

Year 4 * € 7,500 EU €11,000 Non-EU

*Please note year 2, 3 and 4 fees are subject to change

Please note this programme is not eligible for international study visas. Visas are only available to students studying full-time in Ireland.

Annual fees are billed by semester. Once registered, students may be eligible to apply for a monthly payment plan.

Further information on fees and payment of fees is available from the Student Fees Office website. All fee related queries should be directed to the Student Fees Office (Phone: +353 61 213 007 or email student.fees.office@ul.ie.

Graduates of the Kemmy Executive DBA emerge as reflective scholar-practitioners who lead transformation across business, government, and civil society. They act as knowledge brokers and systemic thinkers — individuals capable of integrating research, practice, and policy to create sustainable futures. The programme also serves as a catalyst for establishing new ventures and thought-leadership platforms in sustainability and systems innovation.

The DBA develops leaders who can operate in the ambiguous, multi-stakeholder, rapidly shifting environments that define the future of organisations and societies. Graduates are prepared for senior roles across corporate, public, non-profit and entrepreneurial ecosystems — especially where complexity, long-term decision-making, and engaged scholarship capability are essential. For example:

• Leadership at the intersection of strategy, complexity and societal transition
• Board-Level and Stewardship Roles
• Policy, Public Leadership and National Strategy Roles
• Global Consulting, Advisory, and Thought Leadership
• Academic and Research Leadership Roles
• Sector-Specific Senior Roles Across High-Complexity Domains