The degree was designed for those seeking academic research and teaching careers as faculty or professors in the study of management at business schools worldwide.
Through research, professors gain the expertise required to teach advanced courses and to ensure that they remain current in his or her chosen field.
In the 1950s and 1960s, leading business schools made a transition from vocational training to scientific research, rooted in social sciences, such as economics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, systems engineering, and mathematics.
[3][unreliable source] Research with regard to the study of management and organization encompasses a wide range of activities.
[1] Becoming a professor of business means investing years of study before obtaining the desired degree, but academia offers many benefits, including attractive salaries, the combination of varied activities in one career, intellectual stimulation as well as professional autonomy.
[7] However, following through with a PhD degree can be challenging not only because of the academic rigour but also due to the pressure and stress that comes from conducting research and defending a dissertation.
Moreover, once a person obtains a Ph.D., there is no guarantee that even with an offer from a business school, that the Ph.D. student will go on to publish his or her research in a top journal, will be able to teach effectively, or will receive a tenured faculty position.
As such, both PhD and DBA programs require students to develop original research leading to a dissertation defense.
"[13] It is sometimes positioned as "an applied research degree within the study of management,"[14] and its coursework thus connects theoretical knowledge and practice, through cognitive, professional, and peer learning.
Thus, the DPM is of the same academic level as traditional PhD with a research focus on industry practice rather than theoretical framework.