SMC offers online doctoral pathways for working professionals who want to turn expertise into research, authority, and long-term professional leverage.
Choose between the research-focused Doctor of Philosophy and the applied Doctor of Business Administration. Both pathways are designed for distance learning, doctoral supervision, and serious academic progression.
The DBA and PhD are both doctoral-level pathways, but they serve different ambitions. One is built around applied business research; the other around original scholarly contribution across specialist fields.
The DBA is designed for executives, entrepreneurs, consultants, and senior professionals who want to develop applied research with clear business, organizational, and leadership relevance.
The PhD is designed for candidates who want to produce original research, contribute to knowledge, and build academic, research, advisory, or specialist authority in their chosen field.
SMC’s PhD in Artificial Intelligence is the flagship AI research pathway for professionals who want to contribute original research where technology, governance, strategy, and impact meet.
This pathway is built around research themes institutions and industries are actively trying to solve: intelligent systems, AI business strategy, law and policy, ethics, governance, and responsible implementation.
This page is the entry point. From here, applicants choose the doctorate path that fits their goals, shape their research direction, and continue through supervision, review, and doctoral completion.
Decide between the applied DBA and the research-oriented PhD.
Frame your applied business focus or select your specialist PhD research field.
Use the doctorate tuition calculator to propose a structure for review.
Move through application review, supervision, dissertation development, and defense.
The degree is the Doctor of Philosophy. The fields below represent research directions and specialization environments within that doctoral pathway.
For candidates pursuing research in organizational performance, markets, finance, economic systems, and business transformation.
For candidates researching artificial intelligence, information technology, intelligent systems, governance, and digital transformation.
For candidates pursuing research in public administration, political science, law, education, psychology, and social systems.
Tell SMC about your background, goals, and research interests. We can help you understand whether the applied DBA or research-focused PhD is the more appropriate route.
This inquiry form is for initial guidance. Formal admission remains subject to application review.
SMC doctoral pathways are built for professionals who need online access, but still want meaningful structure, supervision, research depth, and academic credibility.
Study online while continuing professional responsibilities.
Move from topic direction to supervised doctoral output.
Doctoral study requires discipline, originality, and sustained execution.
Convert expertise into structured research and stronger positioning.
Before applying, clarify the doctorate route, review the tuition pathway, and understand SMC’s accreditation framework.
Choose the doctorate route that fits your goals, then move into the detailed overview, tuition path, and admission process that support your academic and professional direction.