Refer China: CEIBS (Switzerland) DBA programme receives EFMD accreditation

Reinforcing CEIBS\x26#39; leading position in international management education.

The CEIBS (Switzerland) Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme has been officially accredited by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), making it the world's first DBA programme to earn this distinction. This milestone not only represents a strong endorsement of the programme's quality but also reinforces CEIBS' leading position in international management education and sets a new benchmark for doctoral business education in China.

Founded in 1972, EFMD is the world's largest international organisation dedicated to management development. Its mission is to promote the advancement of global management education and the sharing of best practice in business. EFMD offers a series of authoritative accreditations which are widely regarded as markers of excellence for business schools worldwide. In 2004, as a school, CEIBS obtained EFMD EQUIS Accreditation, establishing itself as a pioneer amongst business schools on the Chinese mainland in striving to achieve international standards and recognition.

The CEIBS DBA programme has received the "EFMD Accredited" label, one of the world's leading international systems of quality assessment, improvement and accreditation of business education programmes. This international recognition highlights the programme's excellence in areas including strategy, teaching, student development, and social influence.

Wang Hong

CEIBS President

"We are delighted that our DBA programme has become the world's first to achieve EFMD accreditation. This is not only a powerful recognition of the programme's academic excellence and spirit of innovation, but also a milestone in CEIBS' history. As we move into the strategic planning phase of our 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), the school will seize this opportunity to further integrate management practice with theoretical innovation, support economic and social development, promote the advancement of management education both in China and globally, and strive toward becoming the most respected international business school in the world."

Dominique Turpin

CEIBS President (European)

"We are thrilled that the CEIBS DBA programme has received this well-deserved recognition and are deeply honoured by this accolade. This accreditation is a significant milestone not only for CEIBS, but for the field of doctoral business education worldwide. As an international business school with campuses spanning the world, we look forward to fostering the further exchange of cutting-edge management knowledge and contributing greater wisdom and practice to the global management education dialogue."

In awarding the accreditation, the EFMD review team conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the CEIBS DBA programme, covering core dimensions such as institutional strategy and management, programme faculty, programme design, programme delivery and operations, programme outcomes, and quality assurance processes. The programme was recognised for its excellence across these dimensions and rated "above standard", particularly in:

Availability of resources to implement the strategy
Adequacy of faculty: qualifications, size and subject profile
Faculty intellectual contribution (i.e., research inputs) to teaching
Individualised learning support from faculty

The report also highlighted the faculty team as a distinct strength of the programme. Drawing on their international backgrounds, outstanding research, thought leadership, and profound understanding of both Chinese and Western business environments, CEIBS faculty ensure that the DBA programme combines academic rigour with practical relevance.

Frank Bournois

CEIBS Vice President and Dean

"Our faculty is the cornerstone of the CEIBS DBA programme's success. Our professors not only produce cutting-edge research and cases that offer insights into emerging business trends, but also consistently engage closely with the leaders of the corporate world that make the choice of joining CEIBS as doctoral students. Thanks to this exceptional academic team, the CEIBS DBA programme is able to continually bridge knowledge creation and management practice, an impact now recognised at the highest level by EFMD."

Zhu Tian

CEIBS Vice President and Co-Dean

"This accreditation represents a high-level recognition of the CEIBS DBA programme and a strong endorsement of our capacity for knowledge creation and teaching excellence. CEIBS has leveraged its international advantages to build a high-quality, forward-looking curriculum that cultivates talent with both deep understanding of China and a global outlook, contributing to economic and social development in China and beyond."

The review team also praised the programme's diverse modes of delivery. In addition to its rigorous core modules and cutting-edge elective modules, the report highlighted the innovative design of the Applied Research Conference (ARC), which provides a platform for multidimensional exchange, enabling students to choose amongst different thematic sessions tailored to various stages of their research. It also encourages cross-cohort engagement, supports exploration of potential research directions, helps refine participant ideas, and ultimately guides students through the completion of their dissertations.

CEIBS DBA Third Applied Research Conference (ARC)

Katherine Xin

CEIBS Associate Dean (Europe) and

Director of DBA Programme

"Achieving EFMD accreditation is a powerful recognition of the quality and international impact of the CEIBS DBA programme. We will continue to uphold high standards and rigorous requirements, integrating Chinese and Western wisdom to enable two-way empowerment between management theory and practice, and to develop more scholar-entrepreneurs with thought leadership and practical impact for the global business community."

Hwang Yuh-Chang

CEIBS Academic Director of DBA Programme

"We are proud that the curriculum design of the DBA programme has been so highly recognised by EFMD. At the heart of this achievement is our ability to deeply integrate cutting-edge theory with real-world business practice, while creating a multi-level exchange platform and internationally-oriented overseas modules. Together, these carefully crafted modules form the unique learning ecosystem of the CEIBS DBA programme."

The report also highlighted the composition of the student body as a major strength of the programme. Each CEIBS DBA cohort consists of around 35 participants, with more than 150 having enrolled since the programme's establishment, the majority of whom hold senior executive positions such as CEO, managing partner, or company founder. This high level of professional experience ensures classroom discussions and research remain closely aligned with real-world practice, making interactions particularly rich and insightful. During the accreditation process, the review team also attended two dissertation defences and was impressed by the depth and rigour of the students' research.

CEIBS DBA US Module

Wang Taiyuan

CEIBS Deputy Director of DBA Programme

"Student growth has always been the core goal and guiding value of our curriculum design. I am especially gratified by the review team's strong recognition of our students, which not only affirms their continued efforts throughout the programme but also highlights their significant progress in theoretical exploration and practical innovation. Looking ahead, we will continue to provide an open and diverse learning platform, and we look forward to seeing them contribute Chinese wisdom and management strength to advancing global sustainable development."

The CEIBS DBA programme is an applied doctoral degree that aims to build a bridge between academia and industry, cultivating thought leaders in the corporate world. The programme gathers senior leaders and key policymakers—all from top decision-making roles— with an average age of 47 and an average of over 19 years of management experience.

The four-year programme comprises two years of coursework followed by two years of dissertation research. The inaugural DBA cohort achieved an on-time graduation rate of more than 80%.

The CEIBS DBA 2025 cohort will commence this October, and admissions for the Class of 2026 are now open. If you aspire to "aim above and beyond business success", we look forward to welcoming you to join us on this journey!

About CEIBS

China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) was co-founded by the Chinese government and European Union (EU) in 1994 and has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Accra (Ghana), and Zurich (Switzerland).

CEIBS is committed to educating responsible leaders versed in 'China Depth, Global Breadth' and serves as an important platform for exchange and co-operation between China, Europe and the world.

The school offers full-time MBA, part-time MBA, Finance MBA, Global MiM, EMBA, Global EMBA, Hospitality EMBA, DBA, Executive Education and PhD programmes. CEIBS has ranked #1 in Asia in the Financial Times global ranking of MBA programmes for nine consecutive years and is currently ranked #1 in the world on its global ranking of EMBA programmes.

To date, CEIBS has more than 32,000 alumni from over 90 countries around the world and has provided a broad range of management programmes for more than 265,000 executives in China and abroad.