Cambridge University has revealed plans for a new doctorate in business, which is set to cost candidates a total of £230,000 over a period of four years.

The proposal for the degree was submitted by the Judge Business School, and if successful will be implemented from October 2017.

The proposed intake will be small, with one or two candidates each year. Each candidate will be a member of a college; however they will only be expected to live in Cambridge for four weeks annually after completion of their first year.

The degree will cost £80,000 for the initial year, before dropping to £50,000 for the final three years. This will be to provide ‘intensive teaching and support services”.

However, the plan has already faced criticism from those within the university. Times Higher Education reports that Professor Gill Evans believes that the fees are "gigantic" and questions: "“where is the intellectual justification for this departure into new doctoral territory?” 

It is also reported that she will argue in a speech to be given at Regent House that business schools are “a lucrative bolt-on for a university” but "that does not mean that a university adding to its income by having a business school should make radical changes at its request, without full understanding of the implications." 

It is expected that the total time committed to the degree will be similar to a PhD with candidates being taught methods of research in year one, before completing a dissertation of up to 200 pages. 

The course cannot be a full PhD because that would require those taking the course to remain resident in Cambridge. 

This will also be accompanied by an oral examination where candidates are required to discuss their work.

Potential applicants will be expected to have a Master’s degree or equivalent, and be willing to work towards solving a major business problem.

The degree itself is targeted at senior leaders in the business world, who wish to apply research methodology to wider management problems.

The University claims that no other business school has a degree which targets “individuals with the level of experience at which the Business School is aiming; because of the small numbers of leaders with significant experience”.

It goes on to say that the degree will meet demand from executives from a variety of organisations, and “will contribute to further globalization of the Cambridge Judge Business School’s research reputation.”