The Hitotsubashi ICS DBA program relies very much on individual initiative. DBA candidates spend three years working with a member of the ICS faculty to design and execute an individual research project, resulting in a doctoral thesis that is publishable as a book. DBA candidates are required to complete a course in Research Methodology in their first term. Milestones in the program include successfully defending a research proposal and successfully completing and defending a thesis.

DBA candidates are permitted to audit a select number of ICS MBA courses upon approval of their adviser and the faculty member teaching the course. Interested DBA candidates also have opportunities to serve as teaching assistants and to conduct joint research with ICS faculty. Applicants to the program should keep in mind that there is very little formal coursework and relatively little interaction with other DBA students and faculty. This is an individual, research-based, tutorial style program; it is not an alternative to the MBA.