Doctoral Education Quality and Knowledge Production in Business Education in Nigerian Universities: A Multi-Case Evaluative Study

This study conducted a multi-case evaluative investigation of doctoral education quality and its implications for knowledge production in Business Education in Nigerian universities. Doctoral education is the apex of academic training and the primary engine of original knowledge production within universities. The quality of PhD programmes in Business Education directly shapes the intellectual vitality of the discipline, the quality of scholarship produced, and the capacity of the academic community to address contemporary business challenges. Despite its importance, a comprehensive evaluative study of doctoral education quality in Nigerian Business Education has not been previously conducted. Guided by the Quality in Higher Education Framework and the Academic Capitalism Theory, a multi-case design examining eight doctoral programmes across federal and state universities in the North West, South East, South South, and North Central zones was employed. Data were generated through ninety interviews with PhD students, supervisors, and graduate school administrators; analysis of programme documents and theses; bibliometric mapping of faculty publication records; and a survey of 200 PhD graduates. Cross-case synthesis, document analysis, and descriptive statistics were employed. Findings reveal wide quality variation, with federal universities in high-resource zones demonstrating stronger supervision quality, research infrastructure, and knowledge transfer outcomes. The most critical quality determinants identified were supervisor research engagement, programme funding, and international collaboration networks. The study makes a significant contribution to doctoral education theory and practice in Africa and proposes an eight-criteria doctoral quality assurance framework for Business Education programmes. Keywords: doctoral education quality, knowledge production, Business Education, Nigerian universities, programme evaluation