Why this programme?
Our full-time PhD programme enables promising students to receive innovative training and coaching from distinguished academic experts – setting students on track to become thought leaders and top researchers at the world’s best universities and business schools.
We offer high-quality research in 5 areas of specialisation:
Programme structure
As a student in our full-time PhD programme, you will – amongst others – take courses, conduct research, and teach (at most 20% of your time). Your journey will be unique, tailored to you and your project, but a typical 5-year PhD path roughly looks like this:
1st year
- You will take courses based on an individual plan for education and supervision that you will draw up with your supervisors. Your individual course package will consist of a combination of skills training, methodology courses, and specialisation courses.
- At the end of your first year, you will submit a research proposal. An important milestone is the first-year assessment, which evaluates your progress and performance.
2nd and 3rd year
- You will complete your coursework and work further on the first paper of your dissertation. From the third year onwards, your PhD research will be your main activity. Most of our PhD students also go on an international research visit, which we support financially.
- An important milestone is the 2.5-year assessment. The Director of Doctoral Education will assess whether you are still making good progress and discuss your career plans with you.
4th and 5th year
- You will round up your dissertation, work on publishing your research and prepare for the job market – with support from your supervisors and us.
Admission
To be considered for admission to our full-time PhD programme, you are expected to have:
- hold an MSc, MA or MPhil degree in business or economics, or from related fields such as psychology, sociology, engineering, or mathematics (depending on PhD project)
- have excellent grades
- show explicit interest in and motivation for scientific research
- have a GMAT or GRE test result that is not older than five years, and an indication of the required score is 85 per cent (required for all entering PhD students)
- have TOEFL or IELTS test results. For internet-based TOEFL test, we require a total score of at least 100 and all section scores (writing, speaking, reading, and listening) should be at least 23. A minimum score of 600 is required on paper-based TOEFL test. For IELTS, the minimum overall band score is 7.5 and all section scores (writing, speaking, reading, and listening) should be at least 6.5. The language test results should not be older than two years.
- In addition to these formal requirements, candidates for the programme are selected on the basis of their CVs, statement of purpose, academic references, and interviews with the potential supervisors.
Full funding
As a student in our full-time PhD programme, you do not have to pay tuition fees. Our positions are fully funded for up to 5 years. You are an employee of the university and receive a salary, offering you the stability you need to focus on your development while maintain a work-life balance. Additionally, we provide generous financial support for you to visit conferences, take external courses, and go on an international research visit.
Vacancies
The annual recruitment period for our full-time PhD programme begins on November 1. The deadline for application is January 15. All vacancies are posted here.
Please note that the deadlines for some specific PhD vacancies might differ from January 15. Occasionally, vacancies become available outside our main annual recruitment round, so do check regularly if you do not yet see a vacancy that matches your interest. The deadline for application is specified in each project description.