PhD Studies

Welcome to submit your application by 15th April each year, for enrolment in September the same year!

Photo: Ekonomikum

PhD Programme in Business Studies

Do you want to continue working with the questions that you worked with in your master thesis? Do you like to get to the bottom of complex problems? Do you want to generate new knowledge to researchers and practitioners? Do you like to write? Do you want a real challenge?

Then the PhD programme in business studies might suit you.

What are the career prospects? The research at the Department focuses on international business, industrial marketing, accounting & finance, management & organisation and entrepreneurship. The aim of the PhD program is to provide excellent scholarly training. PhDs hold positions as researchers and academics in Sweden as well as abroad at various business schools. There are also opportunities to work outside academia. In recent years, graduates from the PhD program have been garnering positions within media, finance and consulting businesses.

What does the PhD program look like? Work toward a Doctorate is expected to take four years of full-time study, half of which consists of courses (90hp) and half of thesis work (150hp). Admitted students are provided with funding, either through scholarships or employment (doctoral studentship "doktorandtjänst"). Further, some funding is also given for travel and other expenses.

The student's supervisor sets up an individual study plan which outlines how the research will be conducted and which courses are appropriate. The individual study plan will be monitored and reviewed by the Faculty Board once a year. PhD students often participate in broader research projects.

Many PhD students spend time (2-4 months) at a foreign university. In past years, our students have visited leading institutions such as the London School of Economics, Columbia MIT and Harvard University, USA.

During the first semester (autumn) the students follow an introductory program (30hp), called SUBS, together with participants from the Stockholm School of Economics.

The PhD Programme - Business research at the Department of Business Studies

Formal requirements

General admission requirements: The applicant must have completed at least 240 ECTS credits (corresponding to four years of full time studies), including at least 60 ECTS credits at the advanced/master level (one year), or have acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Special admission requirements: The applicant must have completed at least 90 ECTS credits (1,5 years) in business studies, or have acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

Deadline for applications to the program is 15th April each year. Admissions is restricted to about 10 doctoral students per year. Decisions regarding acceptance to the program are made by the Head of Department on the basis of recommendations from the Chief Supervisory Council. The PhD program starts in the autumn semester each year.

The structure of the PhD Program

The curriculum comprises 240 ECTS credits, which corresponds to four years of full-time study. Out of the total, 90 ECTS credits refer to courses, and 150 ECTS are represented by the PhD thesis. Two senior researchers are assigned as supervisors for each doctoral student.

It is possible to apply for a licentiate program, half the doctoral program, the formal requirements being 60 ECTS credits for courses and 60 ECTS credits for the licentiate thesis.

All doctoral students are expected to report their work at least once a year at the weekly research seminar at the department .

Courses

The curriculum includes courses on research methods and courses specialising in the main fields of business studies. Some of these courses are compulsory for all doctoral students. Courses can also be taken at other departments or universities. New doctoral students take part in the SUBS-program (a joint introductory program for PhD students at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) and the Department of Business Studies at Uppsala University) which involves full time studies during the first autumn semester and is comprised of four 7,5 ECTS courses. Courses are given both in Uppsala and Stockholm.

The Thesis

The work with the doctoral thesis is the core of the PhD program. In the thesis, the doctoral student applies scientific methodology to a research problem in business studies aiming at the advancement of research in the field. The quality of the thesis should reach the level required for publication in a scientific journal. At the public defense, the thesis is scrutinized by an external examiner from another university. It is graded "pass" or "fail" by a committee appointed by the faculty board.

Financing of the Studies

Funding takes the form of a scholarship or a doctoral studentship (doktorandtjänst). The doctoral studentship is associated to a requirement to teach or to work as an assistant to senior researchers for 20 % of the time. There is no tuition fee.

Office Space

Doctoral students are allotted a shared office at the department.

Application

Application deadline: 15th April each year.

Please follow the application procedure:

1. Apply by filling out the digital form: Digital form

AND

2. Fill out the two forms - BLANKETT 1.pdf and BLANKETT 2 eng.pdf - and attach the necessary documents.

Send the application to the following address:
Department of Business Studies
Uppsala University
Attn: Elisabeth Hallmén
Box 513
SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
(Visiting address: Ekonomikum, Kyrkogårdsgatan 10C)

Instructions: Information_to_foreign_applicants.pdf

Note that applications must be sent by postal or courier services. E-mailed or faxed applications will not be accepted.

Contact persons

For further information please contact: Mrs Elisabeth Hallmén, Ekonomikum, Kyrkogårdsgatan 10C, Box 513, 751 20 Uppsala, Sweden, phone +46 (0)18-471 1369, fax +46 (0)18-471 6810, e-mail elisabeth.hallmen@fek.uu.se