Program structure

The PhD program in Business Administration comprises 240 ECTS, including a course component (90 ECTS) and a thesis component (150 ECTS). During the first semester, you complete four mandatory courses before beginning work on your thesis in the second semester. Each student is supervised by an SSE faculty member.

After submitting a thesis proposal in the second year, you continue your research under the guidance of a committee of 3–4 professors, culminating in a public thesis defense.

Coursework

Mandatory courses (30 ECTS):

• The Research Process (7.5 ECTS)
• Quantitative Methods for Management Research (7.5 ECTS)
• Theory of Science in Business Administration (7.5 ECTS)
• Fundamentals of Qualitative Research (7.5 ECTS)
  
  

Elective courses (60 ECTS):

Elective courses are offered by various departments and institutes at SSE, as well as at other universities, and take different forms. The content and format of these courses vary from year to year, reflecting both student interests and developments in research. Course selection is decided jointly by you and your primary supervisor.

A sample of elective courses available at SSE:

• Developing Teaching Excellence (7.5 ECTS)
• Organizational Behavior I (7.5 ECTS)
• Organizational Behavior II (7.5 ECTS)
• Publishing in Peer-Reviewed Journals (7.5 ECTS)
• Classics in Social Theory (7.5 ECTS)
• Academic Writing (7.5 ECTS)

Thesis

You define the subject area of your thesis (150 ECTS) together with your primary supervisor, who is also responsible for securing external funding for years 3–4. All PhD students are expected to be externally funded in years 4–5, with funding guaranteed by the department. While most thesis work is carried out in years 2–4, you are encouraged to begin as early as possible.

A thesis typically consists of several essays within one or more fields of business administration. Essays may be single-authored or co-authored with fellow students or faculty. As a guideline, the thesis should consist of the equivalent of three publishable essays, at least one of which should be single-authored. The essays are expected to be suitable for publication in international academic journals, the primary channel for communicating research. Work in progress is regularly presented and discussed in seminars.

The completed thesis is made publicly available and defended at a public dissertation seminar. At the seminar, an external discussant presents and reviews the thesis, followed by questions to the candidate. The audience is also invited to participate. After the defense, a committee of professors decides whether the thesis is approved.

Seminars

Seminars are a central part of the PhD programs at SSE. They provide insights into current research and offer opportunities for both students and faculty to present and discuss ongoing work. You are expected to attend seminar series regularly. In addition, reading groups and informal workshops are organized in some subject areas.

Teaching

Teaching experience is an integral part of the PhD program in Business Administration, and you are encouraged to take on teaching responsibilities from the second year. Successful completion of teaching qualifies you for a fifth year in the program, which is otherwise four years long.

Work environment

You are provided with an office from the start of the PhD program. Located in central Stockholm, SSE offers an attractive environment for both work and study.