- A PhD about management

Management being an applied science, for the Universa PhD Programme its conceptual basis ranges as wide as from philosophy and anthropology, via sociology, organizational behaviour up to economy. Cutting edge applied social sciences therefore needs adapted research approaches and methodologies. Without exclusion of any scientific approach, the Universa PhD Programme particularly welcomes good qualitative work, with a strong focus on field work, that can be highly experiential and could perfectly be constructivist.

- The PhD Programme structure

The PhD Programme is the equivalent of 3 full-time years of study, but can be taken part-time.

Students are selected on the basis of their research proposal and from the outset have a tutor

dedicated to their research. It is this personalised and intensive relationship with the tutor (the master apprentice relationship whose success has been proven) that is the key to this Programme’s success.

The student can either choose a tutor from one of the six schools, or the Universa PhD Programme can help the

student identify the most suitable tutor for the chosen research subject from affiliated faculty.

-          The seminars

Students must follow six 3 or 4-day seminars organized by the six member schools.

2 of the seminars are methodology oriented and 4 are subject oriented (related to researching

the subject and not the subject itself). These four subject oriented seminars cover all management

disciplines in an interdisciplinary way. The six seminars (subject to change) are:

1. Epistemology research design and statistic based research methods

2. Qualitative and Multivariate research methods

3. Markets, services and diversity

4. knowledge, innovation and learning

5. Sustainability, ethics and geopolitics

6. Strategy, strategic HR and organisational theory

These seminars will be conducted by a team of cutting edge faculty members from the six schools,

who potentially are also PhD tutors. Moreover, if a student or their tutor sees fit, they can participate in

specialist courses in their field of research within the programmes of the six partner schools.