PhD in Business and Management

The Ph.D. program in Business and Management aims to prepare students to carry out high-quality research in management and business-related areas. In order to achieve this goal Ph.D. students take courses in research methodology and subject area topics. These courses are designed to inform students of the latest research in that area. During the seminars, interactive discussions are held with the active participation of students. Each course ends with an exam. After completing the course work, Ph.D. candidates go through a comprehensive exam as part of the requirements for the doctoral degree.

Ph.D. candidates need to demonstrate their ability to conduct high-level research work. The dissertation has to include original empirical research.  The dissertation has to be defended in front of a reviewer committee during an open session.

Ph.D. students are attached to a research supervisor from the very beginning of the program. It is the task of the supervisor to advise the Ph.D. candidate during the education, research, and dissertation phase.

Specialization areas covered by the Program

The program includes the following specialization areas:

• Accounting
• Agricultural Economics
• Business Communication
• Business Economics
• Corporate Finance
• Decision Making
• Healthcare Management
• Marketing
• Organization and Management Theory
• Production/Operations Management
• Strategic Management
• Sustainability Management
• Tourism

Admissions

One may gain entrance to organized doctoral training by undergoing the entrance procedure. University doctoral training may be entered by 

Hungarian citizens, who have:

• University degree or an accredited certificate of equivalent value acquired at a Master’s (MA or MSc) program, graded at least as “good” (or equivalent). At least 300 credits have to be collected during the higher education of the applicant. An MBA graduation is not eligible for our Ph.D. program; 
• At least one “B2” (or higher) complex language certificate, issued by the state or an equivalently accredited body; 
• Professional and scientific skills which meet the doctoral school’s standards. 

Foreign citizens, who have:

• University degree or an accredited certificate of equivalent value acquired at a Master’s (MA or MSc) program, graded at least as “good” (or equivalent). At least 300 credits have to be collected during the higher education of the applicant. An MBA graduation is not eligible for our Ph.D. program; 
• At least a B2 level language certificate in English (TOEFL min.79 (iBT); 213 (CBT), IELTS min. 6.5; 
• Professional and scientific skills which meet the doctoral school’s standards. 

The application must include the following documents:

• Application form 
• Detailed CV 
• Presenting the original and a copied version of the MA/MSc degree 
• Document of language exam (TOEFL or equivalent) 
• Two letters of recommendation 
• Preliminary research plan of 2-3 pages 
• Research essay of 3 to 5 pages in the field of the research plan, containing a literature review 
• List of publications 
• Copy of any publication relevant to evaluate the candidate 
• Any other document relevant to evaluate the application 
• All documents originally written in languages other than English or Hungarian must be accompanied by an official translation into English. 

Applicants are invited for an entrance oral examination where professional knowledge in business and management and in quantitative methods has to be demonstrated. The exam covers the subject areas of the chosen specialization. 

The decision on admission is based on examination of the application documents and on the results of the oral entrance examination. A maximum of 10 students can be granted admission into the English language program of the Doctoral School of Business and Management each year. The decision on admission is made by early July. Applicants will be informed about the decision by email.

Tuition Fees

Ph.D. students participating in the full degree program have to pay tuition fees. The following rates will be applied:

• Admission fee: 5 Euro
• Tuition fee per semester: 3200 Euro (to be paid in the first four years)
• Comprehensive exam fee: 400 Euro
• Thesis-proposal defense fee: 800 Euro
• Final thesis defense fee: 1200 Euro