PhD Program
The University of Basel’s Graduate School of Business and Economics offers excellent doctoral education to outstanding students from all over the world. The PhD program starts with advanced courses that equip students with the necessary theoretical knowledge and research methods to successfully write a doctoral thesis. The program is taught entirely in English both by members of our faculty and by international professors from outside. The program leads to a «Doctor rerum politicarum» (Dr. rer. pol., in English PhD).
Supervised by a member of the Faculty and guided by a PhD Advisory Committee with members both from our faculty and from outside, our students engage in an independent research project that results in several research papers that become chapters of their doctoral thesis. Students also often interact with senior and junior faculty members in joint research projects. The research is regularly presented and discussed in the internal PhD seminar. Our students also have the opportunity to interact with renowned international researchers who frequently visit the Faculty of Business and Economics to present in the research seminar or teach at the Faculty. Our graduates pursue successful careers in academia, governments, and private-sector firms worldwide.
The program consists of
- the research proposal, to be submitted at the end of the first year,
- min. 18 CP of coursework in the modules below,
- the dissertation,
- and the doctoral examination.
The coursework can be taken in the following four modules:
| Module | min. Credit Points |
|---|---|
| Advanced theories and methods | 9 |
| Internal presentation of own research | 3 |
| External presentation of own research | 3 |
| Didactics and other training | optional |
Minimum one internal and external presentation of your own research are compulsory, additional presentations are encouraged can be used to earn additional credits. We offer a range of courses in the "Advanced theories and methods" courses, but it is also possible to visit courses at other universities and institutions.
See Courses and Seminars for information about the currently offered courses.
Our PhD students can also take courses in the following external programs:
- Swiss Network of PhD Courses in Economics and Finance
- Swiss Program for Beginning Doctoral Students in Economics at the Study Center Gerzensee
- Advanced Courses in Economics at the Study Center Gerzensee
- Swiss Finance Institute (SFI) PhD Program
- Swiss Doctoral Program Network in Accounting Research (DAR)
- PhD Program in Public Health Sciences (SSPH)
If you are interested in any of these courses, bring it up early with your potential supervisor, as some programs will require adhering to early deadlines or completing a GRE, if you have not yet done so.
PhD students at the Graduate School of Business and Economics are supervised by a member of the Faculty and guided by a PhD Advisory Committee with members both from our faculty and from outside. Our professors and their research groups are active in a variety of research areas.
Professors at the Faculty who are not listed as supervisors in the GSBE application (see Application below) may still be open to supervise you. Please contact them directly to find out.
Regular progress meetings between supervisors and PhD students are expected. A second supervisor is added to the doctoral committee by the end of the first year, further supervisors may be added if needed. Second and further supervisors are not required to be members of our faculty, if you are considering adding an external supervisor to your doctoral committee, please contact the GSBE coordinator.
A master's degree from the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Basel with a grade of 5 or higher fulfils the admission requirements for our PhD program (see the instructions for the conversion of grades). Other degrees from the university of Basel, other Swiss universities or universities abroad may be recognised as equivalent and also be considered to fulfil the admission requirements. If the admission requirements are only partially fulfilled, the Doctoral Board may ask for additional reqiurements (usually master level courses) to be taken at the beginning of the program.
Please note, that professional postgraduate degrees, such as MBA, do not fulfil the admission requirements.
It is possible to start in fall or spring, individual start dates may be negotiated. Please see "Application" below for deadlines.
The PhD program usually takes 4 years. Doing it in a shorter period of time may be possible. A longer duration may also be possible, though individual solutions will have to be found for the funding.
Fees
Application fee (GSBE): none.
Application fee (University of Basel): CHF 100.
Tuition fees per year: CHF 700.
Individual costs of living etc. are not included.
Funding
Participants of our PhD program may be offered a competitive funding package covering the costs of living in Basel over four years. It is also possible to do a PhD part time and fund yourself through work external to the University of Basel. If you are interested in doing this, please contact a potential supervisor directly.
The Graduate School of Business and Economics (GSBE) opens a call for PhD applications twice a year. This call is for fully funded PhD positions supervised by a potential supervisor listed in the call.
Some professors also directly advertise open PhD positions and supervise external PhD student that do not require funding. If the professor you wish to work with is not listed in the GSBE call, please contact them directly.
Candidates offered a PhD position through either the GSBE application or an individual agreement with a professor will need to apply to the University of Basel in a second step. Detailed information about the admission process at the university can be found at the Student Services' website. The GSBE and your supervisor will support you with that process. Note that it is not possible to apply to the University of Basel directly without the support of a supervisor.
For the GSBE application, you will need the following documents:
Completed application form (follow the link provided)
CV
Master’s and bachelor’s degree diploma and mark sheet
Scientific writing example (master‘s thesis, term paper, bachelor’s thesis or journal article)
In the application process, you will be asked to supply two reference persons. Please ensure you inform them before giving us their contact information to ensure that they are ready and willing to submit a reference letter on your behalf.
Deadlines for GSBE applications:
Start of PhD in fall 2025: January 31, 2025
Start of PhD in spring 2026: July 31, 2025
Head GSBE
Dean of Research
Contact
Dr. Juliana Roost
Coordinator GSBE