PhD in Business and Economics
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2025
TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Application period: 9.12–9.1.2025 at 3:00 PM (UTC+2).
Key Summary
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Get a PhD in Business and Economics
Become the knowledge producer of tomorrow and beyond.
PhD at Hanken School of Economics
- A 4-year Ph.D. program leading to a degree that will prepare you for a career at top universities, research institutions, and companies
- An international, world-class research
- Experienced supervisors and the cutting edge of their research
- Individually tailored guidance and studies
- Flexible and supportive service
- You become part of an international networks
Hanken offers doctoral education in the following majors:
- Accounting (Helsinki and Vaasa)
- Commercial Law (Helsinki and Vaasa)
- Economics (Helsinki only)
- Entrepreneurship, Management, and Organisation (Helsinki only)
- Finance, with possible specialization in Statistics (Helsinki and Vaasa)
- Management and Organisation (Helsinki and Vaasa)
- Marketing (Helsinki and Vaasa)
- Supply Chain Management and Social Responsibility (Helsinki only)
At the start of your studies
At the start of your studies, Introductory Days are arranged for all new doctoral researchers. During the introductory days you will get an introduction to doctoral studies and the introductory days will also allow you to get to know doctoral researchers from other departments.
Research and Supervision
Hanken is a research-intensive business school, which means that all our activities build on our research.
Research
More information on the research carried out at Hanken can be found on our web pages for Research. There you can also find a link to our research database where you can browse for information on our current research projects and recent publications by researchers affiliated with Hanken.
Doctoral theses at Hanken
Supervision
PhD supervision in the Nordic tradition is non-hierarchical, highly interactive, and aims at supporting the student in his or her learning process. At Hanken, personal contact with supervisors is the norm, and the threshold to discuss, ask questions, and exchange ideas is low. As a leading, accredited business school, we guarantee you personal supervision by highly competent faculty members. All our PhD supervisors are experienced, internationally active scholars at the cutting edge of their research fields. Students can contact a Degree Supervisor in the major of their choice and discuss their plans before application.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
The Hanken PhD Programme corresponds to four years of full-time studies, during which you produce a doctoral thesis (180 credit points) and complete 60 ECTS credit points of coursework.
A Doctoral Thesis (180 ECTS) and 60 ECTS Points of Coursework
The Hanken PhD Programme corresponds to four years of full-time studies, during which you produce a doctoral thesis (180 ECTS) and complete 60 ECTS credit points of coursework. The courses are normally completed during the first 12-18 months of study. They consist of credits in the major and related subjects, in general methodology, philosophy of science, or similar courses of a methodological character.
Towards the end of your studies, you will have opportunities to teach and to acquire other competencies that are important for a successful postdoctoral career.
The annual registration is an important process where you report on your achievements, make plans for the year ahead, and update your research plan in collaboration with your degree supervisor.
Hanken supports your doctoral studies through many different processes, ranging from supervision and study administration to performance monitoring and help with the funding of your studies. Hanken also offers you support in applying for funding for postdoctoral research.
As a Hanken Ph., you are also a member of the Hanken alumni community, with all this entails access to important networks and interesting events.
Courses
As a PhD student at Hanken, you have access to a broad range of courses, conferences, and workshops both in Finland and abroad. During your studies, you have good opportunities to follow and contribute to the knowledge development within your research field. Subject to approval by your degree supervisor, you can take Hanken's doctoral courses as well as courses offered by other universities and doctoral programs in Finland and abroad, such as KATAJA and FDPE in Finland or EIASM in Europe.
The courses you study do not have to focus directly on the topic of your thesis. They may well cover a broader topic within your chosen major, or relate to some specific aspect of your field of research.
Certain major subjects within the Hanken Ph.D. Programs have set courses or course packages that are mandatory for all students within that major, regardless of their Ph.D. thesis topic. The aim is then to ensure that all students within the major have a solid basic understanding of the discipline.